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: S4W-05253

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it provides to NHS boards regarding disclosure checks on staff.

The guidance for the completion of disclosure checks is contained within the Safer Pre and Post Employment Checks Partnership Information (PIN) Policy. This PIN Policy describes the process that Boards must undertake in relation to disclosure checks and applies to all directly employed staff in NHSScotland, and to temporary, locum, and agency staff. This PIN policy is currently under review to reflect the changes in legislation in respect of Disclosure and Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks. The current PIN Policy can be found at:

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/publications/j9227.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-05255

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedures are to ensure that NHS boards comply with the guidance in relation to disclosure checks on staff.

Question reference: S4W-05234

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to target the involvement of young voters in the 2012 local government elections.

Question reference: S4W-05233

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to comments by the Minister for Local Government and Planning on 19 January 2012 (Official Report, c. 5439) regarding the phasing of an awareness campaign for the 2012 local government elections, what plans it has for promoting voter participation and when each phase of publicity will take place; what it will cost, and whom it will target.

I met with the Electoral Commission on 30 January to discuss the ongoing preparations for the 2012 Local Government Elections.

As the member will know The Local Electoral Administration (Scotland) Act 2011 extended the statutory remit of the Electoral Commission to cover local government elections in Scotland. Among other things, this will allow the Commission to run public awareness and information campaigns on elections. The Scottish Government is working with the Commission and has provided it with £1.5 million to develop and deliver the campaign for this year’s local government elections.

The information campaign will begin on 19 March 2012 and will be delivered through a multi-media campaign as well as a door drop leaflet delivered to every household.

The campaign will run in two phases.

Phase 1 will focus on registration. The target audience for this phase will be all potential voters, although during this phase it will be weighted towards
under-registered groups including young people, black and minority ethnic groups and home-movers.

Phase 2 will focus on voter education and will aim to provide voters with the information they need to be able to complete their ballot paper validly using the STV system.

Question reference: S4W-05251

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with and information it has requested from NHS Lothian regarding reports that Consort failed to carry out disclosure checks on its staff contracted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

This is a contractual matter for NHS Lothian to resolve with Consort and the Scottish Government is monitoring progress. NHS Lothian and Consort have met several times and interim measures have been put in place to prevent one to one contact between Balfour Beatty Workforce staff and patients. These actions are being monitored by NHS Lothian via formal weekly meetings which will continue until satisfactory conclusion is reached. Full completion of Disclosure Scotland checks on all staff is expected by 10 March.

Question reference: S4O-00681

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet the 2011 interim environmental performance targets set out in its Environmental Policy.

Question reference: S4O-00640

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the disparity in rates of employment for disabled and non-disabled workers, what action it is taking in support of supported employment.

Question reference: S4W-04926

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its position remains that the powers contained in the Scotland Bill represents its preferred option for establishing a future local income tax.

Question reference: S4W-04925

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Local Government - Council Tax Abolition unit is still in operation and, if so, how many staff are deployed there; what its annual operating costs are, and whether it will publish the unit's work programme.

Question reference: S4W-04666

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what areas of land have been leased to power companies for developing renewables projects.