- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is given to diabetics who are no longer being given NHS sharps boxes to dispose of needles.
Answer
It is the responsibility of NHS Boards and healthcare contractors to ensure that used needles are disposed in a safe manner as set out in the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 .
NHS Boards have the authority to decide how best to provide this service in the context of their local population. The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to ensure that they have robust policies and guidance in place for the disposal of sharps and that due risk assessment has been undertaken accordingly.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Union Canal is closed at Linlithgow, and when it will reopen, in light of the potential impact on tourism, especially during the forthcoming Easter period.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Canals and we have asked that the CEO of Scottish Canals responds.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government which employers covered by its Public Sector Pay Policy have not paid the minimum underpin contribution on a non-consolidated basis, and what proportion of employers covered by the policy this represents.
Answer
In 2019-20 the 35 public bodies listed below fully consolidated the £750 underpin for those earning £25,000 or less, representing 78% of all bodies directly subject to the public sector pay policy.
Architecture and Design Scotland |
Bord na Gaidhlig |
Cairngorm National Park Authority |
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd |
Care Inspectorate |
Children's Hearings Scotland |
Community Justice Scotland |
Creative Scotland |
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service |
Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd |
Highlands & Islands Enterprise |
Historic Environment Scotland |
Independent Living Fund Scotland |
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority |
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland |
National Galleries of Scotland |
Police Investigations & Review Commissioner |
Registers of Scotland |
Risk Management Authority |
Scottish Children's Reporter's Administration |
Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service |
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission |
Scottish Enterprise |
Scottish Environment Protection Agency |
Scottish Funding Councils |
Scottish Government Marine |
Scottish Government Main |
Scottish Land Commission |
Scottish Legal Aid Board |
Scottish Legal Complaints Commission |
Scottish Natural Heritage |
Scottish Prison Service |
Scottish Social Services Council |
Skills Development Scotland |
VisitScotland |
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how much was saved on the 2019-20 pay bill as a result of the National Library of Scotland’s decision to not consolidate the £750 minimum payment for lower paid staff.
Answer
The National Library of Scotland has confirmed that there were no savings on their 2019-20 pay bill. The Library has paid the £750 underpin to all relevant staff in the 2019-20 financial year.
However, to help balance future budgets, the Library decided to consolidate the 3% basic award and not fully baseline the overall £750 increase into salaries. The Library has estimated that this will save the organisation £22,000 in 2020-21 and increased amounts in future years.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been saved in the heritage sector by allowing public sector bodies to pay the minimum underpin contribution on a non-consolidated basis.
Answer
While the Public Sector Pay Policy 2019-20 encouraged public bodies in Scotland to implement the minimum underpin for those employees earning less than £25,000, the Pay Policy stressed that ultimately it was for those individual employers to decide on the most appropriate pay proposals within the overall Pay Policy Framework for their organisation, and whether these were affordable within their budget settlement for 2019-20 and sustainable in the long-term.
Two public bodies within the heritage sector took the approach of not consolidating the top-up to £750. If the payment had been made permanent it would have cost an extra £8k in 19-20, with significantly increased amounts in future years.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of employers covered by its Public Sector Pay Guidance has been allowed to pay the minimum underpin contribution on a non-consolidated basis.
Answer
Three public bodies have paid the top-up to £750 as a non-consolidated amount in 2019-20. This equates to seven per cent of the 45 public bodies that are directly subject to the public sector pay policy.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is flexibility in its Public Sector Pay Guidance application in 2020-21 to award extra pay increases to address the 2019-20 non-consolidated payments.
Answer
There is no direct provision in the 2020-21 public sector pay policy to allow extra pay increases to address 2019-20 non-consolidated payments. However, the guaranteed £750 underpin is a key element of the 2020-21 pay policy and must be applied as a consolidated increase for all staff earning less than £25,000.
In addition, there is provision in the 2020-21 pay policy for public bodies to use paybill savings of up to 0.5 per cent of baseline salaries to make affordable and sustainable changes to their pay and grading structures to address inequalities.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 6 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether interpreters who help deliver public services should be covered by the living wage legislation.
Answer
The Scottish Government encourages all suppliers to pay the real Living Wage. The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for the provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services used by Central Government bodies only and does not contract directly with individual interpreters. Rates of pay and terms and conditions of employment are a matter between the interpreter and the framework supplier. However during the procurement process for the framework agreement, suppliers were asked to describe how their organisations would support Scottish Ministers' policies on fair work practices. Framework suppliers confirmed that they currently meet or exceed the Living Wage hourly rate for all their employees and freelance workers.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 6 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether interpreters who help deliver public services should be paid for travel (a) time and (b) expenses.
Answer
The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for the provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services used by Central Government bodies only and does not contract directly with individual interpreters. Rates in the framework agreement are inclusive of all hourly rates, travel up to 70 miles, expenses and management fees. This is to ensure that the framework suppliers make every effort to source local interpreters in order to provide opportunities for local based workers and to ensure that the framework provides value for money by reducing travel costs and to meet sustainable procurement objectives by keeping miles travelled to a minimum. In exceptional circumstances, where the framework supplier is unable to source a local interpreter and can only provide an interpreter from out with the 70 miles, the organisation calling off from the framework has sole discretion to accept the interpreter and approve payment of separate travel and subsistence costs. It should also be noted that interpreters are paid for a minimum of 2 hours even where the duration of an assignment lasts less than 2 hours. Some assignments may be more financially beneficial to an interpreter than others. There is no evidence that any individual working as an interpreter on the framework agreement is earning, on average, less than the living wage.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 6 March 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how many interpreters are employed or contracted to help deliver public services for people who do not have English as their first language.
Answer
The Scottish Government has a framework agreement for the provision of Interpreting, Translation and Transcription Services which is used by Central Government bodies only. The number of interpreters employed by the Contractor to deliver the services under the framework is not held by Scottish Government. Scottish Government does not hold any information on how other public bodies, out with Central Government sector, appoint interpreters. This is a matter for each individual organisation.