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-05632

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether one of its ministers will chair the statutory board arising from its enterprise and skills review and, if so, who.

In our report on phase one of the Enterprise and Skills Review we have committed to work with agencies and other partners to strengthen our enterprise and skills system by consulting on the strategic board, including the best distribution of functions between the agencies underneath it and the associated legislative requirements.

As part of this work, we will also consider who should chair the board.

Question reference: S5O-00497

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available from Scottish Water for first-time connections.

Where new water infrastructure is installed to connect new or existing properties to public supplies, Scottish Water will pay a Reasonable Cost Contribution in respect of the infrastructure that it adopts. The maximum contribution, some £1500 per household, is stipulated in Regulations.

For most new developments, the reasonable cost contribution covers the full cost of providing extensions to water infrastructure necessary to connect new properties.

Question reference: S5W-05614

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05180 by Keith Brown on 13 December 2016, when Scottish Development International will be in a position to advise what additional costs are required.

Question reference: S5W-05626

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office for National Statistics about the classification of universities as a result of its enterprise and skills review.

Question reference: S5W-05396

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what additional senior management staff will be required for the proposed statutory board that will oversee skills and enterprise agencies.

Question reference: S5W-05401

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has achieved its target of being in the top quartile of OECD countries for productivity by 2017 and, if not, what level has been achieved.

Performance against the Productivity Purpose Target is reported on Scotland Performs. The most recent internationally comparable data on Scotland’s productivity performance covers the years up to and including 2014. In 2014, Scotland would have ranked 19^th of 35 OECD countries while the UK would have ranked 18^th.

Data on progress toward the productivity purpose target is available at: http://www.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms/purposetargets/productivity

Question reference: S5W-05487

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the key criteria are for Scottish Futures Trust growth accelerator projects.

The key objective of the Growth Accelerator funding mechanism is the delivery of public sector enabling infrastructure which stimulates private sector investment and the wider economy. The model establishes a payment-by-results approach based on achieving key measures relating to economic, financial and social impacts. These will be determined on a project by project basis, reflecting the project’s key, identifiable outcomes which will be included within the Growth Accelerator agreement.

Question reference: S5W-05400

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has achieved its target of increasing exports by 50% by 2017 and, if not, what levels have been achieved.

Since 2010, international exports have increased by 17.3%, from £23.4 billion in 2010 to £27.5 billion in 2014. Data for 2017 will not be available until January 2019.

While there are substantial challenges for Scottish exports as a result of difficult global economic and market conditions, our Trade and Investment Strategy, alongside the four point plan announced in October by the First Minister, sets out a clear and comprehensive plan for helping more companies export more goods and services to more markets.

Question reference: S5W-05399

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase productivity at a regional level.

Improving productivity and competitiveness across Scotland is an important part of Scotland’s Economic Strategy. The Programme for Government 2016-17 sets out a range of initiatives including investment in transport and digital infrastructure, which will support productivity across Scotland. The Programme for Government can be found online here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00505260.pdf

The Scottish Government is working with local authorities through our City Deals which take long-term strategic approaches to improving regional economies. Regional partnership discussions take the same approach to non-city regions.

Phase 1 of the Enterprise and Skills Review set out a number of actions intended to strengthen our regional approach to enterprise and skills support, which will further improve the contributions our agencies make to supporting regional productivity. These include the commitment to retain Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and to establish a new vehicle to meet the enterprise and skills needs of the South of Scotland. We will also look to work with COSLA and local government to build on their existing and emerging local economic partnerships.

Question reference: S5W-05397

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to fill the vacancy of chief executive of (a) Highlands and Islands Enterprise and (b) the Scottish Funding Council.