Patrick Harvie

7 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is lawful for evictions of asylum seekers from asylum accommodation managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office to proceed without any recourse to, or oversight by, a Scottish court, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Provision of support for asylum seekers (including accommodation) is reserved by the Scotland Act 1998 to the UK Parliament. It would be for Serco to satisfy itself as to the lawfulness of its activities and for the Home Office to oversee the activities of …

7 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has shared with (a) Serco and (b) the Home Office any (i) internal and (ii) commissioned legal advice on whether Scottish housing legislation and standards apply to asylum accommodation managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Provision of support for asylum seekers (including accommodation) is reserved by the Scotland Act 1998 to the UK Parliament. Please also see response to S5W-11149 on 21 September 2017. It would be for Serco and the Home Office to take their own legal advice…

7 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) internal and (b) commissioned legal advice on whether Scottish housing legislation and standards apply to asylum accommodation managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office and, if so, whether it will publish this advice.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Provision of support for asylum seekers (including accommodation) is reserved by the Scotland Act 1998 to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government does not hold legal advice on these matters. It would be for Serco and the Home Office to determine how Scot…

7 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) whether and (b) for what reason the (i) repairing standard, (ii) tolerable standard, (iii) Scottish housing quality standard and (iv) Scottish social housing charter applies to asylum accommodation in Scotland managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Provision of accommodation for asylum seekers is reserved by the Scotland Act 1998 to the UK Parliament. The tolerable standard applies to all housing in Scotland, other than mobile homes and temporary structures. The Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) …

7 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any action, intervention or inquiries by the Scottish Housing Regulator since 2013-14 regarding registered social landlords who have provided asylum accommodation to Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Where an RSL leases properties to SERCO or the Home Office, SHRs only role is in relation to the lease arrangements meeting its Regulatory Standards. Following contact from Chris Stephens MP the Scottish Housing Regulator engaged with all RSLs that leased pro…

6 Sep 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to legislate for the mandatory installation of CCTV in abattoirs to monitor animal welfare.

4 Sep 2017 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

17 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights), whether it considers tax avoidance to be grounds to cease or limit the provision of government support and funding.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland - we want to encourage a culture of responsible taxpaying where the burden of tax is shared equally and people and companies pay their tax as Parliament intended. The Scottish General Anti-Avoidance Rule allows Revenue…

17 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights) on 31 May 2017, whether it will set out what it considers to be “ethical and environmentally-responsible business practices”, and whether tax avoidance practices will be included in this defin…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is clear that tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland. We are using all powers at our disposal to encourage ethical business practice and drive inclusive economic growth. Almost 400 companies have made a voluntarily commitment to the…

17 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights) on 31 May 2017, what action it has taken to support the Better than Zero campaign.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is working closely with the Fair Work Convention to promote Fair Work and drive change in all workplaces in Scotland, which is an also an ambition of the STUC’s Better than Zero campaign. We are encouraging businesses to become exempl…

17 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement the terms of motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights), which was agreed by the Parliament on 31 May 2017, and, if so, what specific action it will take to “make access to government support and funding dependent on clear ethical and environmental…

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is already taking action to implement the terms of motion S5M-05864. Making employees feel valued, rewarded and engaged in their work is good for a strong economy and we are using all powers at our disposal to encourage ethical busin…

3 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) measures and (b) monitors the involvement of patients and users of sexual health and blood-borne virus (BBV) services, in light of this being described as “not optional” in the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework 2015-2020 Update.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: All aspects of the delivery of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework fall within the governance structure of the Scottish Health Protection Network, which seeks to support those organisations involved in delivery, and to monitor progress against t…

3 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what resources it provides to ensure that patients and users of sexual health and blood-borne virus (BBV) services are involved in the design of those services.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 places a statutory duty on NHS Boards to involve people in planning, developing and delivering healthcare services. Boards are expected to resource patient involvement from their regular budget allocations at their discretio…

3 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the UK Government will allow women from Northern Ireland to access abortion care from NHS providers in England, whether it will adopt a similar position for NHS Scotland.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The First Minister has already made clear that the Scottish Government would look into the provision of abortion in Scotland to women from Northern Ireland. The Scottish Government believes that a woman from Northern Ireland, in Scotland, should be able to ac…

26 Jun 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

21 Jun 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with unions regarding the future of its public sector pay policy.

12 Jun 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

5 Jun 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

31 May 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the level of participation was in the Social Security Experience Panels, broken down by immigration status.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our recruitment drive came to an end on 12 May with over 2,300 people across Scotland ready and willing to work with us as part of the Experience Panels. The registration form did not collect information on immigration status. We are currently considering ho…

31 May 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill will have on demand for services provided by the voluntary sector.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is providing significant levels of funding to relevant third sector organisations as part of the Equally Safe Strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls. The Bill does not place new responsibilities on v…

22 May 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

17 May 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its 2017-18 public sector pay policy is subject to an equality impact assessment.

15 May 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

27 Apr 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

26 Apr 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers to be the fairest system for councils to raise local revenue.

24 Apr 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

5 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the comments of Sheriff Donald Corke that people "taking pictures of females urinating in the countryside put themselves at real risk of prosecution under public order or voyeurism", whether the law officers have given consideration to the prosecution of Trump International or…

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service can confirm that no report has been received containing allegations of criminal conduct against Trump International or its employees in respect of this matter.

4 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the private rented sector business model developed by internet startups such as Rentberry and Biddwell would comply with Scottish legislation, and what issues this business model would raise.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Legislation to regulate and improve standards in the private rented sector in Scotland is extensive. It is a matter for any business operating within the sector in Scotland to ensure that it meets all of the legislative requirements that are in place.

27 Mar 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

20 Mar 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.