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-20053

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 17 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what independent regulatory mechanisms the NHS has and what its position is on establishing new mechanisms.

Audit Scotland provides the Auditor General and the Accounts Commission with the services they need to check that public money is spent properly, efficiently and effectively. On this basis Audit Scotland is a public sector ‘regulator’ which includes responsibility for NHSScotland. As part of their role, Audit Scotland carry out or manage the annual audit reports for NHSScotland as well as national reports, impact reports and Section 22 reports where appropriate.

Through Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), NHSScotland already has a robust scrutiny and inspection process, which is driving improvements in patient care. HIS, in carrying out their inspections, are independent of the NHS boards they scrutinise. HIS are required by law to carry out their scrutiny and inspection activity in line with a plan agreed with Scottish Ministers. However in reporting their findings they do so impartially and independently.

There are no plans at present to introduce new regulatory mechanisms.

Question reference: S4W-20060

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many currency options it has considered for an independent Scotland, broken down by the (a) ability of the currency to create fiscal independence and (b) cost of implementation.

Question reference: S4W-20059

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a separate currency for an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government position is to retain sterling within a formal monetary union with the rest of the UK.

The first report of the Fiscal Commission Working Group in February 2013 set out the range of viable currency and monetary models for a country of Scotland’s size and economic strength, and concluded that a formal sterling area is the best option for Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom in the event of Scottish independence. This position was re-stated following their recent meeting on 6 March 2014.

Question reference: S4W-19962

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 11 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding Transport Scotland has given ScotRail to operate services during the Commonwealth Games.

Question reference: S4W-19961

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 11 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings Transport Scotland has had with ScotRail to discuss services during the Commonwealth Games; when these took place, and who attended.

Question reference: S4W-19963

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 11 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland has asked ScotRail not to award bonus payments if the service delivered to meet the demands of the Commonwealth Games is successfully delivered and, if so, for what reason.

Question reference: S4W-19477

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of holding the recent Cabinet meeting at the Regal Community Theatre in Bathgate.

Question reference: S4W-19855

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19387 by John Swinney on 19 February 2014, whether it will address the issue raised in the question and provide information on the discussions that it has had with the bodies listed in the question.

Question reference: S4W-19854

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19384 by John Swinney on 19 February 2014, how much it would cost an independent Scotland to set up the services listed and what relevant discussions it has had with the equivalent UK body.

Question reference: S4F-01938

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2014

To ask the First Minister when the waiting time standard of 98% of patients being seen and admitted, transferred or discharged from accident and emergency departments within four hours was last met across the whole country.