Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many rail services have been affected by station skipping in the last 12 months, broken down by month and also expressed as percentage of all services.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail’s performance is reported by railway industry periods (13 periods in a year) therefore the information is contained below in this format, Over the last year the number of ScotRail services subject to skip-stopping was 5,980 trains and this equates t…
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will routinely publish ScotRail's performance in relation to station skipping.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The ScotRail Franchise contract does not contain a commitment for ScotRail to routinely publish information on skip stopping. However my officials at Transport Scotland will work with ScotRail to review the level of information that can be published.
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought or will seek EU advice on the establishment and operation of the Scottish Investment Bank in relation to state aid rules.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question to S5W-14218 on 9 February 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusin…
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how, and to what level, it will capitalise the Scottish Investment Bank.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question to S5W-14218 on 9 February 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybus…
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Investment Bank will operate independently of ministers, and how it will be structured.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question to S5W-14218 on 9 February 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybus…
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Investment Bank will be operational.
Answer · Keith Brown: Benny Higgins is currently leading work to develop an Implementation Plan for a Scottish National Investment Bank. The Implementation Plan will provide recommendations on the scope and scale of the bank, as well as governance, capitalisation and state aid. Th…
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Investment Bank will provide export financing for SMEs.
Answer · Keith Brown: Export financing is a matter currently reserved to the UK Government. However Scottish Development International work closely with UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Enterprise Agencies and their partners to ensure that Scottish companies benefit fully from the…
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Creative Scotland’s decision to remove its funding, what support it can provide to the Dunedin Consort ensemble.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Creative Scotland’s Board has reviewed decisions on the Regular Funding Network and announced on 6 February 2018 that a further 5 organisations will now receive regular funding, including the Dunedin Consort.
30 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria Creative Scotland used in deciding to remove funding from the Dunedin Consort ensemble.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Decisions on the Regularly Funded Organisations are a matter for Creative Scotland. Details of the criteria and assessment process used are published on the Creative Scotland website http://www.creativescotland.com/funding/latest-information/funded-organisati…
25 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how the performance of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner compares to similar bodies in the rest of the UK.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Independent Office for Police Conduct for England and Wales and the Office of Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland have different statutory responsibilities to the PIRC and the Scottish Government is not aware of any performance information produced on a…
25 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the quality and standard of the work of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government holds regular sponsorship meetings with the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner as set out in the Governance and Accountability Framework. The quality and standard of reports is a matter for the PIRC. In relation to criminal …
25 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the longest time is that the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner has taken, in days, to have dealt with a complaint.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14077 on 8 February 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found athttp://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…
25 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of days is that the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner takes to deal with complaints.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This is a matter for the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner. An Annual Report is laid before the Scottish Parliament under section 43(5) of the Police Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006. The latest was laid in December 2017 (SG /…
24 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12966 by Keith Brown on 21 December 2017, what these internal processes were and on what dates they were carried out.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Statutory processes are set out in Section 22 of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 which requires Scottish Ministers to lay a copy of the accounts and the auditor's report before the Parliament and to publish the accounts and audit…
23 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the level at which public sector project bank accounts are put in place should be set at £2 million, in line with the practice in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government’s document, “Implementing Project Bank Accounts in Construction Contracts”, states the thresholds of £4.1 million for building projects and £10 million for civil engineering projects will be reviewed in the light of prevailing practice.
23 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing legislation to ensure that all retention sums for public sector construction works are put into a protected fund.
Answer · Derek Mackay: We are currently awaiting the output from the recent UK Government public consultation on retention payments in the construction industry and will consider the way forward once that work is complete.
23 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing measures to ensure that all public sector procurers operate a so-called yellow/red card system to ensure that if the lead contractors do not pay their supply chain within 30 days they will be barred from bidding for public sector works for at least two…
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders on the many aspects of construction procurement including contract management.
22 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which contracts Carillion has that affect (a) the government's workforce, (b) non-departmental public bodies and (c) the Registers of Scotland.
