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: S4W-02422

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it measures progress in tackling poverty.

The Scottish Government measures progress against reducing poverty through its national poverty indicator within Scotland Performs. Information on this can be accessed at:

http://scotland.gov.uk/About/scotPerforms/indicators/poverty.

The source of information is the Department for Work and Pension's Family Resources Survey, Households Below Average Income datasets.

The Scottish Government has also signed up to the UK Child Poverty Act which contains four measures of child poverty. Progress on these measures are reported on in the annual Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland publication at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/933/0116722.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-02401

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the capping of total lifetime care costs, as recommended by the Commission on Funding of Care and Support and, if so, at what level does it consider that the cap should be set.

Question reference: S4W-02698

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the publication of the Scottish Service Standards for Neonatal Care.

Question reference: S4W-02596

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards are in place to ensure that publicly limited companies taking over all or part of the business of Choices Care do not experience similar problems.

Responsibility for legislation relating to any oversight of the governance of a public limited company, whether for community care purposes or not, would fall within the “regulation of a business association”, and is therefore reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament.

In this regard I have written to the Secretary of State for Health to request that Scottish Government Officials are involved in considering what action may be taken to guard against future risks such as those highlighted in the Southern Cross case.

Question reference: S4W-02594

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what inquiries it has made into the causes of Choices Care entering administration.

The Scottish Government has given reassurances about the continuity of care for service users, and is working in close partnership with COSLA, SCSWIS (Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland) and ADSW (Association of Directors of Social Work) through the National Contingency Planning Group.

The group has been set-up to look at the overall preparedness of statutory agencies in addressing unforeseen circumstances that could lead to the disruption of adult care provision in Scotland. This will include any service disruption or cessation that arises from a business closure, an emergency situation or a public health matter.

Continuity of care is being maintained in respect of Choices Care, there is requirement to make inquiries into the decision by Choices Care to enter into administration.

Question reference: S4W-02587

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the establishment of an allied health professional workforce bank for the NHS.

Question reference: S4W-02593

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what regulatory bodies are responsible for the oversight of the governance of publicly limited companies delivering community care services on behalf of local authorities.

Question reference: S4W-02697

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the deadline is for the Neonatal Expert Advisory Group to report to the Minister for Public Health with the final version of the Scottish Service Standards for Neonatal Care.

Question reference: S4O-00215

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4W-02548

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many established staff transferred from HM Inspectorate of Education to (a) Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland and (b) Education Scotland on 1 April 2011.

Six staff transferred from HM Inspectorate of Education to Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland on 1 April 2011.

One hundred and seventy-nine staff transferred from HM Inspectorate of Education to Education Scotland on 1 July 2011.

Only permanent and fixed-term appointment staff have been counted. These figures do not include sessional/fees paid staff, agency workers or staff seconded from another employer.