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: S4O-01118

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of how local authorities will address their pensions deficit and what discussions it has with them on the issue.

The local authorities in Scotland are responsible for the 11 local government pension funds.

There are formal accounting regulations which govern how local governments’ pension funds are accounted for. In the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 there are safeguards which relate to how a council or councils should account for any surplus or deficit. Pension funds are subject to a three yearly actuarial review, one of the outcomes of which is to determine a rate of employer’s contribution that will address the medium to long-term needs of the fund. Taking account of these various factors, it would be for each fund to use the resources at its disposal over time to cover any shortfalls.

Ministers have had discussions with COSLA over the last few months to discuss the affordability and sustainability of local government pensions, and we are currently awaiting information from COSLA on the outcome of the most recent fund evaluations which concluded earlier this year.

Question reference: S4W-07267

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 31 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been placed in foster families in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-07269

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been adopted in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-07270

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been waiting for adoption in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-07268

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been waiting for a foster family in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-07265

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been in the care of a local authority in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-07266

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many families have been available to foster in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4O-01029

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake an audit of rural policing resources and police stations prior to the establishment of a single police force.

Question reference: S4O-01026

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the future health needs resulting from a predicted increase in population in the Perth and Kinross Council area.

Question reference: S4W-06551

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the likely financial impact on childminders of having to meet the costs of Protecting Vulnerable Groups checks from 1 April 2012.

The cost to childminders of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme registration is £59.

The PVG scheme was introduced in February last year, at which time we agreed, for an additional 12 months, to meet the PVG scheme registration fee for new childminders joining the profession. This transitional period, has allowed prospective childminders time to plan for the introduction of the PVG registration cost from 1 April 2012.

Information from the Care Inspectorate suggest no marked change in the number of enquiries received about setting up as a childminder and the childminding workforce levels remain stable at around 5500.

Childminders provide a valuable and flexible service to families in Scotland and the Scottish Government will continue to work with the Scottish Childminding Association to promote and develop the profession whilst ensuring through PVG, children and young people are protected.