Answer · Keith Brown: a) The Scottish Government has no contracts with Carillion, therefore the government’s workforce has not been affected. b) The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration has one contract for Facilities Management Services that commenced 6 January 2014 and i…
22 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many apprentices were employed by Carillion in Scotland, broken down by (a) trade and (b) construction project, and how many have secured alternative employment.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is working with the Construction Industry Training Board, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and other partners to support the 128 apprentices identified as being employed by Carillion. All of these apprentices were following the Genera…
16 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what alternative providers have been identified for the public sector bodies with facilities management contracts with Carillion; what process was used to identify these providers, and whether consideration was given to taking the services in-house in each case.
Answer · Keith Brown: The information is provided in the following table: Contract Name Contracting Authority Action Process to identify replacement providers Consideration given to take services in house FM for An Lochran Highlands and Islands Enterprise Close partnership…
16 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it took after July 2017 in relation to (a) construction and (b) facilities management contracts with Carillion.
Answer · Keith Brown: Where existing contracts were in place with Carillion and as part of on-going Contract Management of all its major contracts the Scottish Government monitors the financial health of its contractors. Due to the varying size and complexity of the contracts invo…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are employed by Carillion in Scotland.
Answer · Keith Brown: As a private company, we do not know for certain the number of people within Scotland employed by Carillion, but we believe the number to be close to 1000. We continue to work closely with the official receiver to obtain an accurate number.
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the terms are of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route contract regarding the obligations placed on Carillion.
Answer · Keith Brown: In situations such as this our first thoughts are always with those Carillion employees who will be concerned for their jobs. Carillion forms a one third part of the Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL) consortium and its construction joint venture together with Bal…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Carillion is involved in any joint ventures on Scottish public sector contracts, and what the impact will be should the company cease trading.
Answer · Keith Brown: We are continuing an extensive exercise to gather as much information as possible with respect to public and private contracts where Carillion have been involved. Through making using of the Public Contract Scotland system where Contract Award Notices are pu…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish public sector facilities management contracts involve Carillion, and what the (a) value and (b) duration is of each of these.
Answer · Keith Brown: We are continuing an extensive exercise to gather as much information as possible with respect to public and private contracts where Carillion have been involved. Through making using of the Public Contract Scotland system where Contract Award Notices are pu…
15 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which current Scottish public sector construction contracts involve Carillion, and what the (a) value and (b) expected completion date is of each of these.
Answer · Keith Brown: We are continuing an extensive exercise to gather as much information as possible with respect to public and private contracts where Carillion have been involved. Through making using of the Public Contract Scotland system where Contract Award Notices are pub…
12 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the responsibility of (a) NHS boards and (b) local authorities to provide hospice provision and respite support for young disabled adults with muscular dystrophy and other long-term progressive conditions.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 makes clear that it is the responsibility of Integration Authorities to commission and plan services and supports to meet the needs of their local population. It is expected that when commissioning service…
12 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the provision of specialist physiotherapy for adults with muscle-wasting conditions in the east of Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare in Scotland, it is for each NHS Board to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities t…
10 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 10 January 2018 (Official Report, c. 17), whether (a) the cabinet secretary and (b) officials have spoken to Chief Constable Phil Gormley on or after the 7 November 2017 and, if so, (i) on what dates and (ii) what matters …
Answer · Michael Matheson: I did not speak with the Chief Constable on or after 7 November 2017. Communications between Paul Johnston, Director General, Education, Communities & Justice, and the Chief Constable are set out as part of a letter from Mr Johnston to the Public Audit and …
10 Jan 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on 10 January 2018 (Official Report, c. 17), on what dates (a) the cabinet secretary and (b) officials have communicated with (i) the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and (ii) DCC Iain Livingston or the Police Sc…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government engages with the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and Police Scotland on a regular basis to keep abreast of developments on a range of policing matters. Responsibility for decisions on the Chief Constable’s leave lies with…