- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the potential impact of its policy of no compulsory redundancies in the public sector on public bodies’ ability to achieve efficiency through automation or other means.
Answer
The Scottish Government has maintained its commitment to No Compulsory Redundancy since 2007 and there is no change to the commitment set out in the multi-year 2024-25 Public Sector pay Policy published on 30 May 2024.
The 2025-26 Draft Budget has also set out a 10-year programme of Public Service Reform to Parliament, with a strong focus on the data, levers and workforce that will drive efficiency. To enable this work, we will deliver an Invest to Save fund in 2025-26, backed by up to £30 million of funding recognising the need to catalyse efficiency, effectiveness and productivity projects as part of the PSR programme.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the average percentage pay increase in (a) real and (b) nominal terms has been for public sector staff in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not record the historic average percentage pay increase for public sector staff due to the complexities associated with calculating the impact of in year promotions, progression increments within pay scales and the large volume of new starts and leavers.
The pay metrics of the Scottish Government's public sector pay policy provides a reasonable basis for assessing the average nominal increase for public sector staff and those metrics are shown in the table below for the years requested.
There is no single way of calculating real terms increases in pay as there are numerous potential indices such as the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), Consumer Prices Index including Owner Occupiers’ Housing Costs (CPIH), and the Consumer expenditure deflator. Information on inflation indices can be found in the links below:
Inflation and price indices - Office for National Statistics
Final consumption expenditure deflator: SA - Office for National Statistics
Public Sector Pay Policy table
The public sector pay policy applies directly to the pay of the Scottish Government's core directorates and its associated departments, agencies, non-departmental public bodies, public corporations and NHS Scotland senior managers (grades A to C). Other parts of the devolved public sector such as NHS Agenda for Change, Police, Fire & Teachers are expected to use the pay policy metrics as a reference point for their pay negotiations.
| Public Sector Pay Policy Metrics |
| |
| 0%;
£250 underpin for lower paid |
| 0%;
£250 underpin for lower paid |
| 1%;
£250 underpin for lower paid |
| 1%;
£300 underpin for lower paid |
| 1%;
£300 underpin for lower paid |
| 1%;
£400 underpin for lower paid |
| 1%;
£400 underpin for lower paid |
| 3% up to £36,500;
2% between £36,500 & £80,000;
£1,600 if above £80K |
| 3% up to £36,500;
2% between £36,500 & £80K;
£1,600 if above £80K |
| £750 if below £25K,;
3% up to £80K,;
£2,000 if above £80K |
| £800 if below £25K;
2% up to £40K:
1% above £40K:
£800 if above £80K |
| |
| 5% from 1 April
plus 2% or 0.5% from 1 Jan |
| £1,500 if below £30K;
2% if above £30K from 1 April plus further 1% from 1 Jan |
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government on what date the MV Caledonian Isles was withdrawn from service, and when it is expected to return to service.
Answer
The MV Caledonian Isles entered dry dock for her annual overhaul at Dales, Greenock on 4 January 2024. The vessel moved to Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead on 11 February 2024 for additional steel works to be undertaken. She departed there on 14 September 2024 and was due to return to service on the on 23 September 2024. However, engineers identified metallic debris in the oil filter for the Port propulsion gearbox and she has remained off service. The vessel is currently at James Watt Dock Greenock undergoing further investigative works. As a precaution and to allow contingency measures to be put in place on affected routes CalMac have planned for the vessel being unavailable for the duration for the winter timetable period which ends on 27 March 2025.
CalMac anticipate having a more detailed estimate of the timing of the required work in the coming weeks.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the reason is for the reported drop-off in the number of extensive clinical dental examinations under the new pay arrangements between the quarters ending 30 June and 30 September 2024.
Answer
The number of treatments (including enhanced examinations) is compiled on the basis of claims made to Practitioner Services for payment within agreed working schedules and monthly activity is therefore not always presented on a directly comparable basis. For example, the September payment schedule period contained 20 working days which is lower than the average schedule period (c.24 working days), resulting in a small reduction to prior months’ claims.
Practitioners Services will periodically close the schedules to allow other payments to be made to dentists, such as quarterly allowance payments.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of repairs to the MV Caledonian Isles has been to date, broken down by year, and what the total anticipated costs are going forward.
Answer
The maintenance costs for MV Caledonian Isles for the past three years are included within the following table:
Contract Year | Period | £000's | |
CY 6 | 01-10-2021 - 30-09-2022 | 1,955 | |
CY 7 | 01-10-2022 - 30-09-2023 | 1,977 | |
CY 8 | 01-10-2023 - 30-09-2024 | 8,310 | * |
| | | 12,242 | * |
* includes £6.8m of additional steelwork and gear box repair work. |
The anticipated costs going forward for MV Caledonian Isles are included within the following table:
Contract year 9 costs | £000s |
P7 | 596 |
P8 | 131 |
24-25 overhaul costs (deferred**) | 1,071 |
Open POs | 1,143 |
Total committed and incurred costs CY 9 | 2,941 |
*included in the above is £1.1m of additional costs. |
**incurred in preparation of overhaul being completed in January/February 2025. |
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what UK financial institutions currently provide refund guarantee products for shipbuilding projects.
Answer
The Scottish Government do not hold this information. It is a matter for UK shipyards to come to commercial agreements on guarantees with financial institutions as stipulated in shipbuilding procurements.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the MV Alfred, what the total charter costs have been to date, broken down by year, and whether it will provide an update on how many sailings have been delivered by the vessel to date.
Answer
The total cost, to date of chartering the MV Alfred amounts to £21.4m broken down as follows: April 2023 - February 2024 totalled £9.1m and March 2024 – March 2025 amounts to £12.3m.
The cost includes the charter of the vessel but also variable elements around fuel, harbour dues and other costs that are dependent on the actual deployment of the vessel. Furthermore, the time on charter will be adjusted accordingly, to account for any period the vessel is out of service, and therefore not available
The number of sailings and performance were detailed in the following table
Route | Operated Sailings | Scheduled Sailings | Additional Sailings | Cancelled Sailings | | Weather Cancellations | Technical Cancellations | Other Cancellations |
Ardrossan - Brodick | 1822 | 1368 | 496 | 42 | | 21 | 16 | 5 |
Uig - Tarbert/Lochmaddy | 126 | 16 | 110 | 0 | | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 1948 | 1384 | 606 | 42 | | 21 | 16 | 5 |
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much of the £200 million that it committed to improve rail journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt by 2026 has been spent to date.
Answer
The total invested to 9th November 2024 (Railway Period 8 – 2024) on projects to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt is £23.1m. Of this figure, £16.3m has been spent on the Aberdeen – Central Belt Service Improvement project, and £6.8m has been spent on the project to improve rail line speeds in the Barnhill area between Perth and Dundee. The investment at Barnhill remodelled a junction between the Tay Viaduct at Perth and Barnhill to increase line speeds over it from 20mph to 50mph. It is a direct enabler for the plan to reduce rail journey times between the Central Belt and the North-East, improving connectivity and enhancing capacity for both passenger and freight trains on the route.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, on several occasions, CalMac’s booking system stated that a ferry service was fully booked when it was not.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31682 on 9 December 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: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and other train operators and (b) rail stakeholders regarding improving train drivers' access to safe, clean and dignified toilet facilities, with adequate time to use these, during the course of their working day of up to eight hours.
Answer
Officials at Transport Scotland meet regularly with ScotRail, other train operating companied and various rail stakeholders to discuss various matters. Staff access to toilets is an operational matter for train operating companies, as employers.
