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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.

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Question reference: S4W-27885

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) government agencies, (b) non-departmental public bodies and (c) other arm's-length government bodies have pay bargaining units; how many employees there are in each, and what the salary cost is.

Government agencies are part of the Scottish Government Main pay bargaining unit. Each non-departmental public body and other arm's length body subject to Scottish ministers' pay policy submits an individual pay remit. Three smaller bodies choose to analogue to the Scottish Government Main pay remit.

The numbers employed and paybill (salary plus on-costs - NIC, pensions, allowances etc) for each body subject to the pay policy as at the beginning of 2015-16 are set out in the following table:

List of Public Bodies

2015-16

Baseline Paybill	Staff in Post
£	Full Time Equivalent

Scottish Government Main Total ¹	284,558,122	6,708

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service	61,254,484	1,513

Executive Agencies
Historic Scotland	33,433,460	1,086
Scottish Prison Service	157,031,175	4,330

Non Ministerial Departments
Registers of Scotland	33,324,662	902
Scottish Court Service	41,968,449	1,378

Public Corporations
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd	1,607,447	23
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd	24,410,749	567
Prestwick Airport	8,749,000	298
Scottish Canals	7,981,816	248
Scottish Water	124,306,848	3,298

Executive NDPBs
Architecture and Design Scotland	1,064,072	24
Bòrd na Gidhlig	846,024	21
National Park Authorities	7,583,971	201
Care Inspectorate	26,720,982	603
Children’s Hearings Scotland	637,354	17
Creative Scotland	4,335,373	104
Highlands and Islands Enterprise	10,267,250	216
National Galleries of Scotland	9,858,826	306
National Library of Scotland	9,379,229	271
National Museums of Scotland	13,971,845	405
Police Investigations and Review Commissioner	2,026,168	47
Quality Meat Scotland	925,186	19
Risk Management Authority	569,721	13
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh	7,442,107	210
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland	4,085,652	103
Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration	15,266,524	390
Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission	535,075	12
Scottish Enterprise	56,811,327	1,105
Scottish Environment Protection Agency	52,479,750	1,246
Scottish Funding Council	5,139,314	98
Scottish Legal Aid Board	8,443,762	279
Scottish Legal Complaints Commission	1,698,826	44
Scottish Natural Heritage	28,095,424	713
Scottish Qualifications Authority	28,383,893	770
Scottish Social Services Council	7,131,682	215
Skills Development Scotland	50,469,497	1,138
sportscotland	13,009,174	291
VisitScotland	18,140,000	599
Water Industry Commission for Scotland	1,044,200	16

The Scottish Police Authority	198,391,629	5,729

Total	1,363,380,050	35,555

Includes Core Scottish Government, Accountant in Bankruptcy, Disclosure Scotland, Education Scotland, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Student Awards Agency for Scotland, Transport Scotland, National Records of Scotland, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Revenue Scotland, Scottish Housing Regulator, Crofting Commission, Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, Scottish Roadworks Commissioner

Question reference: S4W-26590

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-26058 by John Swinney on 23 June 2015, by what date it will publish its response to the consultation.

As set out in the answer to question S4W-27521 on 29 September 2015, we continue to consider consultation responses. We will provide an analysis of responses and our proposals to Parliament in due course.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-28361

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the funding for carer information strategies will stop.

Question reference: S4O-04824

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there should be an independent review of the new curriculum model at Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh.

Education Scotland is now participating in order to offer advice on the local authority’s internal review of Hermitage Academy’s curriculum model.

I want to reassure the local member and indeed, parents and families with children at Hermitage Academy that I am monitoring the situation and review closely.

If further action is required, then I will make sure this is undertaken so that children’s opportunities to gain vital qualifications for their future are not compromised.

Question reference: S4W-28357

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any increased demand for services from carers, and consequent increase in cost, as a result of the Carers (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S4W-28356

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the estimated £16 million a year cost of replacement care will come from the existing financial envelope for the Carers (Scotland) Bill and, if so, how much is left in the budget for each year.

The estimated cost of replacement care meeting the carer's identified needs is a maximum of £16 million. Our expectation is that the cost of replacement care will be significantly less than £16 million and that there should be sufficient flexibility within the existing financial envelope for the Carers Bill arising from the unit cost and demand assumptions set out in the Financial Memorandum to cover such costs. The financial envelope will be monitored.

The total maximum resource envelope as set out in the Financial Memorandum, at over £19 million in 2017-18 rising to over £88 million in 2021-22, and thereafter on a recurring basis, is significant and expected to be sufficient to cover the existing costs set out in the Financial Memorandum as well as replacement care.

Question reference: S4W-28358

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the estimated cost of waiving care charges for support provided under section 22 of the Carers (Scotland) Bill applies to existing services.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013, which came into force in April 2014, introduced a discretionary power for local authorities to support carers. Prior to April 2014, if local authorities supported carers they either did not charge carers for support or sought a minimal contribution towards the support. Most support in the form of respite care is for the cared-for person agreed through the community care assessment rather than through the carer's assessment. It is therefore subject to local authorities' usual charging policies. The resourcing for the waiving of charges of a maximum of £16 million will come into effect when the Carers Bill is commenced in 2017-18.

Question reference: S4W-28359

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost is for each year of waiving care charges for support provided under section 22 of the Carers (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S4W-28360

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will put transitional financial arrangements to cover any gap between the end of the carer information strategies funding and the commencement of funding from the Carers (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S4F-03078

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 November 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 November 2015

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding using the new welfare top-up powers that are being devolved.