Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-00675

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022

To ask the First Minister what impact the UK Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill will have on devolved functions.

Question reference: S6F-00671

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6T-00438

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2022

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.

Question reference: S6T-00439

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with OVO Energy regarding its reported decision to reduce its workforce by 1,700 employees.

Question reference: S6W-05606

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increasing pressures on household incomes, what assessment it has made of the affordability of water charge increases.

In Scotland, water charges continue to be linked to council tax bands to ensures that charges are the most progressive in the UK. Higher banded houses are usually expected to be occupied by higher income households and so linking water charges to council tax band will generally reflect ability to pay. In addition, the linkage to Council Tax means that many discounts and exemptions which apply to Council Tax - principally to ensure affordability - are also available for water and sewerage charges (for example single occupant discount, student exemption).

The Principles of Charging for 2021-27 were published on 7 December 2020 and include measures that seek to protect those least able to afford water charges by increasing the maximum discount under our existing water charges reduction scheme (WCRS) from 25% to 35% - this should protect those households from any charge increases across this period. These changes are expected to provide an extra £86 million financial support over the 2021-27 period. Currently over 470,000 households receive some level of council tax reduction. Revised arrangements are expected to nearly treble the number of households that are eligible to receive a reduced water and sewerage bill because of their financial circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-05611

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Water’s average monthly capital expenditure has been during 2021, and, of that spend, how much is attributable to (a) undertaking capital works left from the 2015-21 regulatory period and (b) new spending toward works financed in the current regulatory period.

Question reference: S6W-05352

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its policy of applying unlimited liabilities on third party providers for compensation through standard Scottish Government ICT contracts.

The Scottish Government does not have a blanket policy of applying unlimited liabilities in its ICT contracts and contractual liability may be unlimited, capped or excluded.

The Scottish Government Model Terms and Conditions for ICT Services Contracts (Model Terms) contain provisions relating to liability that are intended to be reasonable and proportionate and to strike the right balance in allocating risk and liability for all parties.

Liability is unlimited where it cannot be restricted as a matter of law, including for death or personal injury, or fraud. Liability is also unlimited for specific types of loss such as intellectual property, tax and TUPE where Scottish Government has potential exposure to third party claims.

All other liability may be capped or limited on the basis of a fixed sum or a percentage of the overall contract value. The Model Terms do not include mandated levels of financial liability. It is for contracting authorities to determine, based on the risk profile of the project and taking into account the nature and extent of the risks involved in the services, the value of the contract and the amount of insurance cover available to each party, the appropriate levels of financial liability which should apply.

Question reference: S6W-05609

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration Scottish Water gave to the minimum income expectation set by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland within the 2021-27 final determination of charges when setting charge levels for 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-05475

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of children who left primary school in June (a) 2019 and (b) 2020 were able to swim, broken down by (i) sex and (ii) race.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

However, in 2021-22, sport scotland invested approximately £1,315,600 into Scottish Swimming. Over the past five years, sport scotland has invested £6,836,282 into Scottish Swimming. Scottish Swimming developed and introduced a National Learn to Swim Framework in 2014 to support aquatic providers to enhance their community learn to swim programmes.

The Framework, which is supported by Scottish Water and delivered by aquatic partners every week already helps children to become safe, competent, and confident swimmers and these water safety themed lessons are an essential part of the Framework to help educate on water safety.

Question reference: S6W-05353

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what levels of financial liability for compensation it builds into contracts for ICT services, and what its position is on whether such contracts should base the level of liability as a multiple of the total project cost rather than on an unlimited basis.

The Scottish Government does not have a blanket policy of applying unlimited liabilities in its ICT contracts and contractual liability may be unlimited, capped or excluded.

The Scottish Government Model Terms and Conditions for ICT Services Contracts (Model Terms) contain provisions relating to liability that are intended to be reasonable and proportionate and to strike the right balance in allocating risk and liability for all parties.

Liability is unlimited where it cannot be restricted as a matter of law, including for death or personal injury, or fraud. Liability is also unlimited for specific types of loss such as intellectual property, tax and TUPE where Scottish Government has potential exposure to third party claims.

All other liability may be capped or limited on the basis of a fixed sum or a percentage of the overall contract value. The Model Terms do not include mandated levels of financial liability. It is for contracting authorities to determine, based on the risk profile of the project and taking into account the nature and extent of the risks involved in the services, the value of the contract and the amount of insurance cover available to each party, the appropriate levels of financial liability which should apply.

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