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: S6W-15714

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average administration cost per payment of the Scottish Child Payment has been to date, including both start-up costs and ongoing costs of administration.

As Social Security Scotland staff and systems are organised to provide more than one form of assistance, it is not possible to separately identify the cost of Scottish Child Payment administration.

In November 2022 the Scottish Child Payment was increased from £20 to £25 and extended to under 16s providing support to thousands of low income households.

The Scottish Government expect to spend £442 million on directly tackling child poverty through the Scottish Child Payment during 2023-24, this is significantly more than the £226 million expected to be spent in 2022-23.

Question reference: S6T-01247

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the EIS vote to accept the latest pay offer, what assessment is being undertaken to understand any impact of days lost as a result of industrial action on children’s education and the school environment.

Question reference: S6W-15224

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the recommendations contained within the report of the Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody have been (a) implemented and (b) introduced into the system, broken down by each of the five themes.

A follow up report detailing progress on implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody was published in December 2022. This is available at: Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody: progress report - follow up .

Gillian Imery was appointed as an external chair to provide strategic leadership and oversight of the implementation in April last year and reported on progress.

The progress report outlined that three recommendations have been implemented and introduced into the system and another recommendation has been partially implemented and introduced into the system. Broken down by theme these are:

Theme 1: Family contact with the prison and involvement in care

(a) and (b) 1 (recommendation 1.4)

Theme 2: Policies and processes after a death

(a) and (b) 1, partially implemented (recommendation 2.2)

Theme 3: Family contact and support following a death

(a) and (b) 1 (recommendation 3.1)

Theme 4: Support for staff and other people held in prison after a death

(a) and (b) 0

Theme 5: SPS and NHS documentation concerning a death

(a) and (b) 1 (recommendation 5.4)

The progress report recognises that some of the issues are complex and will take some time to resolve and implement. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with the other agencies responsible for delivery including the Scottish Prison Service and NHS to continue to develop compassionate and robust processes that meet the needs of those in custody and their families.

A further report on progress will be prepared by Gillian Imery which is expected to be published later this year.

Question reference: S6O-01984

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities to invest in local bus services.

Question reference: S6W-12557

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid to private consultancies commissioned to undertake NHS contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-12551

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many procedures the private sector has tendered for through the Dynamic Purchasing System within the NHS, and whether it will provide a list of them.

Question reference: S6W-12558

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) or Not for Profit Distribution (NPD) payments in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Information on Private Finance Initiative (PFI) or Not for Profit Distribution (NPD) projects in Scotland, including NHS projects is available online from

Infrastructure investment - Government finance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The following table presents how much has been paid for NHS projects delivered through Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Not for Profit Distribution (NPD) in each of the last 10 years.

	UNITARY CHARGE PAYMENT
CATEGORY	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	TOTAL
	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m

PFI/PPP	223	228	230	232	228	234	240	246	252	258	2,370

NPD/HUB	1	3	6	15	35	53	76	85	87	87	448

The NPD model unlike PFI ensures the following:

Private sector returns are capped
There is no dividend bearing equity
Enhances stakeholder involvement in the management of projects
Surpluses can be directed in favour of the public sector

Question reference: S6W-12555

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the average amount paid to private agencies for a (a) nursing, (b) consultant and (c) care assistant shift has been in each of the last 10 years.

The information requested on what the average amount paid to private agencies for a (a) nursing, (b) consultant and (c) care assistant shift has been in each of the last 10 years is not centrally available.

Information on Medical & Dental and Nursing & midwifery bank and agency spend by NHS Board since March 2014 can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHSScotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence Bank and Agency) tab.

Question reference: S6W-12552

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much the NHS has spent on private sector procedures and diagnostics in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-12554

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the highest amount paid to private agencies for a (a) nursing, (b) consultant and (c) care assistant shift has been in each of the last 10 years.

The information requested on what the highest amount paid to private agencies for a (a) nursing, (b) consultant and (c) care assistant shift has been in each of the last 10 years is not centrally available.