Jackie Baillie

18 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the gender pay gap is (a) overall and (b) among (i) part- and (ii) full-time workers.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The most recently published estimates for the 2016 gender pay gap for Scotland based on median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) show that : The overall gender pay gap for full-time and part-time workers in Scotland is 15.6%. For part-time workers, the g…

18 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the period of purdah will begin, in light of the proposed General Election on 8 June 2017.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The pre-election period in advance of the UK general election on 8 June 2017 will begin on 22 April 2017.

18 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it operates a system of performance-related pay and, if so, how much has been paid in each year since 2011, also broken by (a) how many employees received this, (b) the size of the average payment and (c) the information that it has on any gender pay gap.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government (SG) is subject to Public Sector Pay Policy and as such does not pay performance bonuses or other performance related payments to staff below Senior Civil Service (SCS) level. The pay of SCS is a reserved matter and operates within the…

10 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has reportedly advised orthopaedic patients from the area that they no longer have access to the Golden Jubilee National Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde continue to have access to orthopaedic activity at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital. In 2017-18 Greater Glasgow and Clyde have been allocated 560 joint replacements and 170 non joint procedures at the Golden Jubilee for their…

10 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde patients whose waiting times for orthopaedic treatment have not met the treatment time guarantee can access treatment at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-08758 on 8 May 2017. 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/parliamentarybusiness/2887…

6 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Mark Scott Leadership for Life Award in each year since 2011-12, and how much it will provide in each of the next three years.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government has funded the Mark Scott Leadership for Life Award through the Outward Bound Trust from 2012-13. The funding broken down by financial year: £220,000 in 2012-13; £200,000 in 2013-14; £180,000 in 2014-15; £100,000 in 2015-16; £75,0…

4 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time has been for a power of attorney request to be completed in each of the last five years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.

29 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S5O-00653 by Derek Mackay on 8 February 2017 (Official Report, c. 17), in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "I am a very engaging cabinet secretary. I like working with people to find solutions", whether he will r…

Answer · Derek Mackay: I have responded to the request for a meeting with the Member for Dumbarton to discuss business rates, which has accordingly been arranged.

16 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what interest has been expressed in purchasing Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and whether that interest remains current.

Answer · Keith Brown: Since purchasing the airport in November 2013, the Scottish Government and Glasgow Prestwick Airport have received and considered a number of approaches from parties expressing an interest in purchasing or investing in the business. Whilst I welcome such expr…

16 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the UK Spaceport programme.

Answer · Keith Brown: The UK Spaceport programme is a reserved matter for the UK Government. A Draft Spaceflight Bill was published on 21 February 2017. This sets out how the UK Government plans to regulate launch-to-orbit and sub-orbital spaceflight activities from UK spaceports.…

16 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06379 by Keith Brown on 27 January 2017, when the new five-year strategic plan 2017-2022 for Glasgow Prestwick Airport will be published.

Answer · Keith Brown: As I indicated in my previous response, the airport are in the process of finalising their Strategic Plan and the document will be published once it is complete. We expect this to be this month.

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many members of public boards are women, broken down by board and also given as a percentage of the number of members on each board.

Answer · Angela Constance: Details of members appointed by Scottish Ministers to regulated public boards is available at http://www.appointed-for-scotland.org/. Information on the diversity of ministerial public appointments to regulated public boards in Scotland is published annually …

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many employees are covered by businesses that have signed up to the Scottish Business Pledge, and what percentage of the total number of emplyees in Scotland this represents.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As referred to in the answer to question S5W-08112 on 29 March 2017, the information requested is given in the table entitled “Business Pledge – Statistical overview – February 2017”, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Cent…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates achieving a 50:50 gender balance for (a) members and (b) chairs of public boards.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has repeatedly made clear that the continued under-representation of women in decision making positions, including on public boards in Scotland is unacceptable. Where current devolved powers allow, decisive action will be taken as a ma…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will include a commitment to addressing (a) occupational segregation and (b) the gender pay gap for businesses that sign up to the Scottish Business Pledge.

