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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 672 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-25365

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities last met the (a) Secretary of State for Defence and (b) Ministry of Defence and what issues were discussed.

The Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities has not met with the Secretary of State for Defence. The Cabinet Secretary most recently met with Julian Brazier MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Reserves, on 27 November 2014. This was an introductory meeting following Mr Brazier's appointment in July 2014. Mr Brazier is the Ministry of Defence Minister with responsibility for veterans issues and for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-25366

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities and (b) Minister for Transport and Islands last met the Confederation of Passenger Transport and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4O-04216

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with trade unions regarding employment related issues in the justice sector.

Question reference: S4O-04202

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what impact removing the Barnett formula would have on the Scottish budget.

The Scottish Government has previously assessed the estimates by Lord Holtham of the potential cost to Scotland of a reduction in the block grant that would flow from the proposals put forward by Westminster parties prior to the vow to conduct a needs based assessment. It is not an estimate of the value of Barnett or of Scotland having full fiscal powers.

What is clear is the impact of the current UK Government’s austerity agenda, supported by Labour, that will deliver an estimated real terms cumulative cut of £12 billion to Scotland’s spending on public services, over the period 2015-16 to 2019-20, compared to 2014-15 levels.

Question reference: S4O-04157

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to open up opportunities for young people to work in civil engineering.

Question reference: S4W-24741

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many new entrants have obtained employment through targeted recruitment and training clauses in public sector contracts in each of the last five years and what their destinations were at the end of their employment contracts.

While we have evidence that the use of community benefit clauses in procurement is widespread across the public sector in Scotland and is creating a large range of training and recruitment opportunities, we do not hold the information asked for.

An example of this is the Forth Replacement Crossing project where community benefit clauses were written into the principal contract, which required an annual average of 45 vocational training positions, 21 professional body training places and 46 positions for the long term unemployed, as well as Modern Apprenticeship opportunities. As at 31 January 2015, 565 places for vocational and professional body training and the long-term unemployed have been generated.

The Scottish Government has commissioned a report which is currently being prepared by the Training and Employment Research Unit at the University of Glasgow which shall make a series of recommendations relating to monitoring and reporting procedures and inform the content of the statutory guidance with respect to reporting on the use of community benefits in public contracts in the future.

Question reference: S4W-24740

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many contracts with community benefit clauses it has awarded in each of the last five years.

The information you required about community benefit clauses across the whole Scottish Government is not centrally held. However we can provide information on contracts and frameworks which are procured by The Scottish Procurement Commercial Directorate

The following number of contracts and frameworks which generated community benefits in the last four years are:

	Financial Year 2011-12	Financial Year 2012-13	Financial Year 2013-14	Financial Year 2014-15
Number of Contracts	9	19	26	21 (to date)

No data is currently held in relation to community benefits prior to financial year 2011-12.

Scottish Government contracts and frameworks have delivered a number of significant community benefits including new apprenticeships; graduate trainee schemes; school education programmes; school and community engagement; and financial support for community groups and charities.

These benefits are delivered through community benefit clauses in relevant contracts and frameworks; as part of the specification or contract conditions; or through active contract management following contract award.

Question reference: S4W-24437

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24143 by Keith Brown on 2 February 2015, how many cases against Scottish Water for pollution have been dropped since 2005.

Question reference: S4W-24436

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24143 by Keith Brown on 2 February 2015, what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities has had with Scottish Water regarding the pollution.

The Scottish Government has regular discussions with Scottish Water about the priorities for investment and its performance. On 1 October 2014, Scottish Water was directed by ministers to deliver a £3.5 billion investment programme over the period 2015-21. Of this, roughly half will be spent of maintaining current levels of performance. A further £500 million will be invested in improvements that will reduce the impact of sewage on Scotland’s environment.

Scottish Water’s performance, including that on pollution incidents, is monitored quarterly by the Outputs Monitoring Group. Every three months the group assesses Scottish Water’s progress with the delivery of ministerial objectives and produces a report. The quarterly reports can be found here:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/publications/deliveryprogress.

Question reference: S4W-24435

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24143 by Keith Brown on 2 February 2015, what action it is taking to reduce the number of incidents of pollution caused by Scottish Water.

As I indicated in my answer to S4W-24143, Scottish Water takes any pollution incident very seriously and works closely with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and other stakeholders to investigate the cause of each incident. In 2013-14, Scottish Water reduced the number of environmental pollution incidents by 20% on the previous year. A range of actions is underway which will improve performance including replacing and modernising assets and revising operational procedures.

I have asked Scottish Water to provide you with more information on the efforts that it is making to reduce the number of pollution incidents.