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-20694

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what debt recovery agencies it, or its agencies, contracts; what the value is of each contract, and how much cash each has retrieved in the last year for which information is available.

Morton Fraser and Harper MacLeod are the firms of solicitors who currently provide legal services for debt recovery under the Legal Services Framework Agreement. This framework agreement is available for use by the Scottish Government and its agencies. In the last financial year the fees paid to each firm, exclusive of VAT, are: Morton Fraser: £212,437; and Harper MacLeod: £2,258. We do not hold a central record of the cash retrieved in the last year for Morton Fraser. Harper MacLeod have recovered £13,086.04 in the last financial year.

Question reference: S4W-20813

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on nurses and nurse practitioners having uniforms that are distinguishable from each other.

Question reference: S4W-20698

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its £1.2 million grant to Portfolio Recovery Associates UK and what it will pay for.

Question reference: S4W-20700

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) is discussing or (b) will provide any benefits (i) pecuniary or (ii) in kind as part of its £1.2 million grant to Portfolio Recovery Associates UK.

Question reference: S4W-20688

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are on a debt arrangement scheme and what the (a) total and (b) median debt is.

Question reference: S4W-20699

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether any conditions are attached to its £1.2 million grant to Portfolio Recovery Associates UK.

Question reference: S4W-20812

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government which part of the NHS is responsible for decisions on the design of nurses' uniforms.

Following a public consultation in 2008 the design of the NHSScotland national uniform was determined in partnership with NHSScotland boards, professional bodies, trade unions, staff focus groups and the Scottish Government. All boards are required to comply with the National Uniform Policy issued in December 2010 when providing staff with their appropriate national uniform. The National Uniform Policy is available at:

http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_42.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-20644

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) remit and (b) timescale is for its review of the childcare workforce; who is on the review panel, and whether it plans to publish minutes of its meetings.

A terms of reference for the Independent Review of Early Years Workforce and Out of School Care Workforce Review, setting out the remit, will be published on the Scottish Government website shortly.

A Core Reference Group of stakeholders will be established to support the chair, and the list of members will be included in the terms of reference. No meetings have been arranged at this stage. The minutes of any meetings which take place will be published.

Question reference: S4W-20691

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what direction it gives to Scottish Enterprise regarding its ethical and sustainable investment policies.

Question reference: S4W-20652

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether its review of the childcare workforce will consider the economics of childcare policy.