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-15141

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what financial management it is providing to NHS Tayside, and what action it will take to support the board’s financial management in the future.

Responsibility for the financial management of NHS Tayside’s business remains with the Accountable Officer. The discharge of these responsibilities is underpinned by existing systems of internal control within Scottish Government and by internal and external audit processes covering all NHS Boards.

Scottish Government has instigated an independent review of the allocation and transfer of eHealth funds to NHS Tayside and will take any appropriate action indicated by the findings of that review.

Question reference: S5W-15140

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support NHS Tayside following the departure of its finance director; whether the board will recruit a new finance director, and from which budget the costs of (a) recruiting and (b) paying them, whether through direct employment, agency cover or back-charged secondment from the Scottish Government, will be paid.

Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with NHS Tayside on the implementation of its Transformation Plan, focusing on returning the Board to financial sustainability.

The NHS Tayside Board will take a decision on the Director of Finance role later this month. In the meantime, NHS Tayside has taken a number of interim measures to provide cover for Director of Finance responsibilities:

1. The Director of Finance for NHS Grampian is providing professional advice and support to the Board in his capacity as Regional Finance Director for the North of Scotland Health Boards.

2. There has been a realignment of roles and responsibilities within the NHS Tayside Financial Team.

Question reference: S5W-14861

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to (a) allow parliamentary scrutiny of its new financial estimates in relation to the merger between British Transport Police and Police Scotland and (b) review the costs that it provided in the Financial Memorandum that accompanied the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S5W-14859

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the IT that will be used by the British Transport Police (BTP) D Division following the merger between BTP and Police Scotland; when this will be integrated fully with Police Scotland IT systems, and what the costs are of engaging consultants/project managers to deliver this.

Under the auspices of the Joint Programme Board (JPB), Police Scotland and BTPA have established a joint project to deliver the operational aspects of the programme. On 20 February, the JPB was advised that further time is needed to deliver integration most effectively and safely for railway passengers, staff and officers. Their assessment is that the current scheduled integration date of

‎ 1 April 2019 will not be achieved. Ministers have accepted this advice and a detailed re-planning exercise will now take place over the coming months to ensure robust delivery plans are in place for all of the key elements of the programme, including ICT, and to establish a new delivery date. Resourcing will also feature as part of the re-planning exercise.

Question reference: S5W-14860

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of consultants involved in the British Transport Police merger with Police Scotland and what (a) their remit is and (b) fees they are being paid, and from which budget those fees will be drawn.

Further to the meeting of the Joint Programme Board on 20 February a detailed re-planning exercise is now underway to ensure robust delivery plans are in place for all of the key elements of the programme and to establish a new delivery date. Resourcing will also feature as part of the re-planning exercise. Transitional costs for the Authority and Police Scotland are being funded from the police reform budget and will not be an additional burden on the operational policing budget or rail operators.

Question reference: S5W-14863

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which body will bear liability for any shortfall in new pension schemes for British Transport Police in Scotland officers and staff.

The British Transport Police pension schemes are shared cost schemes where members pay 40% of the required contributions and employers pay 60%. The Scottish Police Authority as the sponsoring employer will therefore be legally responsible for any employer liability under these arrangements. Work is ongoing to develop the preferred option for transferring BTP staff and officers in line with Scottish Ministers’ aim of no detriment to their pension provisions with funding of the scheme being considered as part of this position.

Question reference: S5W-14862

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide its revised estimated cost of future employer pension contributions for British Transport Police D Division officers and staff.

Question reference: S5W-14563

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement that a new pension fund for retired British Transport Police (BTP) officers will be established around the time of merger with Police Scotland, how much the so-called triple-lock guarantee will cost in the (a) short, (b) medium and (c) long term; from which budget line this will be drawn, and whether allocating this money to cover the pension fund will lead to a reduction in other services and, if so, which.

There has been no announcement by the Scottish Government or the Joint Programme Board that a new pension fund for retired BTP officers will be established on the integration of the BTP in Scotland into Police Scotland.

The Joint Programme Board has agreed that, subject to the approval of the British Transport Police Force Superannuation Fund (BTPFSF) Trustee, that existing officers and staff should continue to have access to their current pension scheme on transfer. The Scottish Government have sent a pension proposal to the Trustee and we expect to publish that letter soon. Retired officers will continue to have access to their existing benefits from the same pension scheme. The Scottish Government will refer to pension and actuarial experts to ensure the arrangements are fair for officers, staff and the Scottish taxpayer.

BTP officers and staff who are serving, deferred and retired BTPFSF scheme members will be in the same scheme, with the same pension benefits, with the same Trustee continuing to deliver effective management of the funds.

The cost of railway policing pensions is a key consideration for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government aims to ensure that public sector pensions are affordable, sustainable and fair. Doing so will ensure that railway policing officers and staff in Scotland remain well-skilled and well-motivated as they deliver an essential service across Scotland.

Pension costs already form part of the costs allocated to the railway industry under the BTP Authority Police Service Agreement model and will continue to do so in Scotland under Railway Policing Agreements by the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S5W-14557

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many licence applications under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 have been (a) awarded, also broken down by how many were subsequently revoked, and (b) refused.

Question reference: S5W-14555

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many weapons have been seized in the course of criminal investigations under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015.