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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5F-01566

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 September 2017

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-11150

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has shared with (a) Serco and (b) the Home Office any (i) internal and (ii) commissioned legal advice on whether Scottish housing legislation and standards apply to asylum accommodation managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office.

Provision of support for asylum seekers (including accommodation) is reserved by the Scotland Act 1998 to the UK Parliament.

Please also see response to S5W-11149 on 21 September 2017. It would be for Serco and the Home Office to take their own legal advice on these matters.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S5W-11149

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) internal and (b) commissioned legal advice on whether Scottish housing legislation and standards apply to asylum accommodation managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office and, if so, whether it will publish this advice.

Question reference: S5W-11148

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government (a) whether and (b) for what reason the (i) repairing standard, (ii) tolerable standard, (iii) Scottish housing quality standard and (iv) Scottish social housing charter applies to asylum accommodation in Scotland managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office.

Provision of accommodation for asylum seekers is reserved by the Scotland Act 1998 to the UK Parliament. The tolerable standard applies to all housing in Scotland, other than mobile homes and temporary structures. The Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) applies to self-contained housing let under a secure tenancy. The repairing standard applies to housing let by a private landlord under an assured tenancy, under the new private residential tenancy introduced by the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016, and under some other types of tenancy.

The standard that would be provided for asylum accommodation in any particular case therefore depends on the whether the accommodation is owned by a private or registered social landlord. The Scottish Social Housing Charter sets the standards and outcomes that all social landlords should achieve for their tenants and other service users, and would apply if an asylum seeker received housing or services from a local authority or registered social landlord. The Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities has written to the UK Government to say that the Scottish Government believes that accommodation provided to asylum seekers in Scotland should meet SHQS.

Question reference: S5W-11147

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any action, intervention or inquiries by the Scottish Housing Regulator since 2013-14 regarding registered social landlords who have provided asylum accommodation to Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office.

Question reference: S5W-11151

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is lawful for evictions of asylum seekers from asylum accommodation managed by Serco as part of its Compass contract with the Home Office to proceed without any recourse to, or oversight by, a Scottish court, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S5F-01537

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2017

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-10824

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights), whether it considers tax avoidance to be grounds to cease or limit the provision of government support and funding.

Tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland - we want to encourage a culture of responsible taxpaying where the burden of tax is shared equally and people and companies pay their tax as Parliament intended. The Scottish General Anti-Avoidance Rule allows Revenue Scotland to take counteraction against tax avoidance arrangements considered to be artificial, even if they otherwise operate within the letter of the law. This legislation is significantly wider than the equivalent UK anti–avoidance legislation.

Question reference: S5W-10822

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights) on 31 May 2017, what action it has taken to support the Better than Zero campaign.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the Fair Work Convention to promote Fair Work and drive change in all workplaces in Scotland, which is an also an ambition of the STUC’s Better than Zero campaign.

We are encouraging businesses to become exemplars of Fair Work by joining the 399 companies who have already signed the Scottish Business Pledge. The Pledge involves paying the Living Wage alongside a range of other commitments including offering flexible working and avoiding exploitative zero hours.

We have established a new fund to reduce employment inequalities, we are ensuring women are better represented in senior and decision-making roles and we are challenging pregnancy and maternity discrimination.

Furthermore, to protect the rights of workers and limit the impact of the UK Government’s Trade Union Act, we are providing the STUC with £2.2 million to support trade unions learning and skills; £250,000 to help embed fairer work practices in Scottish workplaces; and £100,000 for equality representation and leadership development.

Question reference: S5W-10823

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the vote on motion S5M-05864 as amended (Protecting Workers' Rights) on 31 May 2017, whether it will set out what it considers to be “ethical and environmentally-responsible business practices”, and whether tax avoidance practices will be included in this definition.

The Scottish Government is clear that tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland.

We are using all powers at our disposal to encourage ethical business practice and drive inclusive economic growth. Almost 400 companies have made a voluntarily commitment to the Scottish Business Pledge which sets out employers as being responsible, fair and ethical. The Pledge includes paying the Living Wage alongside a range of other commitments including innovation, equality and flexible working, and avoiding exploitative zero hours contracts.