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: S4W-23687

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 6 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on pre-exposure prophylaxis being used as a method of HIV prevention.

Question reference: S4W-23602

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the current cost to NHS Grampian is of delayed discharges in the Aberdeen City Council area.

Question reference: S4W-23601

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost to NHS Grampian has been of delayed discharges in the Aberdeen City Council area in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S4F-02471

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2014

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will respond to the findings of the all-party UK parliamentary inquiry into hunger in the UK.

Question reference: S4W-23084

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 26 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide to people who do not receive the full state pension because of the impact of divorce or separation on their contributions.

This is a reserved matter under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998. As such, the Scottish Government is currently unable to provide benefits to top up a partial state pension. Pension credit is available for pensioners on a low income.

However, the Scottish Government does support pensioners in a range of ways within its devolved competencies. We are protecting household resources through free personal care for the elderly, the scrapping of prescription charges, free eye examinations, as well as concessionary bus passes and much more.

Question reference: S4W-23083

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 26 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding how spouse or partner contributions can impact on eligibility for the state pension and the impact that this might have for people in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-23086

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 26 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, if the appropriate powers were devolved, whether it would change the rules regarding the relationship between eligibility for the state pension and spouse or partner contributions.

The Scottish Government has submitted its proposals for further devolution to The Smith Commission, which are available at:

As this sets out, we believe that decisions on welfare, including pensions, are best made by the Scottish Parliament, in line with the needs of Scottish pensioners. If powers over the state pension are devolved, future Scottish governments will have the ability to look at how the system is designed, including eligibility rules, and the role of spouse or partner contributions.

Question reference: S4W-23085

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 26 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people in Scotland do not receive the full state pension and the reasons for this.

Office for National Statistics data suggest that, in September 2012 at UK level, 80% of men and 46% of women of pensionable age were in receipt of the full basic state pension. Scotland level data is not available. Women receive lower state pension payments than men in part because those with caring responsibilities were disadvantaged by the system pre-2002. There have been improvements since then, and the new single-tier pension is expected to improve state pension provision further for new female pensioners from 2016.

(Source: Office for National Statistics, Pension Trends Chapter 5: State Pensions, 2013.)

(Source: Scottish Government, Pensions in an Independent Scotland, 2013)

Question reference: S4O-03755

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the integration of health and social care.

Question reference: S4O-03715

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 19 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Grampian.