Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-08548

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on 30 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 57), for what reason the final mesh report did not refer to figures in NATURE that suggested that at least 15% of women who undergo the procedure could face serious risks in their lifetime.

The Independent Review confirmed to me that it agreed, in considering the effectiveness of procedures, it would only use Cochrane Reviews as these are the international “gold standard” for systematic reviews. This was to avoid re-reviewing research data that was already reviewed in other documents and might therefore have introduced the potential for bias. This review fell outside of the scope as it is neither a formal Safety Agency Review, nor is it a Cochrane Review.

Question reference: S5W-08523

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the veracity of the raw data used to compile the Government Expenditure and Revenue Figures (Scotland) (GERS).

Government Expenditure & Revenue Scotland (GERS) estimates the contribution of revenue raised in Scotland towards the goods and services provided for the benefit of Scottish residents under the current constitutional arrangements.

The data used to compile the GERS figures are, in general, National Statistics. The Scottish Government works closely with other UK Government departments to continuously improve the quality of data available to produce GERS.

Question reference: S5W-08522

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has confidence in the UK Statistics Authority and its independent assessment of the Government Expenditure and Revenue Figures (Scotland) (GERS).

Question reference: S5W-08521

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has confidence in its Chief Statistician and the quality of his work when taking responsibility for the Government Expenditure and Revenue Figures (Scotland) (GERS).

Question reference: S5W-08518

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers there are any flaws in the compiling of the Government Expenditure and Revenue Figures (Scotland) (GERS), and what its reasons are for its position on this.

The methods used to compile Government Expenditure & Revenue Scotland (GERS) are set out publicly and have been agreed via public consultation, and in consultation with the Scottish Economic Statistics Consultation Group, which brings together users of Scottish economic statistics from a range of backgrounds, including academia, the public sector, and the media.

Question reference: S5W-08436

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-08004 by Shirley-Anne Sommerville on 24 March 2017, who the members are of the new Senior Management Team, and whether it will publish the set remit of each.

Question reference: S5W-08437

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-08001 by Shirley-Anne Sommerville on 24 March 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether it considers that reduction in student activity at Edinburgh College has arisen because of poor planning.

Question reference: S5W-08438

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-08004 by Shirley-Anne Sommerville on 24 March 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding what its position is on the effectiveness of the (a) board and (b) management and executive team of Edinburgh College, including its handling of public funds.

The College Board operates in accordance with the Financial Memorandum between the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the College and the Code of Good Governance for Colleges. Board structures have been reviewed and the Board itself has been active in supporting the Business Transformation Plan (BTP). A new Senior Management Team (SMT) has recently been brought together, comprising three new Assistant Principal posts with set remits. The SFC is working closely with the SMT through the Outcome Agreement process and BTP monitoring.

Question reference: S5W-08485

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24492 by Michael Matheson on 3 March 2015, whether similar bonuses have been paid to prison officers in the subsequent years and, if so, what the annual cost has been; how much it expects to pay out in future years; whether it classifies these as "one-off payments"; what its position is on whether such payments adhere to its overall pay policy; which other staff in the Scottish Prison Service qualify for or have received the bonuses and whether these bonuses will be considered as part of prison officers' baseline salary in future pay negotiations.

Question reference: S5O-00912

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many women in Scotland have been implanted with transvaginal mesh since 2007.