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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2175 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-06874

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it is taking in the organisation of Clans 2014.

Question reference: S4W-06875

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Clans 2014 will be promoted as part of the Homecoming 2014 celebrations.

Question reference: S4W-06878

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on implementing the recommendations in the Public Audit Committee's report, The Gathering 2009, in relation to the organisation of Clans 2014.

Question reference: S4W-06873

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Stirling Council in relation to hosting Clans 2014.

The Scottish Government is represented on the Stirling 2014 Partner Group, established by Stirling Council to maximise the tourism, economic and legacy benefits of 2014 for Stirling. Delivery of a Clan 2014 event has been discussed by the Partner Group. Scottish Government and EventScotland officials have also met with Stirling Council to explore what support might be provided to develop this event.

Question reference: S4W-06884

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the expected annual income for each local authority will be arising from the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc.) (Scotland) Bill.

For empty non-domestic premises, the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc.)(Scotland) Bill itself only creates an enabling power to vary empty property relief by future regulations and has no direct financial impact. These regulations will raise an estimated additional £18 million for the Scottish Government budget in 2013-14 and 2014-15. However, there will be no net gain to the overall budget allocations individual local authorities receive as a result of the additional business rates income generated since the Scottish Government guarantees the overall level of support it will provide, which has already been confirmed, through a combination of business rates income and general revenue grant.

The Bill also creates an enabling power, by regulations, to allow local authorities to remove the existing council tax discounts for certain classes of long-term empty homes and to charge additional council tax on these properties. Over a four year period, the Scottish Government estimates that an average of up to £16 million of net additional revenue could be generated each year if all local authorities were to charge the maximum 100 per cent increase. The actual additional amount generated will be subject to variation and will be dependent on the extent to which individual local authorities use the new powers.

Question reference: S4W-06880

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it (a) has provided and (b) can provide to assist private sector creditors of the Gathering 2009 to recover any money due to them.

The Gathering 2009 Ltd was a private company that was neither established nor contracted by the government. The Scottish Government has every sympathy for the plight of the creditors affected by the liquidation of the Gathering 2009 Ltd. This was one of the principal reasons why the Scottish Government worked so hard to find a solution, once it became aware of the financial difficulties the company was facing. The Scottish Government’s Principal Accounting Officer has judged that it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to assume responsibility for the company’s debts.

Question reference: S4O-00975

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the report into the management culture at NHS Lothian and, if so, what lessons can be drawn from it.

Question reference: S4W-06863

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek an update from NHS Lothian on the performance of Consort in relation to the delivery of facilities management services at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-06862

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met representatives of NHS Lothian to discuss reported unscheduled power cuts on 29 March 2012.

Question reference: S4W-06868

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements it places on NHS boards when they contract out facilities management responsibilities to third party providers.

The responsibility for contracting out facilities management responsibilities to third party providers is an issue for NHS boards to manage. The Scottish Government has no contractual powers to intervene. In developing specifications NHS boards are required to ensure compliance with extant technical guidance.

NHS boards are expected to monitor contract performance, applying the performance management arrangements contained in the contract and where appropriate applying financial penalties for poor performance.