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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: S4W-26746

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 17 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25214 by John Swinney on 2 April 2015, what changes there have been in respect of the information provided, and what the total salary cost of employing special advisers was in 2014-15.

Special advisers are appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 by the First Minister as a special adviser for the purpose of providing assistance to the Scottish Ministers.

The *total costs of the special adviser team of 14 special advisers employed during the financial year 2014-15 was £952,865.

With the appointment of Katy Bowman on 13 July 2015, there are currently 14 special advisers. The special advisers and their specific responsibilities are as follows:

Name	Role	Appointed
Liz Lloyd	Chief of Staff to the First Minister including the co-ordination of the Special Adviser team Senior Special Adviser on the Constitution Responsible for the First Minister’s Strategic programme in Government Special Adviser for Culture, Europe and External Affairs (temp)	30 January 2012
Noel Dolan	Senior Special Adviser to the First Minister FMQs, Policy Advice to the First Minister	26 May 2011
Stuart Nicolson	Head of Communications Senior Political Spokesperson for the First Minister	26 May 2011
Colin McAllister	Head of Policy and Special Adviser to the Deputy First Minister Senior Special Adviser for Finance and for Local Government FMQs, Programme for Government	3 October 2012
Malcolm Fleming	Senior Special Adviser for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and for Fair Work, Skills and Training	25 July 2011
Campbell Gunn	Deputy Spokesperson for the First Minister and Communications Adviser	8 July 2013
Ross Ingebrigtsen	Deputy Spokesperson for the First Minister and Communications Adviser Strategic communications planning	20 January 2014
Alexander Anderson	Special Adviser for Infrastructure, Investment and the Cities and for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform	8 October 2012
John MacInnes	Political and Media Research Support for First Minister’s Questions Support to Communications Special Advisers	3 June2011
Davie Hutchison	Special Adviser for Health, Wellbeing and Sport FoI Legislation lead	8 June 2011
John McFarlane	Special Adviser for Justice Parliamentary Business including liaison with the Parliamentary Group	26 May 2011
Jeanette Campbell	Special Adviser for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights	1 April 2015
Kate Higgins	Special Adviser for Education and Lifelong Learning	1 April 2015
Katy Bowman	Support for First Minister and First Minister’s Private Office Outreach and stakeholder engagement Policy support to Chief of Staff	13 July 2015

The special adviser pay bands and ranges and the number of special advisers within each pay band currently in place are:

Pay Band	Current Pay Range	Number of Special Advisers
1	£39,445 - £52,904	10
2	£51,041 - £67,709	1
3	£65,017 - £83,963	3
3 (premium)	£83,549 - £100,942	0
4	£86,965 - £104,462	0

*Total costs include salary, Earnings-Related National Insurance Contributions and employer pension contributions.

Question reference: S4O-04464

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the proposal that 16 and 17-year-olds and European nationals living in the UK will not be able to vote in the EU referendum.

Question reference: S4O-04418

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what involvement it had in the BAE Systems announcement that it plans to continue work in both the Scotstoun and Govan yards on the Clyde.

Question reference: S4W-25748

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 27 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what legislative consent motions it will lodge in connection with the legislative programme of the UK Government to be announced in the Queen’s Speech on 27 May 2015.

In accordance with the Sewel Convention, the UK Parliament does not legislate with regard to devolved matters in Scotland without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.

The formal consent of the Scottish Parliament is required in relation to all proposals for Westminster primary legislation on devolved matters, including alterations to devolved competence, in accordance with Chapter 9B of Standing Orders.

At present there is only one UK bill announced in the Queen’s Speech which we are certain will give rise to a legislative consent motion (LCM) in the Scottish Parliament, that being for the Scotland Bill. Given the range of prospective legislation announced on 27 May 2015 by the UK Government, it seems likely that other LCMs may be required as the session progresses. Other bills will be assessed as they are brought forward and will be drawn to the attention of the Parliament as they arise, in line with the requirements of Standing Orders.

