Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many acute care beds there are in each hospital in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and how this compares with 2007.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information on the number of acute care beds there are in each hospital in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is published by ISD Scotland and can be found at the following link: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Hospital-Care/Publications/2016-10-04/Annu…
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many unscheduled care assessment and admission points there are in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information Services Division (ISD) publish a list of hospitals with either an Emergency Department or Minor Injuries Unit. This can be found at the following website: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Emergency-Care/Emergency-Department-Activity/Hospi…
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the time limit is to claim a backdated council tax reduction.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Provisions relating to the backdating of Council Tax Reductions are set out in Regulation 62 of The Council Tax Reduction (State Pension Credit) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and Regulation 7 of The Council Tax Reduction (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2016.
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00622 by Jeanne Freeman on 1 February 2017, how many band E to H properties in each constituency will be newly entitled to council tax reduction.
Answer · Derek Mackay: We estimate that up to 54,000 households across Scotland will be newly entitled to a Council Tax Reduction as a consequence of the scheme being extended to provide relief for low income households in properties in Council Tax bands E to H. Estimates disaggre…
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has provided to low income pensioner households in band E to H properties regarding their entitlement to claim council tax reduction since 31 December 2016.
Answer · Derek Mackay: COSLA has provided an agreed text for local authorities to send to all households, including low income pensioner households, in advance of the 2017-18 Council Tax year detailing the changes to Council Tax and the Council Tax Reduction scheme. This specifical…
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00622 by Jeanne Freeman on 1 February 2017, how many low income pensioner households in band E to H properties in each constituency will be newly entitled to council tax reduction, and what the take-up target is.
Answer · Derek Mackay: It is estimated that up to 54,000 households across Scotland, more than one third of which are pensioner households, will be newly entitled to a Council Tax Reduction as a consequence of the scheme being extended to provide relief for low income households in…
2 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00622 by Jeanne Freeman on 1 February 2017, whether the Financial Health Check Service will assist low-income pensioner households to ensure that they claim council tax reduction.
Answer · Derek Mackay: In the Fairer Scotland Action Plan, Scottish Government committed to helping older people claim the financial support they are entitled to, as we know that if every person eligible for Pension Credit and Council Tax Reduction received their entitlement, this …
1 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the accounts that it received from TS Prestwick Holdco for 2015-16 were not lodged with Companies House by the original due date of December 2016.
Answer · Keith Brown: Accounts were filed on 25 January 2017 and were also laid in Parliament. The company is required to follow due process and accounts must be audited and approved before filing. Changes in accounting standards meant more time was taken to finalise and file the …
1 Feb 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the accounts it has received from TS Prestwick Holdco for 2015-16 have now been lodged with Companies House and, if not, (a) what the reason is for the delay and (b) by what date these will be lodged.
Answer · Keith Brown: Accounts were filed on 25 January 2017 and were also laid in Parliament
31 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the teacher/pupil ratio for each grant-aided special school was on 27 March (a) 2011, (b) 2012, (c) 2013, (d) 2014, (e) 2015 and (f) 2016.
Answer · John Swinney: The request for information on pupil and teacher numbers for each school can be found in the school contacts list at the link below: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/Datasets. This data comes from the teacher and pupil censuses, …
31 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes if a grant-aided special school is deemed to be failing.
Answer · John Swinney: Grant-aided special schools are subject to frequent inspections from Education Scotland through a cycle of inspections of grant-aided schools, residential special schools and secure care establishments. HM Inspectors evaluate how well schools are performing u…
31 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it publishes on (a) class sizes and (b) pupil/teacher ratios in grant-aided special schools.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) sets out the pay and conditions of service for teachers (including class sizes) for teachers and associated professionals employed by Scottish Councils. As grant-aided special schools are independent of S…
31 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05648 by John Swinney on 30 December 2016, whether grant-aided special schools are obliged to provide access to (a) school nurses, (b) speech and language therapists and (c) physiotherapists.
