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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: S5W-22791

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on making the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) independent of government.

Question reference: S5W-22910

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 8 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21125 by Christina McKelvie on 25 January 2019, on what date it will publish outcomes from the Race Equality Conference and the final report on Year 1 Race Equality Actions.

Question reference: S5W-22790

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering making changes to charity law and, if so, what proposals are being considered.

The Scottish Government recently consulted on potential improvements to the statutory charity regulation framework, in light of proposals put forward by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) that focus on increasing transparency, accountability and public trust. Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed and have been published on the Scottish Government’s website where the respondents’ permission was granted; this analysis will inform our next steps in due course.

OSCR is a non-ministerial office and part of the Scottish Administration; it is independent of the Scottish Government and reports directly to the Scottish Parliament every year.

Question reference: S5O-03158

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to young people from armed forces families when applying for further and higher education.

Question reference: S5W-22485

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to organise an alternative event to the Great Scottish Swim in Loch Lomond, and whether such an event will take place in 2019.

As a funding partner of the Great Scottish Swim for a number of years, EventScotland were in ongoing contact with the organisers of the event, The Great Run Company, regarding this year’s event and their decision to cancel it. Despite growing numbers of participants and best efforts to find alternative arrangements, the event was not at a level that was sustainable for the organisers in the long term.

However, EventScotland has been supporting Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park to explore options to attract a new operator to deliver another open water swimming event for 2019. A new operator has now been found and the event will take place this year on 7 th September. Registrations for the event are now open.

Question reference: S5W-22487

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the organisers of the Great Scottish Swim in Loch Lomond regarding their decision to cancel the event in 2019.

Question reference: S5W-22486

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Great Scottish Swim in Loch Lomond has been cancelled in 2019.

Question reference: S5W-22225

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by (a) how much and (b) what percentage it has reduced payments to bus companies for concessionary fares in March 2019, broken down by bus company.

Question reference: S5W-22226

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reduced payments to bus companies for concessionary fares in March 2019; how much notice it gave, and what its likely impact is.

Final payments made to bus operators have been reduced in accordance with the legislation which underpins the concessionary travel scheme. Concessionary travel reimbursement rates and the payment cap level are agreed each year by negotiation with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).

Forecasts are shared with CPT throughout the year. In addition, all operators were advised in January 2019 (with an update in February 2019) of the likelihood of the cap being applied to final payments for 2018-19 as the forecast claim value for the year was greater than the cap level for the year.

We are having constructive discussion with the bus industry about impact and to assist operators cash flow, some additional advance payments were made for 2018-19, where appropriate.

Four weekly advance payments will resume as normal from 1 April 2019 in line with the 2019-20 agreement terms, with a payments cap of £213.65m for the year (around a 5.7% increase from 2018-19).

Question reference: S5W-22231

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers 18 months is an extensive period of time for the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator to have been investigating a complaint without concluding their investigation.

The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is a non-ministerial office and part of the Scottish Administration. OSCR is an independent regulator and does not form part of the Scottish Government.

In line with the framework agreement between the Scottish Government and OSCR, given that this question asks about matters that are the responsibility of OSCR and that Scottish Ministers are not accountable for OSCR’s operations the Member is invited to refer the question to OSCR.