Parliamentary questions

Elaine Smith

1,153 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

16 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times (a) ministers and (b) officials have met representatives of (i) Serco and (ii) Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited from 1 May 2014.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Ministers met with representatives of Serco Group (in relation to Caledonian Sleeper operations) on: 23 March 2015, at the official launch of the franchise; 14 December 2015. Ministers met with representatives of Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited on: 23 M…

16 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the redacted sections of schedule 8.1.4.12 of the Caledonian Sleeper Franchise Agreement.

Answer · Derek Mackay: No. This information is commercially sensitive.

16 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that any payment to Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited for revenue lost due to industrial action is compliant with schedule 8.3.1 of the Caledonian Sleeper Franchise Agreement.

Answer · Derek Mackay: There has been no request for payment of this kind. Any future request will be considered in the relevant terms of the Caledonian Sleeper Franchise Agreement, and in the context of the process, including the involvement of the relevant trade union, agreed as …

16 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met representatives of Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited to discuss the company’s efforts since 4 December 2015 to avoid industrial action with the RMT and whether the issue of indemnity for revenue lost due to periods of industrial action was discussed.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Ministers have had no meetings with representatives of Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited since 4 December 2015.

9 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it provides to pregnant mothers regarding the possible side effects of using sodium valproate for treating epilepsy.

Answer · Shona Robison: Within the UK, it is the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who has responsibility for the safety of medicines. The Scottish Government received an update from the MHRA concerning the dangers of prescribing sodium valproate to women of…

1 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether MSPs should be able to access private talks regarding an NHS service change or closure that take place between NHS boards and the Scottish Health Council.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS service change should be an open, transparent and inclusive process in which options are developed and discussed with the people and communities who are potentially affected. That engagement should be proportionate to the proposed service change, with maj…

1 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is of the Scottish Health Council, and how much it spends annually on (a) staffing, (b) office and (c) other costs.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Health Council budget for the current financial year is £2.3 million. Of that, £2.09 million relates to staff costs, the balance being for non-pay, office and other operational costs. The budget provides for the full range of Scottish Health Coun…

1 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times in each year since 2005 the Scottish Health Council has (a) agreed and (b) not agreed that a proposal by an NHS board to (i) change and (ii) close a service constitutes a major service change.

Answer · Shona Robison: Since the Scottish Government’s CEL 04 (2010) guidance on ‘Informing, Engaging and Consulting people in Developing Health and Community Care Services’ issued in February 2010 there have been six service changes confirmed as ‘major’ service changes by the Scot…

15 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in relation to the decision on whether to proceed with a case, it is normal practice for a procurator fiscal to correspond with the employer of a member of the public alleged to have committed a crime.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The procurator fiscal would not routinely correspond with a member of the public’s employer however much depends on the circumstances of the case and there may be situations where this will take place. For instance, the employer may be a victim or a witness a…

15 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, when criminal behaviour is reported to a procurator fiscal, who the fiscal's office would correspond with regarding an alleged crime committed by a (a) member of the public, (b) police officer on duty and (c) police officer off duty.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: In relation to reports alleging criminal behaviour by a member of the public or an off duty police officer the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service endeavours to respond to all correspondence it receives within 20 working days and will generally corresp…

26 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the reorganisation of colleges has cost to date.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Funding Council advises that the cost of college mergers is around £55 million, most of which was associated with voluntary severance programmes. Final details of costs will be captured by the Scottish Funding Council’s forthcoming evaluations of…

26 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the terms are of Coatbridge College’s severance scheme and how many times these have been exceeded.

Answer · Angela Constance: This is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Council to respond directly.

26 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the Audit Scotland report on Coatbridge College, which stated that senior staff received payments “that exceeded the terms of the college’s severance scheme".

Answer · Angela Constance: The events outlined by the Audit Scotland report on Coatbridge College took place at a time when primary responsibility for severance lay with college boards. Since then, colleges have become subject to the Scottish Public Finance Manual and must comply with …

20 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what level of dividend the operator of the 2016-24 Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services will be entitled to take in each year of the contract and whether the competitive procedure with negotiation governing this re-tendering includes discussions with bidders over dividend levels.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The mechanism used to determine the level of dividend for the successful operator will be included in the invitation to tender for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services. It will seek to balance exposure to risk and reward, with appropriate shared-gain provisi…

20 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its estimate is of the level of public subsidy required in each year of the 2016-24 contract for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Based on the latest projections for the existing contract, the Scottish Government is currently estimating annual public subsidy payments in the range of £110 million to £120 million (excluding inflation) for each year of the 2016-24 contract. The actual subs…