Chamber and committees

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: S5W-05023

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) Glasgow City Council regarding the closure of the Hewden Plant Hire depot in Queenslie, and what action (i) it and (ii) its agencies can take to support the people who have lost their jobs and to help them in finding training or alternative employment.

The announcement of 50 job losses at Hewden Plant Hire depots across Scotland, including 26 in Glasgow, is obviously extremely disappointing and this will be a particularly anxious time for employees and their families.

Ministers and officials regularly meet local authorities across Scotland to discuss a range of issues, including local economic development and job creation, as do our enterprise agencies. The Scottish Government have discussed this matter with Scottish Enterprise and officials have contacted the administrators, Ernst Young, and offered to meet with them to discuss appropriate support for Hewden's Scottish operations.

Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) is the Scottish Government’s initiative dedicated to helping individuals and employers with the advice and support they need when faced with redundancy. Jobs for 27 employees, 9 of which were based in Glasgow, have been rescued following the sale of part of the business to Ashtead Plant Hire Company Ltd. All employees who have been made redundant have been sent a PACE Facing Redundancy Guide and encouraged to engage with PACE support on a one-to-one basis and we will continue to work with Scottish Enterprise and local agencies to identify redeployment opportunities for those affected.

Question reference: S5W-05027

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to ensure that people waiting to attend A&E at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow are seen and admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.

Question reference: S5W-05021

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that Glasgow will receive less than one quarter of the current funding allocation for rehabilitation services under the new Community Justice Scotland model.

The new Criminal Justice Social Work (CJSW) funding formula was approved by COSLA Leaders in August 2016, following recommendations from an expert group to replace the current funding formula. This new formula will be used from 2017-18 to distribute funding for CJSW services. Whilst it is true that the new CJSW funding formula will see a redistribution of existing funding, any changes to funding available will be phased in over a period of 5 years. Safeguards have been put in place to ensure no local authority will lose any more than 5% in the first year. This is predicated on the same overall settlement for Section 27 funding for CJSW being available post the spending review.

Under the new formula, greater flexibility than ever before will be afforded to Local Authorities in their use of CJSW funding.

The specific funding that will be distributed to Glasgow will not be confirmed until after the Spending Review. There is currently no indication however that Glasgow will receive less than a quarter of its current funding for rehabilitation services.

Glasgow also received additional funding in 2016-17 specifically for women offender services and community sentences.

It will be for each local authority, in collaboration with other community justice partners, to determine how their available resources – including the overall funding for CJSW - is used, to prevent and reduce further offending. Local funding flexibility allows the targeting of available resources to meet local priorities and common outcomes, working to the aims of the new National Strategy for Community Justice.

Question reference: S5W-04946

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what reassurances it can provide to parents of children at schools in the Maryhill area of Glasgow regarding ending the janitorial dispute, in light of reported health and safety concerns.

Question reference: S5W-04945

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding ending the janitorial pay dispute.

Scottish Ministers regret that this dispute has not been resolved and would urge all parties to come together to reach a negotiated settlement. However, the operation of Cordia is between Glasgow Council and the organisation and not a matter for the Scottish Government.

Glasgow Council is responsible for ensuring that adequate and appropriate health and safety arrangements are in operation at all times for the local authority schools in its area.

Question reference: S5W-05022

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question SF5-00534 by the First Minister on 24 November 2016 (Official Report, c. 25), and in light of a recent study that suggested that Glasgow has the highest rate of nuisance calls in the UK, how it will update the public about the work of the nuisance calls commission.

The Scottish Government has created a page for the Nuisance Calls Commission, which can be found at: https://beta.gov.scot/groups/nuisance-calls-commission/. Full details of the Commission’s membership and remit are already available here. The agendas and minutes of the Commission will also be published on the Scottish Government website.

Prior to summer recess 2017, the Scottish Government will publish a report setting out the progress we have made with stakeholders to reduce the impact of nuisance calls, as well as detailing what further steps will be taken in the longer term.

Question reference: S5O-00354

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Police Scotland's latest Your View Counts survey.

Question reference: S5O-00332

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2016
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what steps it is taking to prevent illegal camps being set up on the Parliament estate.

Question reference: S5T-00143

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the introduction of an injecting facility for drug users in Glasgow.

Question reference: S5O-00296

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is advancing the local devolution agenda.