- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the waiting time for external stakeholder parliamentary events sponsored by MSPs.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the UK Government regarding (a) electricity and (b) gas standing charges in Scotland, and what was discussed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26013 on 14 March 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with the UK Government to encourage more multinational companies to invest in Scotland’s regions.
Answer
Central to the Scottish Government’s Inward Investment Plan is a commitment to ensuring all of Scotland’s regions are able to share in the economic success resulting from inward investment.
We are already working with the UK Government to stimulate growth and attract investment at a regional level through the City and Regional Growth Deals. We are investing £1.9 billion in the programme covering all regions of Scotland and working with local authorities and the UK Government to deliver on shared ambitions. We are also working in partnership with the UK Government and with the Glasgow City Region and North East Scotland Regional Economic Partnerships to get Investment Zones up and running as quickly as possible; and to ensure that the Zones have the maximum positive impact for businesses, communities and Scotland’s wider economy.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how its New Deal for Business will encourage scientific companies to see Scotland as a positive destination in which to invest.
Answer
As part of the Scottish Government approach to growing the Scottish economy, the New Deal for Business Group will continue to support this through the implementation of its key actions to improve collaborative working between business and government that will create a mutually beneficial business environment and contribute to improvements in commercial confidence and investment, fostering a stable business environment which will increase Scotland’s attractiveness as a location for inward investment.
Scotland has a strong record in attracting inward investment and Shaping Scotland’s Economy: Inward Investment Plan (IIP) is key to supporting Scotland’s growth clusters including opportunities in emerging scientific and technological sectors.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how its Budget for 2024-25 will create opportunities for advanced scientific industries in Scotland.
Answer
While faced with one of the most difficult financial settlements since devolution, the Scottish Government is making the most of every resource available in the Scottish Budget 2024-2025 to continue to grow and transform the economy through investment of more than £5 billion across government.
Spending is targeted at measures that will support our long-term ambitions for a wellbeing economy that is fair, green and growing. The Scottish Government and its associated agencies are committed to creating opportunities for advanced scientific industries in Scotland, helping to deliver on our ambitions in the Innovation Strategy.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that piscivorous birds have on the wild salmon population.
Answer
Quantifying the impacts of piscivorous birds on wild salmon populations is challenging as it requires updated information on bird populations, distributions and diet, as well as information on the population dynamics processes of both the birds and fish.
Nevertheless several studies have been commissioned in order to build knowledge of the potential impact of piscivorous birds on wild salmon. Most recently a study to document the diet of fish eating birds on four Scottish rivers was conducted between 2019 and 2020. A final report on the study is available on the Scottish Government website - Bird stomach contents analysis - final report: Goosander and Cormorant diet on four Scottish rivers 2019 to 2020 - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot ).
A separate project funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund has examined acoustic tracking methods that may be useful in identifying those stretches of Scottish rivers where salmon smolt losses occur. This pilot work included a study examining the feasibility of concurrently recording movements of piscivorous birds (goosanders) using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tags. A final report on the study will be published in due course.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many members of staff were employed by Disclosure Scotland in each year since 2012.
Answer
I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:
Table: The headcount of staff at Disclosure Scotland as of 31 March for the years requested.
Year | Staff headcount |
2012 | 290 |
2013 | 315 |
2014 | 336 |
2015 | 341 |
2016 | 494 |
2017 | 609 |
2018 | 413 |
2019 | 447 |
2020 | 474 |
2021 | 468 |
2022 | 465 |
2023 | 456 |
As of 29 February 2024 | 457 |
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many staffing vacancies are currently unfilled within Disclosure Scotland.
Answer
I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:
There are 13 staffing vacancies currently unfilled within Disclosure Scotland.
- Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 February 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it and (b) public sector pension agencies, including the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, (i) have taken or (ii) will take steps to ensure that companies or agencies that conduct medical assessments of public sector workers with long COVID are made aware that long COVID clinics do not exist in some areas of Scotland, on the basis that NHS boards make their own arrangements for long COVID treatment, in order to ensure that ill health retirement pension applications are not refused simply due to the lack of attendance at a long COVID clinic.
Answer
Care and support for people with long COVID is being provided across the full range of services delivered by NHS Scotland. This includes assessment and investigation in a setting close to home by local primary care teams, and referral to community-based rehabilitation services or secondary care settings for further investigation of specific complications where appropriate.
SPPA’s occupational health advisers at Health Partners are aware that Long Covid Clinics do not exist in some areas of Scotland. Ill health retirement applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and the medical decision-making process takes into account the available treatment options for an individual. This principle is also contained in the guidance issued by SPPA that should be considered by scheme employers responsible for managing ill health retirement applications from members of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Scotland).
- Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 February 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 14 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that long COVID patients in Scotland have been refused ill health retirement pensions because they have not attended a long COVID clinic.
Answer
We are not aware of reports that any long COVID patients have been refused ill health retirement from a public service pension scheme in Scotland solely because they have not attended a long COVID clinic. Each ill health retirement application should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and the medical decision-making process takes into account the available treatment options for an individual.
In assessing an ill health retirement application, the scheme manager must assess whether the individual is permanently incapable of carrying out the duties of their existing employment (lower-tier) or any regular employment of like duration (upper-tier) until their normal pension age. One of the factors which must be considered in making that assessment is whether the individual has received appropriate medical treatment. Where the member has not received appropriate medical treatment, permanent incapacity cannot be established. However, if a long COVID service was not available, according to the general principles of an ill-health retirement assessment, it would not be considered an appropriate treatment option for that individual.
