Parliamentary questions
Willie Rennie
1,353 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there were any benefits to TATA or Liberty Steel from the Scottish Government owning the Dalzell steelworks for a short period, and, if so, what any benefits were.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government owning the Steelworks for a short period of time enabled all parties to achieve what they required from the sale and purchase of the business. The Scottish Government in doing so, supported the recommencement of Steel Production in Sco…
1 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the precise technical purpose was of it owning the Dalzell steelworks for a short period.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Dalzell Steelworks were owned for a short period of time by the Scottish Government to assist in the facilitation of the transfer of ownership of the Steelworks between TATA Steel UK and Liberty House.
25 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, for each of the various governmental schemes involved in providing energy saving help to households, how many households have received help, what the total value is of the support provided, and the time period covered, broken down by each Scottish Parliament constituency or each local a…
Answer · Patrick Harvie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05818 on 2 February 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
18 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what issues have been raised with it by statutory public bodies or commissioners regarding child protection policies, processes and procedures in the last 12 months, and what action was taken in relation to each issue raised.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that robust child protection measures are in place across Scotland. To fulfil this commitment the Scottish Government has ongoing engagement through a variety of fora with statutory public bodies, Commissioners…
18 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it received on drafts of the recently published child protection guidelines; who provided this feedback, and what action was taken on any feedback or proposed changes.
Answer · Clare Haughey: On 2 September 2021 the Scottish Government published the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021, which replaces the 2014 National Child Protection Guidance. The revision of this guidance was undertaken through a collaborative process inform…
17 Jan 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide additional COVID-19 support funding for bed and breakfast and guest house operators.
17 Jan 2022 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report by Enable Scotland that highlights that over 250 people with learning disabilities are living in NHS Scotland inpatient units, with one woman being there for 60 years.
12 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all institutions providing psychological therapy services are encouraged to apply for the Accreditation Programme for Psychological Therapies Services.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Whilst the Scottish Government supports the Accreditation Programme for Psychological Therapies Services, there is no requirement to make an application. The Scottish Government is developing a Psychological Therapies and Services standard for Scotland by Jun…
12 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that college and university students in Scotland are provided with access to a range of psychological therapies.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has invested over £11.5 million in the last three academic years, to support our commitment to introduce more than 80 additional counsellors in colleges and universities. We are well on our way to achieving this target. Funding for th…
12 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all secondary school pupils are offered the opportunity to study psychology.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is about providing young people with a well-rounded education that prepares them to thrive in today’s world. Where available, psychology is most likely to appear as a standalone subject in the senior phase and national qu…
10 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a running total of the number of air filter devices that are being used in school classrooms will be published.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: It is for local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users. It is also for local authorities to determine what remedial action is required in their schools, in line with guidance. The recently…
10 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether information on the number of air filters that are being used in school classrooms has been collected for use by the Education Recovery Group.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: It is for local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users. It is also for local authorities to determine what remedial action is required in their schools, in line with guidance. The recently…
22 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that NHS England is repurposing hotels as temporary care facilities in order to relieve pressure on hospital beds and social care, whether it plans to implement similar measures in Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This is an option that the Scottish Government has considered in the past, but it was agreed that hotels were not suitable places to provide health and social care. For a facility to operate as a care home in Scotland, it must be registered with the Care Insp…
22 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the debate on motion S6M-02625 (A New Deal for Tenants), how it plans to increase its ambitions for the building of more homes for social rent, and on what date any increased ambition will be announced.