There may be situations where it is in the interests of Scotland for legislation dealing with devolved matters to be taken forward at Westminster. The Scottish Government will assess such instances on their merits and will work closely and constructively with the UK Government to deliver legislation which best meets Scotland’s needs. The Scottish Government is equally committed to working with the UK Government to pursue opportunities to extend devolved competence.

The Scottish Government will, in due course, lodge memoranda and motions for relevant bills, once they have been introduced in the UK Parliament. It will then be for the Scottish Parliament to determine whether to give or withhold consent.

Question reference: S4O-04373

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its proposals for a widening of the powers suggested by the Smith Commission.

Question reference: S4W-25214

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 2 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the names of the special advisers in post; what their responsibilities are; what their pay bands are; how many special advisers are in each pay band, and what the total salary cost of employing special advisers was in 2013-14.

Special Advisers are appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 by the First Minister as a special adviser for the purpose of providing assistance to the Scottish Ministers.

The *total costs of the special adviser team of 14 special advisers employed during the financial year 2013-14 was £1,022,396.

Following the change in First Minister 11 special advisers remained in post. With the appointment of Jeanette Campbell and Kate Higgins on 1 April 2015, there are currently 13 special advisers. The special advisers and their specific responsibilities are as follows:

Name	Role	Appointed
Liz Lloyd	Chief of Staff to the First Minister including the co-ordination of the Special Adviser team Senior Special Adviser on the Constitution Responsible for the First Minister’s Strategic programme in Government Special Adviser for Culture, Europe and External Affairs (temp)	30 January 2012
Noel Dolan	Senior Special Adviser to the First Minister FMQs, Policy Advice to the First Minister	26 May 2011
Stuart Nicolson	Head of Communications Senior Political Spokesperson for the First Minister	26 May 2011
Colin McAllister	Head of Policy and Specia Adviser to the Deputy First Minister Senior Special Adviser for Finance and for Local Government FMQs, Programme for Government	3 October 2012
Campbell Gunn	Deputy Spokesperson for the First Minister and Communications Adviser	8 July 2013
Ross Ingebrigtsen	Deputy Spokesperson for the First Minister and Communications Adviser Strategic communications planning	20 January 2014
Alexander Anderson	Special Adviser for Infrastructure, Investment and the Cities and for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform	8 October 2012
Malcolm Fleming	Senior Special Adviser for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and for Fair Work, Skills and Training	25 July 2011
John MacInnes	Political and Media Research Support for First Minister’s QuestionsSupport to Communications Special Advisers	3 June 2011
Davie Hutchison	Special Adviser for Health, Wellbeing and Sport FoI Legislation lead	8 June 2011
John McFarlane	Special Adviser for Justice Parliamentary Business including liaison with the Parliamentary Group	26 May 2011
Jeanette Campbell	Special Adviser for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights	1 April 2015
Kate Higgins	Special Adviser for Education and Lifelong Learning	1 April 2015

The special adviser pay bands and ranges and the number of special advisers within each pay band currently in place are:

Pay Band	Current Pay Range	Number of Special Advisers
1	£39,445 - £52,904	9
2	£51,041 - £67,709	1
3	£65,017 - £83,963	3
3 (premium)	£83,549 - £100,942	0
4	£86,965 - £104,462	0

*Total Costs include salary, ERNIC and employer pension contributions. Total costs figures have been converted into 2015-16 prices to adjust for inflation using HM Treasury GDP deflators, as at 18 March 2015. The total costs figure for 2014-15 is not yet available.

Question reference: S4O-03940

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the principles of the Domestic Workers Convention.

Question reference: S4F-02544

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2015

To ask the First Minister what impact the renewal of Trident would have on the delivery of public services in Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-03887

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the proposed Commonwealth Games legacy sporting facilities that will benefit the people of Glasgow.

Question reference: S4O-03874

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the publication of draft legislation arising from the recommendations of the Smith Commission.