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-02176

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the banking sector regarding help for small businesses.

Question reference: S4W-14616

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much money is available from Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise to provide training and retraining for those employees affected by the liquidation of Scottish Coal.

Through our Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative, we took immediate action to provide help and support for the individuals of Scottish Coal and Castlebridge Plant who were made redundant on 19 April 2013.

We held four PACE Redundancy Support Events in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Alloa and Fife which almost 200 former employees attended and completed registration forms and where PACE Partners were available to provide advice and guidance on areas such as career development and training opportunities.

All individuals who have been made redundant will have access to training opportunities through our Employability Fund, the total budget for which stands at £52 million for this current 2013-14 financial year.

We are currently working urgently with administrators KPMG and Scottish Coal to clarify the actual position in terms of employees’ certification and we will of course work with local and national partners and potential employers to maximise employment opportunities for those individuals affected.

Question reference: S4O-02146

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether concerns have been expressed about the new materials that have been provided to teachers to support the new national qualifications.

Question reference: S4W-14619

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken, or is taking, to ensure that companies involved in, or known to have been involved in, blacklisting are not awarded public sector contracts.

We have invited the trade unions to work with us on the development of guidance for public bodies on addressing the issue of blacklisting in future procurement processes and public contracts. We are exploring the potential for asking additional questions of suppliers at the selection stage of a procurement exercise and holding suppliers to account through revised terms and conditions of contract.

Question reference: S4W-14620

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10879 by John Swinney on 18 December 2012, what efforts it has made to contact trade unions with a view to considering strategies to ensure that companies involved in blacklisting (a) are not and (b) cannot be awarded public sector contracts.

We have invited trade unions to work with us on the development of guidance for public bodies on addressing the issue of blacklisting in future procurement processes and public contracts. Invitations were sent on 4 April 2013 to trade unions, including those which raised the issue of blacklisting in their responses to the consultation on the Procurement Reform Bill. An initial draft of the guidance was circulated to trade unions on 9 May 2013; we have convened a meeting to seek their input.

Question reference: S4W-14621

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-11742 by John Swinney on 18 December 2012, whether it will commission a public inquiry into blacklisting in Scotland following publication of the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee report, Blacklisting in Employment: Interim Report.

We have read the Scottish Affairs Committee’s Interim Report with interest and note that it intends to continue its rigorous investigations. It is appropriate for the Scottish Affairs Committee to conduct and conclude their inquiry into this issue as matters of employment law are reserved to the UK Government. Once the report is completed we will give consideration to the merits of a public inquiry at that time. We look forward to the final report from the Committee.

Question reference: S4W-14218

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is in relation to nursery provision for NHS staff.

Question reference: S4W-14617

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what contracts it has awarded to (a) Kier Group, (b) Royal BAM Group or (c) Ferrovial or subsidiaries in each year since 2007, broken down by value, and what information it has on any other public sector contracts awarded.

Question reference: S4W-14622

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-01964 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 March 2013, when it will decide what measures it can include in the forthcoming Procurement Reform Bill to address the issue of blacklisting.

Question reference: S4W-14592

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has had with (a) the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, (b) COSLA, (c) local authorities and (d) teaching unions on the impact of the most recent changes to the terms and conditions of short-term supply teachers.

The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which comprises membership from the Scottish Government, local authorities and Teacher organisations, has responsibility for the pay and terms and conditions for all teachers including those undertaking short-term supply. The Scottish Government is fully engaged in all SNCT discussions and as such meets regularly with representatives from COSLA, local authorities and the teacher unions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has separately met with all partners of the SNCT to discuss a range of issues including short-term supply.