Answer · Keith Brown: There are no plans to add additional elements to the Scottish Business Pledge at this time. Formal evaluation of the Business Pledge, scheduled for 2017, will provide further evidence of company behaviours.

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have signed up to the Scottish Business Pledge, and what percentage of the total number of businesses in Scotland this represents.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The information requested is given in the table entitled “Business Pledge – Statistical overview – February 2017”, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 57653).

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to report their gender pay gap.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The gender pay gap in Scotland is decreasing. The full-time pay gap fell to 6.2% last year, which compares with a UK-wide gap of 9.4%. However, we are not complacent and closing the gender pay gap is a priority issue for the Scottish Government, both in terms…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide more detailed occupational data that includes (a) STEM sectors, (b) growing industries and (c) part-time employees.

Answer · Keith Brown: There are already various sources of published official statistics by occupation, industry and work-pattern for Scotland, published by the Scottish Government and the Office for Nationals Statistics via www.nomisweb.co.uk. Examples of these are as follows: S…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many chairs of public boards are women, and what percentage of the total number of chairs of public boards this represents.

Answer · Angela Constance: As at 23 March 2017, 19 of 81 (23.45%) chairs of regulated public boards in Scotland were women.

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will change the National Performance Framework Indicator on gender pay to include men and women who work part time.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The measure used for the indicator is the pay gap in median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) between men and women working full-time in Scotland. The measure compares full-time workers as both men and women working part time earn less on average than full…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to improve female representation on public boards.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to improving female representation on public boards. Later this year, we will introduce the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill, a key commitment of our 2016-17 Programme for Government: A Plan for Scotl…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) monitoring and (b) evaluation it undertakes of whether businesses that have signed the Scottish Business Pledge are meeting the commitments in the pledge.

Answer · Keith Brown: Companies provide information to support their Scottish Business Pledge, relating to each of the nine elements. That is used as a basis for decisions about whether or not to endorse that Pledge proposal. Companies also agree to notify the Scottish Government…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide intersectional data on the pay gap.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government already publishes gender pay gap by age and other employment related characteristics on the Scottish Government web site at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/Earnings/ASHE-SGTables. The official source for p…

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on people who use payroll services to access Self Directed Support under the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 if these services are made liable for VAT by HMRC.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

14 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support will be provided for people who use payroll services to access Self Directed Support under the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 if these services are made liable for VAT by HMRC.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The support provided by independent living centres is fundamental to the success of the Self-directed Support Act 2013, enabling more people in Scotland who use social care support to have greater choice and control of their lives. We are sympathetic to the v…

13 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether state aid rules prohibit or restrict the public funding of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

Answer · Keith Brown: Yes. This is why our investment in the airport is on a commercial basis with the loan funding attracting a market rate of interest in line with state aid rules. We expect all loan funding will be repaid, plus interest.

13 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been raised by Glasgow Prestwick Airport from (a) passenger, (b) cargo and (c) military flights in each year since November 2013.

Answer · Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport’s Annual Accounts for 2015-16 are available on their website. These provide a breakdown on revenue streams, including passenger and cargo. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-05715 on 10 January 2017. All answers to writ…

13 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many military flights have landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in each year since November 2013, broken down by country of origin, and what information it has regarding how many were carrying munitions.

Answer · Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport operates on a wholly commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government. The airport offers aviation services to a wide variety of customers through its in-house Fixed Base Operation (FBO), including military customers…

13 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 8 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 16) that "it could well take more than 10 years for [Glasgow Prestwick Airport] to be turned around", whether the cabi…

Answer · Keith Brown: The airport is run at arm’s length from Government and on a commercial basis and, as such, the Scottish Government will not comment on the airport’s commercial activities. We have not set a time a limit for the airport to return to profitability. We want Gla…

8 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06822 by Derek Mackay on 3 March 2017, what advice it has directly provided to low income pensioner households in band E to H properties since 31 December 2016, and whether the new benefits campaign will make specific reference to council tax reduct…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Local authorities are best placed to communicate with individual households by council tax band. In recognition of this, the £2.44 million funding added to the local government budget in 2016-17 to cover the administration costs of implementing the reforms to…