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-27067

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many posts in the Scottish Prison Service are subject to a recruitment and retention allowance or other market-based pay supplement and whether it will provide a breakdown of staff in these posts by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) geographical area.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: In the 2014 to 2015 financial year, 302 employees received payment of a recruitment and retention allowance or similar market-based payment. The breakdowns are provided as follows: a) Age 16 to 29 104, 30 to 39 47, 40 to 49 67, 50 to 54 39, 55 to 59 22, 60 to 65 19, 65 + 4 b) Gender - Female 89, Male 213 c) Geographical area (broken down by local authority area) Aberdeenshire 143, City of Edinburgh 53, Clackmannanshire 14, Dumfries and Galloway 6, East Dunbartonshire 11, Falkirk 5, East Renfrewshire 16, Glasgow City 11, Highland 6, North Lanarkshire 11, Perth and Kinross 18, Stirling 8. Note: The Scottish Prison Service systems record people rather than posts. Therefore the number of employees receiving a payment at any point during the 2014-2015 financial year has been given. The number of employees could be higher than the number of posts. For example, where an employee has left and another has taken their place this would represent two employees in one post.

Question reference: S4W-27071

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many posts in Historic Scotland are subject to a recruitment and retention allowance or other market-based pay supplement and whether it will provide a breakdown of staff in these posts by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) geographical area.

Historic Scotland currently have 19 posts that will attract a recruitment and retention allowance or other market-based pay supplement. The market-based pay supplement in this case is paid to posts which qualify for an IT allowance.

(a) The age range of staff in the 19 posts are:

16 to 20	0
21 to 30	1
31 to 40	7
41 to 50	7
51 to 60	4
61 to 65	0
65 over	0
Total	19

(b) The gender of staff in the 19 posts are:

Male	13
Female	6
Total	19

Recruitment and retention allowance	1
Market-based pay supplement	18
Total	19

Question reference: S4W-27070

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much money Historic Scotland pays in recruitment and retention allowances or other market-based pay supplements.

Historic Scotland apply a recruitment and retention allowance to one post within the finance directorate and a market-based pay supplement to 18 staff within the information and communication technology (ICT) directorate. The application of the market-based ICT pay supplements are based on criteria and amounts set by the Scottish Government and reviewed on a three year basis.

Historic Scotland currently pays £67,250.00 per year on recruitment and retention allowances and market-based pay supplements. This is broken down to:

Recruitment & Retention Allowance - £4,000.00

IT pay supplements - £ £63,250.00

Question reference: S4O-04544

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost is to keep a patient in hospital for one week.

Question reference: S4W-26981

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on (a) whether Police Scotland or its predecessor forces carried out surveillance on trade union, environmental or political activists, (b) who authorised any such surveillance, (c) whether there was collaboration between the police and the (i) Economic League and (ii) Consulting Association in any such surveillance, (d) whether there was outsourcing of any such surveillance to private contractors, (e) what form any such surveillance took, (f) whether there was political oversight of any such surveillance, (g) whether the police were assisted by the security services and, if so, to what extent and (h) how many people were subject to any such surveillance.

The authorisation of police surveillance is an operational matter for the Police Service of Scotland. Scottish Ministers have no role. Surveillance activity is overseen by the independent, judicially-led Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC). The OSC carries out regular inspections of the relevant public authorities and makes annual reports which are laid in the Parliaments at Holyrood and Westminster.

Question reference: S4W-26701

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the diary engagements for the Minister for External Affairs and International Development for 6 December 2012.

Question reference: S4W-26835

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what redundancy, severance or early retirement packages have been offered to staff at each police control room since April 2013, also broken down by how many staff at each control room have (i) expressed an interest in and (ii) taken a package.

Question reference: S4W-26770

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government which foreign governments or government agencies have invested in Scottish infrastructure projects via the Scottish Futures Trust.

Question reference: S4W-26813

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether overseas military aircraft used Glasgow Prestwick Airport in 2014-15 and, if so, from what countries.

Question reference: S4W-26811

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether there was increased military activity at Glasgow Prestwick Airport over 2014-15 and, if so, whether it will provide details of that activity.

Over 2014-15 the Glasgow Prestwick Airport management team worked to increase income across all of the airport’s revenue streams. This included actively pursuing commercial opportunities connected with military aircraft. Business from this sector increased over 2014-15 and included training flights, large scale military exercises and fuel stops. In addition, the RAF have used the airport to bring troops back from exercises.