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-27080

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of people in Scotland employed by living wage accredited businesses.

Research published by KPMG in October 2014, indicated that Scotland has a higher proportion of employees paid the Living Wage compared to both the UK as a whole and each devolved UK nation. The report estimated that approximately 81% of earners in Scotland were paid at least the Living Wage. Additionally data provided by the Poverty Alliance shows that the number of directly employed staff across the UK employed by Scots-based Living Wage Accredited Employers was 134,908 as at 24 August 2015. This information is based on the number of employees at the time of accreditation.

Question reference: S4W-26951

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 31 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the non-profit distributing (NPD) pipeline of infrastructure investment.

I advised Parliament in February that recent updates to relevant Eurostat technical guidance on Statistical Accounts (the European System of Accounts – ESA 10), which came into effect in September 2014, could have implications for the non-profit distributing (NPD) and hub investment programmes.

In December 2014 the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) decided to review the classification of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) project. ONS has now reported and I am in a position to update Parliament.

ONS has advised that, in light of the new guidance, the AWPR will be classified to the public sector. This is based on their interpretation of the degree of public sector control over the special purpose vehicle established to deliver the project and the balance of risk and reward between the public and private sector partners that effectively caps the profits that can be achieved by the private sector.

I have instructed the Scottish Futures Trust to engage with the ONS and other parties to clarify the basis of this interpretation and the potential implications for the future contractual arrangements for the AWPR, with a view to securing private sector classification.

The ONS’ conclusions will have no effect on the timetable or cost of the AWPR project.

ONS has also confirmed that it will review two other NPD projects signed since September 2014 – the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children – with a view to providing a classification opinion on these projects later in the year. Scottish Government and the Scottish Futures Trust will consider the implications of the AWPR opinion for these projects.

The ONS review will not affect the delivery timetable or cost for either of these signed projects.

In light of today’s opinion on an NPD project I am considering whether further changes are required to the hub model. There is likely to be some further impact on the delivery timetable for hub projects that are in the current pipeline. The Scottish Futures Trust will engage closely with project partners to discuss the implications for them.

As the ONS review has opined that the AWPR will be classified to the public sector, Scottish Government officials are engaging with HM Treasury officials to address the timing and nature of budget treatment. Parliament will recall that I indicated in my earlier statement in February 2015 that I had secured an additional £300 million in budget cover from HM Treasury to deal with potential consequences that may arise from this ruling.

I will report further to Parliament early in the next term. I can assure Parliament that I am taking all appropriate action to protect vital capital investment in Scotland and to manage the implications of the latest guidance on classification on the NPD programme and the Scottish Budget.

Question reference: S4W-26610

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the average saving has been for band D homes since the introduction of the council tax freeze, also broken down by local authority area.

The cumulative savings for an average Band D household across Scotland as a result of the council tax freeze over the period 2008-16 has been around £1,200. The impact for each local authority area is set out in the following table. This is based on the additional £70 million which has been provided by the Scottish Government to local authorities to fully fund the freeze in each of the eight years of the freeze.

	Savings for average Band D household since the introduction of the council tax freeze
Aberdeen City Council	£1,263
Aberdeenshire Council	£1,175
Angus Council	£1,127
Argyll and Bute Council	£1,297
Clackmannanshire Council	£1,209
Dumfries and Galloway Council	£1,102
Dundee City Council	£1,392
East Ayrshire Council	£1,229
East Dunbartonshire Council	£1,219
East Lothian Council	£1,154
East Renfrewshire Council	£1,211
City of Edinburgh Council	£1,183
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	£1,038
Falkirk Council	£1,128
Fife Council	£1,211
Glasgow City Council	£1,277
Highland Council	£1,207
Inverclyde Council	£1,290
Midlothian Council	£1,204
Moray Council	£1,226
North Ayrshire Council	£1,219
North Lanarkshire Council	£1,135
Orkney Islands Council	£1,051
Perth and Kinross Council	£1,223
Renfrewshire Council	£1,226
Scottish Borders Council	£1,151
Shetland Islands Council	£1,071
South Ayrshire Council	£1,229
South Lanarkshire Council	£1,148
Stirling Council	£1,293
West Dunbartonshire Council	£1,238
West Lothian Council	£1,192

Question reference: S4W-26529

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the small business bonus scheme has had on employment.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Scotland’s small businesses as employers, and accordingly business rates relief is targeted under the small business bonus scheme to offer them significant support.

The small business bonus scheme is estimated to have removed or reduced rates bills for over 96,000 (two in every five) rateable properties in 2014-15. This is why The Federation of Small Businesses recently observed that the scheme “continues to give most Scottish small firms a competitive advantage over counterparts in other parts of the UK”.

Question reference: S4W-26082

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for further extension of the coverage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

In line with the government’s commitment to openness and transparency I have launched today (12 June 2015) a public consultation on further extension of coverage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to organisations which the Scottish Government considers undertake key public functions. The proposals cover contractors who run privately managed prisons, providers of secure accommodation for children, grant-aided schools and independent special schools. The consultation paper is available on the Scottish Government website.

This consultation follows Scotland’s first order extending coverage of the Act which came into effect in 2014, bringing a range of local authority arm’s length organisations within the scope of the legislation. The Scottish Government will keep the coverage of the legislation under review and expects to carry out further consultations in future on extending coverage to other bodies delivering public services on behalf of public bodies.

Question reference: S4W-25883

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 11 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports suggesting that some mothers who feed their babies by bottle rather than breastfeeding consider that they have been subject to intolerant attitudes.

Question reference: S4W-25884

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 11 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to mothers who feed their babies by bottle rather than breastfeeding.

The support we offer to mothers who feed their babies by bottle rather than breastfeeding consists of:

Information giving and demonstration of the techniques associated with formula feeding through maternity and health visiting services via the Scottish Antenatal Parent Education Programme; Off to a Good Start: All you need to know about breastfeeding which contains information about making decisions about feeding your baby and the differences between breast milk and formula; the 'Ready Steady Baby' publication is provided to all women early on in their pregnancy and contains information on feeding choices; and a bespoke formula feeding leaflet given after the birth to mothers who choose to formula feed.

Question reference: S4W-25882

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 11 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that there is adequate support provided to mothers who feed their babies by bottle rather than breastfeeding, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

We do consider that there is adequate support provided to all pregnant women to help them decide on the feeding choice that is right for them and their babies. That support is set out in the answer to question S4W-25884 on 11 June 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4F-02865

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2015

To ask the First Minister what the impact of the Chancellor's in-year budget revisions will be on Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-25585

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much it spends per head of population on enterprise and economic development and how this compares with the UK Government.

Spending by the Scottish Government, associated bodies and agencies, and Scottish local government on enterprise and economic development in 2013-14 is estimated at £834 million. This is equivalent to approximately £160 per person.

Spending by the UK Government on enterprise and economic development in 2013-14 was £5.3 billion. This is equivalent to approximately £80 per person.

The spending figures can be found in Table 5.6 and Table 5.8 of Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2013-14.