Answer · Shona Robison: As set out in our Programme for Government, the Scottish Government has already increased its ambition and commitment to deliver more social homes by increasing our affordable homes target from 100,000 to 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 70% of these be…
20 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what user, personal and medical information is currently provided and displayed on the NHS Scotland Covid Status app, and whether that information is explicitly outlined in the user privacy policy agreement.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information displayed on the NHS Scotland Covid Status App is described in detail in the privacy notice . Venues are required to display a privacy notice in areas where the app will be used. This will help members of the public understand the purpose o…
20 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what issues it has experienced matching the functionality of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app with international and EU travel guidelines and restrictions.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The data held in the international section of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app is a statement of fact, representing a person’s vaccination status and/or test and recovery status. Both the content and presentation fully aligns with the standards set by the EU…
20 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data protection guidelines are currently in place for the NHS Scotland Covid Status app, and from what legislation any guidelines are derived.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The NHS Scotland Covid Status app meets the requirements of relevant legislation which includes the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. A Data Protection Impact assessment (DPIA) is in place for the Covid Status app and the Privacy Notice sets out the mai…
20 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported ongoing alterations to the functionality of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app, whether users are (a) notified and (b) required to consent when there is an update to the (i) privacy policy agreement and (ii) personal information that is provided and displayed by …
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Privacy notices are updated regularly and accessible via the app and NHS Inform at any point in time. Consent is sought only when is applicable and consent is not required for the Covid Status app to process data. The legal basis for processing the data in…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has to support the view stated by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, during his ministerial statement on 15 December 2021 on Dalzell Historical Industrial Transactions, that “the circumstances upon which it [the indemnity] would be called upon are …
Answer · Ivan McKee: Liberty Steel Dalzell continues to trade. At the time of the deal, in 2016, a parent company guarantee was signed with Liberty House, which meant that, if the part of the company at Liberty Steel Dalzell ceased to exist, the liabilities would pass to the wide…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what review it has conducted of other contracts in relation to (a) state aid rules and (b) assuming liabilities such as environmental remediation, in light of the results of its review of the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks.
Answer · Ivan McKee: We have considered the compliance and disclosure risks associated with significant and complex transactions. This includes the high-profile interventions that the Scottish Government has supported in recent years as outlined in 2020-21 Annual Accounts. These…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessment it has undertaken of whether Tata Steel will initiate legal proceedings against it in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks.
Answer · Ivan McKee: We are currently engaged in ongoing discussions with TATA Steel and cannot share any further information due to the commercially sensitive nature of the discussions.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it received in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, and whether it contained a single view or range of views on whether it complied with state aid rules.
Answer · Ivan McKee: I am unable to confirm on the basis of Section 2.38 of the Ministerial code. Ministers must not divulge either who provided the advice or its contents (whether it is from the Law Officers or from anyone else). This applies to all forms of legal advice, includ…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it and (b) Tata Steel has any claim to the land upon which the Dalzell steelworks are situated in the event that Liberty House decides to close the site for reasons other than it ceasing to exist.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government and TATA Steel do not have any claim on the land upon which the Dalzell steelworks are situated.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the possible breach of state aid rules, in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, will damage or have any other implications for its (a) existing relationships with businesses and (b) reputation among businesses that it is cons…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government’s actions saved both the Dalzell steelworks and the jobs of those that work there, protecting an important component of the Scottish economy.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans, for any reason, to refer the issue of the possible breach of state aid rules, in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Referrals of this nature to the European Commission can only be made by the member state.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, during his ministerial statement on 15 December 2021 on Dalzell Historical Industrial Transactions, that “there is no liability to the Scottish Government”, for what reason it has redacted this informat…
Answer · Ivan McKee: As stated in the responses to the Freedom of information requests the information is in the Business contracts and is commercially sensitive.
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider its decision to redact clause 12.4 on the total aggregate liability in the release of the business purchase agreement in relation to the Dalzell steelworks, as set out in the response to freedom of information request FOI/202100212787, a review of FOI/202100203…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The original FOI request and the subsequent review were handled by the Scottish Government in compliance with its statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). Where any requester is dissatisfied with the outcome of a rev…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider its decision to redact the section on assumed liabilities of the business purchase agreement in relation to the Dalzell steelworks, as set out in the response to freedom of information request FOI/202100212787, a review of FOI/202100203997.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The original FOI request and the subsequent review were handled by the Scottish Government in compliance with its statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). Where any requester is dissatisfied with the outcome of a rev…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the previous owners, Tata Steel, have liabilities in relation to the environmental remediation costs for the site of the Dalzell steelworks, and whether this is typical for the owners of similar former sites.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government does not assert that Tata Steel has liabilities relating to the environmental remediation costs for the site of the Dalzell steelworks. In the majority of cases potential contaminated land is dealt with routinely through the developmen…
17 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how disputes about state aid rules are resolved in Scotland post-Brexit, and whether the Court of Session and Supreme Court now have responsibility for interpreting and ruling on any dispute relating to a historic transaction that may have been in violation of pre-Brexit state aid rules.
Answer · Ivan McKee: In relation to measures taken before the end of transition, under Articles 93(1) and 95(1) of the Withdrawal Agreement, the European Commission remains competent until 31 December 2024 to open a State aid investigation in relation to any such measure, and the…