Answer · John Swinney: Grant-aided schools should provide the support that is required to meet the needs of their pupils, including healthcare, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. The services they provide are determined by their arrangements with education authorities, …
31 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of changing the eligibility criteria for free bus travel on women born in the 1950s who are also affected by the increase in the state pension age.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Over the coming months, we will be engaging with stakeholders across Scotland to listen carefully to their views so that we may understand the social, equality and other impacts of possible changes that might be made to the scheme. This early period of engag…
31 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether people who turn 60 in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019 will be eligible for free bus travel.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: In terms of the The National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons (Eligible Persons and Eligible Services) (Scotland) Order 2006, all persons aged 60 or over are eligible for free bus travel. In the coming months the Scottish Governmen…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards there are for people under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, if correct procedures are not followed during the detention process.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 provides that a person with a mental disorder can only be detained if their decision-making ability with regard to medical treatment for that mental disorder is significantly impaired and there would …
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it carried out due diligence after signing the memorandum of understanding with SinoFortone.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01412 on 9 August 2016. 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/2…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had any further discussions with SinoFortone regarding inward investment opportunities and, if so, when these took place and who was involved.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has had no further discussions with Sinofortone. On 15 December 2016, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work had a telephone discussion with Roddy Gow, Chairman of the Asia Scotland Institute, regarding approaches to att…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05731 by Keith Brown on 10 January 2017, what the value is of inward investment for (a) expansion, (b) new and (c) safeguarding projects since 2011.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Development International records the value of inward investment through the number of jobs and projects, as provided in the response to S5W-05179 on 13 December 2017. No other assessment of value is made by Scottish Development International. All a…
23 Jan 2017 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional social security support it is providing to low income households that will see an increase in council tax from 1 April 2017.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Council Tax Reduction Scheme assists low income households in meeting their Council Tax liabilities but is not part of either the devolved or the UK Government Social Security systems.
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received accounts from TS Prestwick Holdco for 2014-15 and, if so, whether these have been lodged with Companies House.
Answer · Keith Brown: Yes. These accounts were also laid before Parliament and are available on the Prestwick Airport website.
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish the findings of the stakeholder review group on appropriate hospice and respite facilities for young disabled adults.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-01743 on 24 August 2016 regarding future meetings of this stakeholder group. It was agreed that the short term focus would be on the young adults over the age of 21 who are currently using Children's Hospice As…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Vale of Leven Community Maternity Unit, as it currently operates, would constitute a "local community hub" recommended by the review of maternity and neonatal services.
Answer · Shona Robison: As was detailed in the answer to S5W-06448 on 3 February 2017, the community hubs will not be one standard model. It is anticipated that a number of the community hubs will utilise accommodation currently housing freestanding midwifery units, while others may…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines regarding the provision of respiratory care for people with (a) muscle-wasting conditions and (b) other complex or rare conditions.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland. SIGN guidelines are derived from a systematic review of the scientific literature and are designed t…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the closure of the birthing service at the Vale of Leven Hospital would be consistent with the recommendation in the review of maternity and neonatal services report that women should have a number of choices for place of birth and that services should remain lo…
Answer · Shona Robison: The board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been clear that they first need to take full account of the recommendations of the National Review of Maternity and Neonatal Services Review recommendations before progressing any proposals to change maternity se…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what services would be provided by the "local community hubs" that were recommended by the review of maternity and neonatal services, and whether these would include birthing services.
Answer · Shona Robison: The review report sets out that community hubs will not have one standard model, but should be designed on the basis of a local needs assessment to ensure they meet the needs of localities. The report describes how women will access the majority of their ant…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which neonatal intensive care units will be retained when their number is reduced to three over the next five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: We will be consulting with the regions across Scotland on the best model for delivery, taking account of the population concentrations, geography and other services provided in the centres to give the most appropriate care for our smallest and sickest babies.…
23 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason empty properties will have to pay water charges even from April 2017 when no water is being used, and whether a system of reliefs will be in place.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government considers that, whilst vacant properties may not be in active use to produce goods and to deliver services, owners of these properties still benefit by being able to rely on the continued availability of services provided by Scottish W…
19 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a business plan for Glasgow Prestwick Airport has been in place since it took ownership in 2013 and, if so, whether it will publish this.
Answer · Keith Brown: Glasgow Prestwick Airport published their Strategic Vision in October 2014. This built upon a business plan that was developed by a senior adviser and included as much of his work as possible without impinging on commercial confidentiality and the airport’s a…
19 Jan 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03811 by Keith Brown on 16 November 2016, how much funding it expects to provide for Glasgow Prestwick Airport in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) future years.
Answer · Keith Brown: The budget for 2016-17 approves loan support of £9.3 million for Glasgow Prestwick Airport. The draft budget for 2017-18 allocates loan support of £9.4 million. We plan to approve the amount of loan funding required in future years through the approval of th…