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: S5O-01653

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 10 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact West Dunbartonshire Council’s reported decision to remove funding for Police Scotland for the out-of-hours noise service will have on tackling antisocial behaviour.

Question reference: S5W-13532

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether the provisions in its Planning (Scotland) Bill are compliant with the obligations in the UN Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, also known as the Aarhus Convention, and when it will publish any such assessment.

The Scottish Government is satisfied that the provisions contained within the Planning (Scotland) Bill are compliant with the Aarhus Convention, including new provisions which strengthen processes, engagement and participation in the planning system overall. The Scottish Government is not able to disclose legal advice it receives, including any legal advice that may have been considered in relation to compliance with the Arhus Convention. The policy memorandum published to accompany the Bill contains information about provisions which are relevant to the Aarhus Convention.

Question reference: S5W-13531

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 9 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the assessment that underpins its assertion that the provisions in its Planning (Scotland) Bill are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Statements on Legislative Competence which accompany the Planning (Scotland) Bill recognise the Bill’s competence, including its compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. The Scottish Government is not able to disclose legal advice it receives, including any legal advice that may have been considered in relation to compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights. The policy memorandum published to accompany the Bill addresses human rights issues at paragraphs 170 to 173 of the memorandum.

Question reference: S5W-12966

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-11879 and S5W-12280 by Keith Brown on 6 October and 31 October 2017 respectively, for what reason there was a delay between the finalisation and publication of the accounts for (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Although the annual report and accounts for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are signed off by their respective Accountable Officers during the summer, there are a number of internal processes that need to be followed before the accounts can be laid at Parliament.

These processes account for the time difference between the Accountable Officers signing off their accounts and the accounts being published.

The Scottish Government always ensures that the audited accounts for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are laid and published as early as possible and within the statutory requirements set out.

Question reference: S5W-13040

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10398 by Jamie Hepburn on 10 August 2017, whether it has made or plans a further assessment of the need for new statistical outputs regarding the ethnicity pay gap.

The Scottish Government has provisionally calculated the ethnicity pay gap using the Annual Population Survey data source. The estimate produced is now being quality assured by Scottish Government analysts in liaison with the Office for National Statistics, who own the data, to assess whether this Scottish estimate is reliable for public use.

We are also exploring whether a more reliable estimate may be produced from the three year pooled Annual Population Survey data set 2014-2016. Following our review these estimates will be made available on the Scottish Government web site, alongside technical notes and guidance.

Question reference: S5W-12918

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses were bankrupted in Scotland as a result of late payment of invoices in each year since 2011.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Accountant in Bankruptcy has a statutory function to maintain a Register of Insolvencies that contains details of those subject to personal insolvency proceedings and business associations subject to receivership and winding up procedures in Scotland. There is currently no requirement to record the specific reason for business insolvency.

Corporate insolvency procedures in relation to Administration and Company Voluntary Arrangement are reserved to the UK Government and information regarding Scottish companies subject to these procedures is recorded on Companies House web-site.

While I recognise the benefits of having a greater understanding of the circumstances behind the insolvency, and strongly sympathise with the member's interests in driving out bad practice in term of late payments, it is unfortunately not currently possible to obtain the reasons for insolvency from the information available on the Companies House web-site. It is therefore not possible to determine the impact of late payments. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the cash flow issue created by late payments, or inappropriate use of retention payments, has been a factor in tipping otherwise viable businesses into administration.

Question reference: S5W-13041

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prioritise the evidence gap identified in relation to the ethnicity pay gap in Scotland's Equality Evidence Strategy 2017-2021.

Scotland’s Equality Evidence Strategy set out the Scottish Government’s plans to work collaboratively with its stakeholders to fill evidence gaps across all the protected equality characteristics.

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/07/9574

Following the publication of the strategy, on July 18 2017, the Scottish Government held a gender workshop with its stakeholders, which was aimed at prioritising the evidence gaps identified on gender. It now plans to hold similar events across the other protected characteristics, including on ethnicity. At this event the ethnicity pay gap will be considered and prioritised in the context of the full list of gaps on ethnicity identified by stakeholders.

Question reference: S5W-13126

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13058 by Keith Brown on 29 November 2017, who accompanied the cabinet secretary on his visit to North America.

Question reference: S5W-13127

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13058 by Keith Brown on 29 November 2017, what the total (a) travel and (b) accommodation cost was for the delegation on the trip to North America.

Question reference: S5W-13129

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13058 by Keith Brown on 29 November 2017, who the cabinet secretary met during the visit to North America.