- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 14 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scotland Performs' webpage has recorded figures showing that Scotland's OECD productivity ranking has "worsened" from 16th place in 2006 to 19th currently.
Answer
The evaluation of progress towards the Scottish Government's productivity purpose target is based on any change in Scotland's productivity rank among organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD) member countries. In 2006, Scotland was ranked 16th in the OECD for productivity levels in terms of output per hour worked. Between 2006 and 2010 Scotland's ranking fluctuated between 16th and 18th, and has remained at 19th since 2011.
In real terms, output per hour worked in Scotland has grown by 4.5% between 2006 and 2014. Over the same period, output per hour worked in the UK as a whole has grown by only 1.6% in real terms.
Scotland's productivity ranking relative to the OECD members is influenced by a range of external factors, such as real productivity growth in Scotland and other OECD countries, each country's rate of price inflation, and changes in currency exchange rates. Since 2010, Scotland’s ranking has been largely influenced by reduced purchasing power in the UK as a whole relative to other OECD members. This relates to the depreciation of Sterling relative to other currencies since the onset of the global financial crisis around 2008, and the consequent OECD benchmarking of purchasing power parities in 2011.
Further explanation of how purchasing power parities can impact on relative productivity rankings in the OECD is contained in the Scotland performs technical note for the productivity purpose target, which is available at the following address: http://www.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms/TechNotes/productivity
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 14 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been lost each month since January 2015 as a result of the reduction in the price of oil, broken down by employer.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact that low oil prices is having on the oil and gas industry and its wider supply chain. This was discussed at the energy jobs taskforce meeting on the 23 March 2016, with the next meeting taking place on 16 June 2016. The state of the economy report from the chief economist, published on 3 June 2016, provides an update on the oil and gas sector. A link to the report can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/state-economy/latestSofE.
The Scottish Government recognises the severe challenges facing the oil and gas industry, which is why our focus is on what we can do to support the industry and the work force.
We continue to do all that we can within devolved powers to help the sector. In 2015, we set up the Energy Jobs Taskforce, which has already helped to support more than 2,500 individuals and 100 employers through the current downturn, and will continue to support the industry to improve collaboration, co-operation and innovation. We also announced the £12 million transition training fund this year, around 650 individuals have registered for support and the fund has already confirmed funding for nearly 100 individuals to support their redeployment through retraining or further education.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 14 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government when it will next publish an oil and gas analytical bulletin, and what plans it has to publish this on a regular basis.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to S4W-29508 on 11 February 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact that low oil prices is having on the oil and gas industry and its wider supply chain. This was discussed at the energy jobs taskforce meeting on the 23 March 2016. The state of the economy report from the chief economist, published on 3 June 2016, provides an update on the oil and gas sector. A link to the report can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/state-economy/latestSofE.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 14 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) initiatives and (b) programmes it has in place to help meet its Scotland Performs' productivity purpose target for Scotland to rank in the top quartile against its key OECD trading partners by 2017, and what analysis it has made of the effectiveness of these.
Answer
The importance of improving Scotland's productivity performance has been recognised in each of the Scottish Government's economic strategies since 2007. Scotland's Economic Strategy (SES), published in 2015, reaffirms the importance of improving Scotland's productivity performance and the ambition to reach the top quartile of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in terms of productivity levels.
Improving productivity is central to achieving the twin aims of the SES: improving economic competitiveness and tackling inequality. Each of the four priorities for growth identified in the SES – Investment, Innovation, Inclusive Growth, and Internationalisation – have important roles in helping improve Scotland’s productivity performance.
Further information can be found in SES, which is available at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/EconomicStrategy
A range of actions are being taken forward that will help to improve productivity in Scotland, and these actions are set out in the government’s programme for Scotland, available at the following address: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00484439.pdf
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 8 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much funding is provided by the UK Government to Citizens Advice Scotland each year.
Answer
This is a matter for the UK Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2016
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2016
[Withdrawn]
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2016
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much Citizens Advice Scotland has spent on terminating the contract of its most recent chief executive.
Answer
As an independent charity, issues relating to its staff are a matter for Citizens Advice Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any concerns about the governance arrangements at Citizens Advice Scotland, in light of repeated governance reviews following the departure of a number of chief executives.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supporting Citizens Advice Scotland through its governance review to ensure it can achieve its aim of being a model of good practice. In particular, this will include that the organisation can clearly demonstrate appropriate and value for money use of public funding.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it provides to Citizens Advice Scotland each year; for what purpose, and what monitoring arrangements are in place.
Answer
The Scottish Government provided Citizens Advice Scotland with funding of over £2.6 million in 2015-16 to support a wide range of projects delivered by Citizens Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Bureaux in areas such as welfare, health care and managing finances. Monitoring arrangements are put in place as part of the grant awards to provide regular progress and financial reports to the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 6 June 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether funding of Citizens Advice Scotland should be transferred from the UK Government.
Answer
We fully support the transfer of funding to the Scottish Government for consumer advocacy and advice activities undertaken by Citizens Advice Scotland, which arises as a consequence of the devolution of powers under the Scotland Act 2016. Core funding for Citizens Advice Scotland is provided by the UK Government through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and there are currently no plans to change this.
