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-16861

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness of the support that is available for the victims of workplace bullying.

The Scottish Government has made clear that bullying and harassment of any worker, under any circumstances, is unacceptable.

Through the Scottish Government's endorsement and promotion of the Fair Work Convention's Framework, we are making clear that every worker, regardless of status or position, should be treated fairly and with respect.

Where workers feel they have been unfairly treated, they may have the option of raising concern through their workplace bullying and harassment process or seeking support from their trade union representative. The Scottish Government also promotes the role of ACAS in providing advice and support on workplace issues.

Where fair work has not been delivered, the Scottish Government believes that all workers should have access to justice via an Employment Tribunal. We have therefore secured powers over the management of the Employment Tribunal in Scotland to protect the rights of workers and prevent barriers to justice being imposed by the UK Government, such as the reintroduction of an Employment Tribunal fee regime.

Question reference: S5W-16953

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action people who authorise the sale of alcohol, or manage or supervise in premises where alcohol is sold, require to take to maintain their Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders, and whether these certificates will be valid for renewal in 12 months.

The personal licence is a key element of the alcohol licensing regime and many licence holders will require to renew these before September 2019 – the “ten year point”.

The Act requires that renewal applications are lodged no earlier than twelve months prior to expiry and no later than three months before expiry. The first personal licences issued under the Act have an expiry date of 1 September 2019. Therefore, the window for first renewal applications opens 31 August 2018 and closes 31 May 2019.

We will shortly seek stakeholder views on a review of the implications for boards and the trade of the upcoming renewal period for personal licences, and we are at an advanced stage in discussions with a preferred supplier to review and update the relevant personal licence holder qualifications – an announcement will be made in due course. The Scottish Government will also be undertaking detailed engagement with stakeholders to agree and publicise arrangements ahead of the ten year point for personal licence renewal in September 2019.

Question reference: S5O-02175

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce underemployment.

The latest statistics show that the underemployment rate in Scotland is 8.0%. This is down from 10.0% in 2012 and down from 8.4 per cent in 2016.

To help reduce underemployment further we are taking steps across government to encourage employers to adopt fair working practices, including investment in Returners programmes to assist professionally qualified women to re-enter the workforce following a career break. We are also investing in skills by growing, widening and enhancing Modern Apprenticeships as part of the Developing the Young Workforce Strategy; and we have put in place the £10 million pilot Flexible Workforce Development Fund, and the Individual Training Account scheme.

Question reference: S5W-16049

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Enterprise and Skills Review: Report on Phase 2 to "develop a clearer shared understanding of priority countries....by end 2017", which priority countries were identified.

The specific commitment within the Enterprise & Skills Review report was to “Develop a clearer, shared understanding of priority countries, recognising that these may be different for trade, investment and Scotland’s other interests”. This agreement recognises that different organisations have different priority countries depending on their specific objectives but that the benefit of this overseas presence and knowledge can be shared and exploited among partners. This is part of the wider commitment by partners to work more effectively together to deliver Scotland’s international trade and investment ambitions and to maximise the economic and social benefit to Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-16240

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes historically significant sites.

Section 2 of the Historic Environment Scotland Act 2014 provides that Historic Environment Scotland’s general function is to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. The Scottish Government provided £37,145,000 in grant-in-aid to Historic Environment Scotland in 2017-18 to act as the lead public body on matters relating to Scotland’s historic environment, supporting and enabling partners, stakeholders, communities and individuals to fulfil their roles in investigating, protecting and celebrating our heritage. In particular, one of the strategic aims set out in Historic Environment Scotland's Corporate Plan is to "promote the value of the historic environment through education, learning, outreach and skill-sharing activities."

Question reference: S5F-02315

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2018

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take to reduce the number of cancelled NHS operations.

Question reference: S5O-02044

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-15657

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making with its plans to deliver 1,140 hours of free early learning and childcare from 2020, and what recent discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) local authorities regarding any funding concerns that have been expressed about achieving this.

In March 2017 the Scottish Government published A Blueprint for 2020: 2017-18 Action Plan . This set out the policy vision and framework for delivering the expansion of the early learning and childcare (ELC) entitlement. It committed us to a series of actions, to be delivered by the end of March 2018 to ensure that the expansion of ELC is rooted in a high quality experience for our children, and; to support our delivery partners in building additional capacity. We, along with our deliver partners, have made significant progress since the publication of the 2017-18 Action Plan and are on track to deliver 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare from 2020.

The Scottish Government is committed to making an unprecedented level of investment in early learning and childcare, and is continuing to work with local authorities to agree a sustainable multi-year funding package which will deliver the requirements of the expansion, taking account of local authority cost estimates reflected in ELC Expansion Plans. On 29 March 2018 Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders met to progress funding discussions, with a view to reaching agreement on the multi-year funding package soon.

Question reference: S5O-02024

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to close the attainment gap.

Question reference: S5W-15217

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to remove the (a) physical and (b) social barriers that disabled musicians face.

The primary aim of the Disability Action Plan, A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People , is to remove the barriers that stop disabled people from participating fully in their communities, and at national and international levels. Our goal is for all disabled people to have choice and control, dignity and freedom to live the life they choose, with the support they need to do so. The Plan may be accessed here:- http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/12/3778/0

Equalities, access and participation are critical to the music sector to ensure that opportunities to engage with quality music-making are available to as many people, and as many distinct groups, as possible. Paragon Ensemble, Drake Music Scotland, for example, are all supported through Creative Scotland and are critical in ensuring equal access for all.