Parliamentary questions
Johann Lamont
1,407 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36178 by Shona Robison on 21 September 2010, what the timescale is for the review of long-term care funding and delivery.
Answer · Shona Robison: We aim to publish our plans for delivering the Reshaping Care Programme by the end of this year. We want to build an enduring consensus with our partners in COSLA and NHS Scotland that can underpin the programme over the next 20 years.</b></p> <p >The UK Ind…
29 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36178 by Shona Robison on 21 September 2010, what organisations are being consulted in the review of long-term care funding and delivery.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Reshaping Care for Older People programme is being informed by a wide range of views. An extensive public engagement exercise took place between May and October 2010. During this time we have sought views from frontline local authority and NHS staff, volu…
29 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36178 by Shona Robison on 21 September 2010, who is participating in the review of long-term care funding and delivery.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Reshaping Care for Older People programme in Scotland is being taken forward jointly by the Scottish Government, COSLA and NHS Scotland through the Ministerial Strategic Group on Health and Community Care (MSG). The MSG is working with key partners, the p…
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been a study of the likely impact on the economy of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire of the pilot on incapacity benefits.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has no information on any such study being completed.</b></p>
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been informed of the amount by which the incapacity benefit budget will be reduced as a result of the pilot in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions has not made this information available to the Scottish Government.</b></p>
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been informed of the number of people receiving incapacity benefit who will be reassessed during the pilot in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions have advised that 850 people receiving incapacity benefit will be reassessed during the trial in Aberdeen.</b></p>
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an analysis of progress in implementing the 2009-10 single outcome agreements.
Answer · John Swinney: No decision on this has yet been taken.</b></p>
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive by what date the annual reports for the 2009-10 single outcome agreements will be submitted.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government and COSLA have asked local authorities to submit annual reports for their community planning partnerships by 30 September 2010.</b></p>
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the single outcome agreements agreed for 2010-11 have been the subject of equality impact assessments.
Answer · John Swinney: It is for councils and their partners to ensure equalities issues are addressed appropriately. Guidance jointly developed with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and COSLA has been made available to support this.</p>
22 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether single outcome agreements have been signed off for all community planning partnerships for 2010-11.
Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Government, COSLA and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives jointly agreed that community planning partnerships would not be required to produce new single outcome agreements for 2010-11. The existing agreements are updated in response to c…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make briefing packs available for MSPs on the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will keep the Parliament informed of the implementation of the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made to ensure that it will be kept informed of the implementation of the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Jobcentre Plus regarding the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what briefings have been made available to it regarding the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department of Work and Pensions regarding the pilot scheme on changes to incapacity benefit that is being introduced in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Keith Brown: My officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus about the arrangements for the reassessment of customers in receipt of incapacity benefits. Discussions are continuing around the ongoing deve…
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought information on how many children of asylum seekers initially registered in Scotland were detained in removal centres in England between January and August 2010 and, if so, what response it received.
Answer · Michael Russell: This information is not collected by the UK Border Agency.</b></p>
10 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought information on how many children of asylum seekers were detained at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre between January and August 2010 and, if so, what response it received.
Answer · Michael Russell: Unfortunately, the UK Border Agency does not provide statistical information on a month-by-month basis. However, it has published reports for the first two quarters of 2010 which are available on the UKBA website at:</p> <p >http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/…
3 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the funding that it gave to the Scottish Islamic Foundation in the last year has been spent on overseas visits by members.
Answer · Alex Neil: No funding provided to the Scottish Islamic Foundation by the Scottish Government in the last year has been spent on overseas visits by members of that organisation.</p>
3 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the funding that it gave to the Scottish Islamic Foundation in the last year has been spent on salaries and expenses of officers.
Answer · Alex Neil: Since October 2009, £14,437 of the funding provided to the Scottish Islamic Foundation by the Scottish Government has been spent on officers'' salaries.</p>
3 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have a designated person to attend to the needs of older carers.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This is a matter for local authorities. The particular information requested is not held centrally. However, there are around 80 local area co-ordinator (LAC) posts in 26 local authority areas in Scotland. Most of these LACs support adults with disabilities a…
2 Aug 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33775 by Nicola Sturgeon on 7 June 2010, when a report of the meeting with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will be made to the Parliament.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I have not yet met the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions but arrangements are in place to organise an opportunity to meet while Mr Duncan Smith is in Edinburgh to attend the Welfare to Work Scotland 2010 conference on 22 September 2010.</p>
29 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it uses the requirement to pay the living wage as a community benefit clause in its procurement processes.
Answer · John Swinney: Community Benefit clauses are one of a range of social clauses that can be included in contracts. They have been used to achieve targeted recruitment and training, small and medium-sized social enterprise development and community engagement. </p> <p >The s…
27 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations it is consulting in preparing the child poverty strategy.
Answer · Alex Neil: In preparing the Scottish child poverty strategy, Scottish Government intend to consult with a wide range of stakeholders, these include, but are not limited to: local authorities and associations of local authorities, children and organisations working with …
27 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34944 by Alex Neil on 23 July 2010, whether it will publish the reviews by its officials of the annual reports on single outcome agreements on the extent to which they are tackling multiple disadvantage.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Decisions have yet to be taken on how to report on the review of the annual reports on single outcome agreements and the extent to which they show progress in tackling multiple disadvantage.</p>
27 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34957 by John Swinney on 23 July 2010, what steps are being taken to establish whether a requirement to have a living wage clause in procurement contracts would breach article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
Answer · John Swinney: The issue of procurement contracts and article 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union was the subject of a judgement from the European Court of Justice in the case of Ruffert v Land Niedersachsen [C-346/06]. A copy of the judgement can be f…
28 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34473 by John Swinney on 22 June 2010, what specific EU legislation would be breached by a requirement that a contractor pay the minimum wage.
Answer · John Swinney: Question S3W-34473 referred to a living wage which is generally understood to mean a wage over and above the statutory national minimum wage and the answer was provided in that context. Contractors engaging UK workers are required to comply with UK employment…
28 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34472 by John Swinney on 22 June 2010, in what circumstances it would enter into a contract that does not contain a minimum wage clause.
Answer · John Swinney: For most contracts, there is no need to include clauses requiring a contractor to comply with legal obligations that govern the conduct of its business. In some cases, the purchaser may decide to apply such clauses to address particular concerns regarding com…
28 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34472 by John Swinney on 22 June 2010, how it monitors contracts that it enters into to ensure that they contain a minimum wage clause.
Answer · John Swinney: Compliance with the national minimum wage is a legal obligation on employers. In the majority of cases there is no need to include a contract clause which refers to this aspect of UK employment law. We do not, therefore, monitor this issue.</b></p>
28 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34472 by John Swinney on 22 June 2010, whether it plans to hold a central list of the contracts that it has entered into.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has recently started to collate a central lists of its contracts. This work is expected to be complete by the end of the year.</b></p> <p >Question S3W-34472 refers to contracts that make specific reference to compliance with the nati…