Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-14626

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the potential impact on households in Scotland of the proposals in the Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill, including the plan to remove the right of interested parties to appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority, and whether it has made or plans to make representations to the UK Government regarding this.

The Scottish Government have commissioned research looking at Scottish considerations for a price cap and this has shown that a cap can be beneficial for households which are struggling to afford their energy bills.

I am concerned however that there are numerous areas where the price cap could have impacts on competition and consumers or create perverse incentives and so it is of utmost importance that the legislation is drafted properly, and there is proper recourse where issues are identified with the cap.

I note that Ofgem are of the opinion that a Judicial Review process will allow adequate appeal for suppliers and interested parties and I am sympathetic to their aim to implement the cap as soon as possible, but I urge the UK Government to carefully assess whether they are comfortable with the limited appeal route and whether the legislation as it stands meets their stated aims for a cap. I wrote to Secretary of State, Greg Clark, earlier in the week to make my position on this clear.

I understand that Ofgem will be consulting on the design of the cap and the Scottish Government will engage closely with this process to champion the needs of Scottish consumers and the Scottish energy market.

Question reference: S5W-15119

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers Justices of the Peace to be part of the Justiciary.

Justices of the Peace are lay magistrates who sit with a legally qualified adviser to deal with summary criminal cases. They sit either alone or on a treble bench and deal with many driving offences, less serious assaults, breach of the peace, theft and other less serious crimes in the local courts. Justices of the Peace are part of the Scottish judiciary, falling under the Lord President's statutory headship of the Scottish judiciary under the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.

Question reference: S5O-01930

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend concessionary travel for all 16- to 18-year-olds.

Question reference: S5W-14627

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding (a) the number of households using energy pre-payment meters, including (i) the trends in the take-up and (ii) the potential impact on the take-up of the implementation of a price cap and (b) other energy social obligations reporting areas, including the numbers of (A) warrants issued and (B) customers on (1) standard variable targets, (2) the Priority Services Register and (3) restricted meters and, if such information is not available, what plans it has to gather this data.

On 17 January 2018 the Scottish Government convened a summit of energy suppliers and consumer groups to facilitate collaborative working to support vulnerable consumers. In order to gather more specific information at a Scottish level, and to ensure that progress can be tracked and managed transparently, we have called upon suppliers to provide information on pre-payment meters, smart meters, restricted meters, SVTs, the priority service register and general support to vulnerable customers. We are in the process of finalising the detail and timescale for information provision and I will be happy to engage further with you on this issue once this work is completed. I have asked my officials to look to see what information we will be able to share to inform Members’ understanding of this key issue for their constituents.

Question reference: S5W-14648

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish its delivery plan on tackling child poverty.

Question reference: S5W-14649

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has budgeted for implementing any recommendations that are made by the Poverty and Inequality Commission regarding tackling child poverty.

The first Delivery Plan due under the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act covers the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2022, and will set out the Scottish Governments action to make significant progress towards the challenging interim targets set for 2023-24.

The Scottish Budget 2018-19 brings forward the first investment in the new
£50 million tackling child poverty fund, and sets out a range of other investment to give children in Scotland the best start in life, including £179 million for the attainment challenge fund, £8 million for the baby box scheme and £243 million to support the expansion of funded Early Learning and Childcare provision.

This, alongside existing budgetary allocations, will support the implementation of measures outlined within Delivery Plan actions proposed for this 2018-19. Measures for delivery in later years of the plan will be allocated financial resources within future budgets.

Question reference: S5W-14540

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the process will be for the appointment of the new chief constable, and what role the Scottish Police Authority board will have in this.

Question reference: S5O-01837

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the Scottish Police Authority has access to a diverse and wide cross-section of skills and experience, including from those who have experience of operational policing matters in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-14538

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what requirement there is for members of the Scottish Police Authority board to have policing experience, and how many board members have this.

Question reference: S5W-14327

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether barrier-free housing standards offer full accessibility for wheelchair users.

Barrier free design is not intended to be a substitute for dwellings designed specifically for wheelchair users who need the full benefits that specially designed and equipped houses can give.

That is why Action 63 of A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People - our Disability Delivery Plan to 2021 states that we will ensure that the grant subsidy arrangements for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme do not prevent specialist housing identified by local authorities as a priority from being built. This includes wheelchair accessible homes to help disabled people to live independently.

In addition, Housing for Varying Needs guidance is used as the basis of required standards in relation to Scottish Government grant-funded affordable housing. This offers good practice in the design of housing so that newly-built, refurbished or adapted buildings achieve a degree of flexibility, suit people of different abilities, are convenient to use and fit for their purpose.