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-25968

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether any residential properties owned by Scottish Canals and leased out to tenants are considered to be below tolerable standard.

Question reference: S5W-26077

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25551 by Derek Mackay on 8 October 2019, in light of the cabinet secretary's comments regarding the experience, efficacy and impact of the existing financial transaction funding arrangements, for what reason the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) is being established, and what consideration it gave to (a) using the existing Scottish Investment Bank and (b) carrying a specific review of the current arrangements before making the decision to establish the SNIB.

I wrote to the Convener of the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee [recently]. Included below is text from that letter.

The Council of Economic Advisors (discussed at the Committee’s January 2017 meeting), drawing on work by the New Economics Foundation and Common Weal, firmly established the value of creating a mission based development bank specifically aligned to Scottish Government policy. The Implementation Plan for the Bank addressed a range of considerations, including the provision of existing arrangements, and identifying specific priorities around provision of patient capital; scale up finance (£2m-£10m approx.); the availability of SME finance; and delivery of crucial transformative, mission-oriented project finance.

Detailed work documented in the Implementation Plan supporting analysis determined that the most effective way to maximise the Bank’s impact across early stage equity, growth capital and mission-based finance was to create a new institution with the scale and capacity to deliver this significant remit, whilst building on the positive foundations laid by SIB in the early stage risk capital market, and on other public investment activities.

This approach will consolidate existing activity within the Scottish National Investment Bank and simplify access to support, advice and finance, whilst continuing to build on skills and experience already successfully developed in Scotland.

As the Implementation Plan set out this: “will also ensure the efficiency of public sector activity in this area through enabling the Bank to best direct its capital across the existing financing activity and new activities, utilising existing channels to market and investor relationships”. This wider focus is crucial to the Bank’s mission-oriented approach to tackling societal challenges. It has been announced that responding to the Climate Emergency will be the and the Bank’s primary mission to support Scotland’s transition to net zero by 2045.

The scale of the activity that is envisaged to be carried out by the Bank will be supported by seeking a dispensation from HM Treasury so that the Bank can have flexibility to manage, retain and carry-forward cash balances over financial year-ends. Furthermore, in time the Scottish National Investment Bank could seek to attain self-financing public financial corporation status. This would enable it to raise finance externally without impacting on Scottish Government budgets, and thereby increase the amount of funds available for investment in the economy. This option is not available under current public investment activities delivered by the Scottish Government or its agencies.

Question reference: S5W-26078

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 15 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25552 by Derek Mackay on 8 October 2019, how this approach represents additionality over the current arrangements, and what its position regarding whether this could have been achieved by using the Scottish Investment Bank.

Question reference: S5W-25988

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated to the implementation of health screening services for people with learning disabilities, in light of the publication of its 2019-20 Programme for Government, and what the timetable is for implementation.

Question reference: S5W-25885

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on ScotRail removing services between October and December due to leaves on the line; whether ScotRail requires its permission to do this and, if so, whether it has given permission.

Question reference: S5W-25887

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much the ScotRail Alliance has spent on removing trees and vegetation from the sides of railway lines in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S5W-25886

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 9.18am and 9.48am rail services from Dumbarton East to Balloch have been cancelled until December.

Question reference: S5O-03783

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent its attempts to widen access to university have been effective.

Question reference: S5W-25962

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) capital and (b) revenue budget has been for Scottish Canals in each year since its inception.

Question reference: S5W-25961

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) capital and (b) revenue budget was for housing maintenance and repair for British Waterways in Scotland in each of the last five years of its operation.

The Scottish Government allocates grant-in-aid to Scottish Canals for its statutory duties under the Transport Act 1968. The allocation of this funding is an operational matter for Scottish Canals. I understand that Scottish Canals do not hold the information requested which relates to the period prior to 2012 when the British Waterways Board was responsible for the canal network in Scotland, England and Wales.

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000	£000
Capital	2,300	2,300	1,700	2,000	2,000	3,000	3,500
Revenue	7,700	7,700	8,300	8,000	8,000	8,100	8,100
Additional capital	1,330	4,250	1,000			1,295	6,975
Total	11,330	14,250	11,000	10,000	10,000	12,395	18,575