Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-02848

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing in schools to educate boys to prevent violence against women and girls.

Question reference: S6W-22908

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has asked Police Scotland to return to it in each financial year since 2019-20, including 2023-24 to date.

In accordance with the guidance contained within the Scottish Public Finance Manual, grant in aid funding to public bodies should not be paid in advance of need. Due to this requirement, the Scottish Government has not asked the Scottish Police Authority or Police Scotland to return any funding since their creation in 2013.

Despite UK Government austerity, we have increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing over £11.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013.

Question reference: S6W-22553

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding plans are in place to implement and begin construction of the Clyde Metro.

Clyde Metro will be transformational for the region. It is likely to be a programme which will be delivered over a number of years, with the scale and capital costs required making it one of the largest programme of works Scotland will have ever seen.

It is too early to comment on the longer term funding of Clyde Metro, however, it is envisaged that the funding model for implementation of Clyde Metro will be determined as part of the next stage of development.

Question reference: S6W-22552

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has held with (a) Transport Scotland and (b) Glasgow City Council regarding the development of the Clyde Metro.

Since the publication of the draft second Strategic Transport Projects Review in January 2022, a multi-partner working group consisting of Transport Scotland, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Glasgow City Council, known as the Client Delivery Group, has met regularly to discuss and better define the scale of work that Clyde Metro might represent, together with the associated resource and programme requirements. This is overseen by a Programme Steering Group comprising of the Chief Executives of those organisations. I am pleased that Strathclyde Partnership for Transport have undertaken to lead the next stage of the case for investment for Clyde Metro. Transport Scotland will continue to be involved in a project assurance and support role.

Question reference: S6W-22551

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what involvement (a) it and (b) Transport Scotland will have in funding the Clyde Metro.

Clyde Metro will be transformational for the region. It is likely to be a programme which will be delivered over a number of years, with the scale and capital costs required making it one of the largest programme of works Scotland will have ever seen.

The design and development costs to date have been funded by the Scottish Government. It is too early to comment on the longer term funding of Clyde Metro, however, it is envisaged that the funding model for its implementation will be determined as part of the next stage of development.

Question reference: S6W-22458

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to support care home services that are at risk of closure due to the reported loss of funding in the National Care Home Contract Fee, in light of reported concerns that the provision of care for older people is increasingly complex.

The National Care Home Contract sets the rate for publicly funded care home placements and is negotiated annually between COSLA, Scottish Care and Scotland Excel. The Scottish Government is not a contractual party to it. We are pleased Scottish Care members voted to accept the 6% uplift offer from COSLA to agree the contract for 2023-4.

The Scottish Budget for 2023-4 provides record funding of over £19bn for health and social care, providing new investment of over £1bn and supporting recovery and reform to secure sustainable public services.

However, we recognise the challenges facing social care services such as energy costs, the costs of living and Brexit which has impacted the recruitment and retention of staff.

We continue to engage with the sector and other partners regularly to build a more sustainable workforce that feels truly valued and properly rewarded for their work.

Question reference: S6F-02515

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that Scottish Water has issued bonus payments to executives in excess of public sector pay rules.

Question reference: S6O-02672

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards reaching a resolution to the ongoing dispute with the Fire Brigades Union.

Question reference: S6W-21284

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that landlines installed in prison cells are not being used for criminal purposes.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Permanent In Cell Telephony means individuals in prison can maintain purposeful family contact, including with children, which we know is important for good mental health and wellbeing, and for reducing the risk of reoffending upon return to communities.

The hard-wired in-cell telephones are subject to the same robust security, which governed the use of mobile phones and hard-wired telephones in all residential areas. Those in our care can only call numbers from a pre-approved list, and SPS maintain the ability to monitor and record calls.

Where it is suggested that a criminal act has been committed, this will be reported to Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21285

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 26 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of the women's organisations that it funds provides help and assistance to women fleeing abusive family situations, rather than intimate partner violence and abuse, and if this is the case, whether it can provide a list of those organisations.

Equally Safe is Scotland’s strategy to take action on all forms of violence against women and girls. By this, we mean violent and abusive behaviour directed at women and girls precisely because they are women and girls. We know that VAWG can have a devastating impact on victims, and we are committed to eradicating VAWG in all its forms.

This is why, through our Delivering Equally Safe Fund, we are supporting 121 projects from 112 organisations that focus on early intervention and prevention, as well as support services. Included are organisations that support victims fleeing from family abuse. Inspiring Scotland manage DES on behalf of the Scottish Government. A full list of all the DES projects can be found on Inspiring Scotland's website.

Additionally, we fund Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline which is there to support anyone experiencing domestic abuse or forced marriage.

Chamber and committees