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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: S5O-01384

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the implementation of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012.

The court case on minimum unit pricing of alcohol was heard by the UK Supreme Court in July and we are currently awaiting the judgment.

Minimum unit pricing of alcohol was passed unopposed by this Chamber in 2012 and would have been in place now for over four years if it were not for the legal challenge led by the Scotch Whisky Association.

We are as frustrated as many others in the Chamber about the delays caused by the legal challenge. We remain fully committed to the implementation of minimum unit pricing and, if the Supreme Court judgment is the positive outcome we hope for, we will move as quickly as is practicable to put the policy in place. We firmly believe minimum unit pricing is legal and would be the most effective way to tackle alcohol misuse, as part of a package of measures and would bring significant health and social benefits.

Question reference: S5W-11049

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards it has in place to ensure that its international development funding to the Palestinian Authority is not used for the payment of so-called terror salaries or given to the families of so-called martyrs.

Question reference: S5W-11048

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis has been undertaken of its international development funding to the Palestinian Authority.

Question reference: S5W-11047

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much international development funding it has given to the Palestinian Authority in each of the last five years, broken down by the (a) organisation funded and (b) objectives behind the funding.

Question reference: S5W-10645

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of discussions that it has had with the Irish Government regarding the possible co-funding of the drug, Orkambi, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, and what progress the NHS has made regarding establishing a so-called pipeline deal with the drug's manufacturer.

The deal between Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals is commercially confidential.

I wrote to Vertex Pharmaceuticals in March to encourage them to take forward discussions about the cost of Orkambi with colleagues in NHS National Services Scotland who are best placed to advise them on pricing approaches and a fair price that could support the securing of a positive recommendation from the Scottish Medicines Consortium for the prescribing of these products in NHS Scotland. Those talks are underway.

Through those discussions we hope that the manufacturer will make their best offer on price and indicate that they will re-submit an application for Orkambi to the SMC.

Question reference: S5O-01210

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been of the Capital Acceleration Programme.

Question reference: S5W-10526

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the impact of the judgments in ParkingEye v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67 and Vehicle Control Services Ltd v Mackie [2017] SC DUN 24 on the (a) contractual enforcement and (b) standing of private parking schemes.

We are aware that improvements could be made to various aspects of the private parking schemes, and for this reason, we have set up a Stakeholder Working Group with representatives from the private parking industry, Trading Standards Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland to explore how we can deliver improvements to the practices of private parking operators in Scotland.

As part of this work, we have been exploring how we can deliver a fairer, more transparent and consistent approach to parking enforcement practices and to the appeals process in Scotland through the development of a single Code of Practice that the industry would voluntarily sign up to. In addition, a Private Member's Bill entitled Parking (Code of Practice) Bill was introduced in the UK Parliament on 19 July 2017.

The Private Member's Bill also seeks to create a fairer and more transparent sector through regulation via the development of a single Code of Practice. We are therefore exploring this issue with our UK counterparts to determine what this would mean for Scotland. We will continue to work with our stakeholders to ensure that we have a fair and transparent sector, in which motorists understand their rights and responsibilities for parking on private land.

Question reference: S5W-10527

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the £24,500 liability in Vehicle Control Services Ltd v Mackie [2017] SC DUN 24 as a mechanism to protect parking amenity.

We are aware that private parking operators can levy reasonable charges that are contained within their Accredited Trade Association code of practice. However, we will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that consumer rights are protected.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 does not provide for leaving motor vehicles on private land. As such, the conditions of landowners must be adhered to in relation to any parking terms and conditions that have been set.

Question reference: S5W-09881

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of (a) private and (b) public sector employers registered with the Scotland Childcare Voucher Scheme.

By funding and actively participating in the Family Friendly Working Scotland partnership, the Scottish Government promotes a wide range of family friendly working policies to employers, including in relation to childcare.

For parents and carers, the Scottish Government provide information on childcare vouchers and other types of support for childcare on the mygov.scot website: https://www.mygov.scot/help-paying-for-childcare/other-help/

This brings together information on various schemes that people in Scotland can take advantage of at both a UK and Scotland level.

Question reference: S5W-09931

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent (a) discussions it has had with and (b) advice it has received from (i) the Scottish Medicines Consortium and (ii) other bodies regarding the drug, Orkambi, being made available on the NHS for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

Decisions made by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) are independent of Ministers and Parliament and are based on clinical and cost-effectiveness at a national population level for all Scotland.

The SMC did not accept Orkambi® for routine use in Scotland in May 2016 because the submitting company’s justification of the treatment’s cost in relation to its health benefits was not sufficient.

I have written to the manufacturer of Orkambi® to encourage them to undertake discussions with colleagues in National Health Services Scotland (NSS) and I understand those discussions are underway. I hope as part of these discussions the manufacturer can make their best offer on price and indicate they will re-submit an application for Orkambi® to the SMC.