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-01874

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice was first informed about the recent allegations of telephone hacking in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-01452

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Security Industry Authority investigations in Scotland have led to prosecutions.

Question reference: S4W-01453

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 22 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Security Industry Authority investigations in Scotland have led to successful prosecutions.

Question reference: S4W-01451

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 22 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many investigations the Security Industry Authority has carried out in Scotland.

Question reference: S3O-13424

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to tackle fuel poverty.

This year, we have helped over 200,000 people through the Energy Assistance Package through free heating help, insulation, tax credit and benefit entitlement checks and general energy efficiency advice. Since its implementation in April 2009 the EAP has delivered heating measures (complete systems and boilers) for over 19,000 homes. We are focusing on improving domestic energy efficiency because that is where we have full powers to act. With more powers for this Parliament, we could tackle the two most important causes affecting fuel poverty; that is incomes and energy prices.

Question reference: S3W-40211

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 16 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason there has been no Scottish Government response to the report of the short-life working group on school meals and clothing grants completed in 2008.

As the legislative requirement to provide free school meals and school clothing grants rests with education authorities, it is for them to take decisions based on the report Review of identification and registration of those eligible for free school meals, and school clothing grant provision across Scotland taking account of individual local need and budget priorities. We have noted the recommendations made in the report and are pleased that the majority of local authorities already provide the school clothing grant at a threshold at least as generous as that proposed in recommendation 7.1 of the report. We would also encourage local authorities to continue to prioritise resources to those most in need.

Question reference: S3W-39683

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with COSLA possible implications for charges for non-residential care arising from the UK Government’s proposed changes Disability Living Allowance.

I can confirm that Scottish Government officials have been in discussion with CoSLA about the possible implications of the UK Government''s proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance. These discussions have included the potential implications for non-residential care charges.

I can further confirm that the Deputy First Minister has written to the UK Minister for Disabilities expressing concern about the impact of proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance on devolved policies and services.

Question reference: S3W-39647

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many contracts it has agreed under Article 19 of the EU procurement directive.

Article 19 only applies when the contract value is above the relevant EU threshold. The Government has not awarded any contracts under Article 19 and does not currently hold information on contracts with supported businesses or contracts awarded under Article 19 across the wider public sector.

We have however placed contracts with a value under the EU threshold with third sector suppliers (we use Capability St Judes to provide laundry services to Marine Scotland in Aberdeen) and part of the imminent call off from the collaborative Cleaning Framework, for the Scottish Fire Services College requirement, will be sourced from suitable supported businesses.

We are also encouraging our main suppliers to engage with supported businesses and other third sector suppliers with regards to possible subcontracting opportunities. For example, our design and print contractor (APS, the main provider to the core Scottish Government and to a large number of collaborative partners) is currently working with Scottish Braille Press and Deaf Connections. APS are also opening up lines of communication with both Erskine and Remploy with a view to adding them to their roster of sub-contactors if the services they offer meet their requirements.

The Scottish Government is taking steps to raise awareness of Article 19 within the buyer community and encourage its use. For example:

In 2010 the British Association of Supported Employment, in partnership with the Scottish Government, published a brochure Supported Businesses in Scotland, which provides guidance to buyers on the use of Article 19 and provides details of the 24 Supported Businesses based in Scotland along with the products and services they can supply;

Supported Businesses exhibited at the Scottish Government''s National Procurement Conference held at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in October 2010;

A new facility has been added to Public Contracts Scotland which automatically alerts buyers when a supported business can fulfil the requirements of their planned contract, and gives them the opportunity to reserve the contract under Article 19; This facility will also capture information on the number of contracts being awarded to third sector organisations and supported businesses through Public Contracts Scotland in future; and

We are working collaboratively with supported businesses and their representatives to explore what more the Scottish Government could do to assist them during these difficult times.

Question reference: S3W-39648

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many contracts local authorities have agreed under Article 19 of the EU procurement directive.

Question reference: S3W-39652

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to encourage public bodies to use Article 19 of the EU procurement directive.