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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-11117

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to prioritise resourcing local authorities to exercise their powers to create municipal bus companies under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, in light of the cost of living crisis and climate emergency.

Section 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 is now in force, providing wider powers for local transport authorities to run their own buses. Additionally, secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of 2023. These powers will complement and continue to build on the service improvements supported through the Bus Partnership Fund.

We recognise that not every local authority will want to run their own bus services, but the new powers enable them to determine what is best for their local areas. We will continue to work with local authorities as they explore the full range of options set out in the 2019 Act, including local authority-run bus services. Work is currently ongoing with local authorities and COSLA to determine how best to allocate funding in light of the emergency budget review.

Question reference: S6W-11134

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on gas and electricity bills across its estate in each of the last three years, and whether it will provide forecasts of how much it anticipates these bills will increase by in the coming year, broken down by building.

The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 set legally binding targets for the public sector to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with interim targets requiring a 75% reduction by 2030, and 90% by 2040. The Scottish Government is installing energy saving infrastructure across estate including LED energy lighting projects and solar panel installation at some of our buildings to reduce our energy use and operation costs.

A full list of electricity and gas costs for each building within the Scottish Government estate from 2019 to 2022 with projected costs in 2023 can be found using SPICe reference 63647.

Question reference: S6W-11091

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the contract, Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management 2, which was awarded to the company, Corporate Travel Management (CTM), on 9 August 2022.

The Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management 2, which was awarded to the company, Corporate Travel Management (CTM), is a call off from a Crown Commercial Services framework and the original framework documentation is available from the Crown Commercial Services website: Travel and Venue Solutions - CCS (crowncommercial.gov.uk) . The contract notice with CTM was published on 9 August 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11184

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10424 by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022, whether it will provide an indication of in which year this review will take place.

Question reference: S6W-11093

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to monitor and evaluate the performance of the company, Corporate Travel Management (CTM), which was awarded the procurement contract on Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management, and whether it will specify any criteria and standards against which it evaluates the contactor’s output.

The performance of Corporate Travel Management (CTM) is robustly monitored by the Scottish Government. This is carried out through regular progress reporting and meetings, rigorous financial monitoring, and through identifying continuous improvements including savings opportunities.

The Framework also provides obligations and standards that the supplier must adhere to in relation to the following: HMRC compliant invoices; appropriate insurances; credit rating threshold maintained; social value via the HM Government Code of Conduct which sets out standards of behaviours expected of the contractor and subcontractors; equality and accessibility; modern slavery; child labour and inhumane treatment; income security and working hours or staff; sustainability as part of Government Buying Standards; subcontractor monitoring; and data protection.

Question reference: S6W-11130

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent removing projects that were created under Spaces for People, broken down by (a) year and (b) local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-11161

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to undertake a consultation on pension arrangements for doctors.

Question reference: S6W-11169

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a power for NHS boards to take over failing pharmacies.

Question reference: S6W-11167

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether pharmacies that close can still receive non-activity-based payments, and how much these are per day.

All payments as part of the national contractual framework are published annually. The latest iteration can be found at SHOW - Scotlands Health On the Web - Publications, including payments for non-activity based services delivered as part of the Pharmaceutical Services Remuneration Global Sum.

Health Boards can recover remuneration in line with the measures available as set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and the National Health Service (Discipline Committees) (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

Question reference: S6W-11163

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports of locum pharmacists in Scotland being offered work elsewhere in the UK by a large pharmacy chain at the same time that the company was closing branches in Scotland due to a shortage of staff.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any practice by pharmacy chains offering work to Scottish locum pharmacists in other parts of the UK while agreeing to closures across the Scottish pharmacy network.

Neither the Scottish Government or Health Boards are responsible for the terms or contractual arrangements put in place between pharmacy businesses and those who provide a pharmacy locum service.