- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether the next Northern Isles ferry services contract will be subject to EU state aid rules in light of the Brexit vote.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01754 on 23 August 2016. 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
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the potential impact of the Brexit vote on the next Northern Isles ferry services contract tendering process and future such tendering exercises.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01754 on 23 August 2016. 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
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the average hourly earnings were of its (a) black and minority ethnic (BME), (b) non-BME, (c) male and (d) female employees in each year since 2011-12, broken down by (i) age and (ii) directorate.
Answer
We remain committed to increasing the diversity of our people within the organisation and diversity and equality considerations continue to underpin all of our employment policies and practices. Ethnicity is self-declared by Scottish Government staff and has not been disclosed by 15% of our staff and as such we may not have the full picture. The table shows average hourly pay for known BME and non-BME staff on 6 April each year in each pay band, broken down by age group. We are unable to provide a breakdown by directorate as changes to the directorate structure over time make comparisons invalid. In addition, we have excluded senior civil service as this category is too small to disaggregate without potentially identifying individual staff members. The average hourly earning information provided is the average figure from across all pay bands and is reflective of the distribution of staff across the organisation. We actively publish pay gap information in our Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming report which includes a breakdown by each individual pay band. This demonstrates that our policy towards equality of pay for work of equal value is delivered by our pay policy. The table is available in The Scottish Parliament’s Information centre under BIB number 58141.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) black and minority ethnic and (b) gender pay gap was among its staff expressed in (i) percentage and (ii) real-terms prices in each year since 2011-12, broken down by (A) age and (B) directorate.
Answer
We remain committed to increasing the diversity of our people within the organisation and diversity and equality considerations continue to underpin all of our employment policies and practices. Ethnicity is self-declared by Scottish Government staff and has not been disclosed by 15% of our staff and as such we may not have the full picture. The following table shows the mean salary pay gap for those of known ethnicity on 6 April each year in the Scottish Government main staff group, broken down by age group. We are unable to provide a breakdown by directorate as changes to the directorate structure over time make comparisons invalid. In addition, we have excluded senior civil service as this category is too small to disaggregate without potentially identifying individual staff members. The pay gap information provided is the average figure from across all pay bands and is reflective of the distribution of staff across the organisation. We actively publish pay gap information in our Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming report which includes a breakdown by each individual pay band. This demonstrates that our policy towards equality of pay for work of equal value is delivered by our pay policy. Notable factors contributing to gaps are that new staff members start on lower points of the progression scale and that males are more likely than females to work past 60 in Band C. The tables show the pay gaps, with positive numbers indicating where black or minority ethnic / female staff have a pay lead and negative numbers indicating where non-black or minority ethnic / male staff have a pay lead. The table is available in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre under BIB number 58140.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) black and minority ethnic (BME), (b) non-BME, (c) male and (d) female staff it has employed in each pay grade on 6 April in each year since 2011, broken down by (i) age and (ii) directorate.
Answer
We remain committed to increasing the diversity of our people within the organisation and diversity and equality considerations continue to underpin all of our employment policies and practices. Ethnicity is self-declared by Scottish Government staff and has not been disclosed by 15% of our staff and as such we may not have the full picture. The table shows the number of black and minority ethnic staff on 6 April each year in each pay band in the Scottish Government main staff group, broken down by age group where ethnicity has been declared. We are unable to provide a breakdown by directorate as changes to the directorate structure over time make comparisons invalid. In addition, we have excluded senior civil service as this category is too small to disaggregate without potentially identifying individual staff members. The table is available in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre under BIB number 58139.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) parliamentary scrutiny and (b) legislative approval there was for Police Scotland's automatic number plate recognition system.
Answer
a) Automatic Number Plate Recognition has been the subject of a number of parliamentary questions, including: S2W-29947 and S2W-29948 answered on 17 November 2006 and S3W-28482 answered on 29 October 2009, as well as the more recent questions from Alison McInnes of which the member is already aware; b) Information from Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology must be used and retained in compliance with relevant legislation including the Data Protection Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998, the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000.
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.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00423 by Michael Matheson 16 June 2016, on what date it will announce its conclusion on the practical implications of introducing drug-driving limits in Scotland.
Answer
This is a very complex area with individual limits proposed for 17 different drug types. While no specific timescale has been set, we understand there is likely to be an evaluation of the new drug driving limits introduced in England and Wales that is due to be published in 2017. This evaluation will likely prove helpful in understanding the full practical implications of setting drug driving limits and whether the potential benefits of drug driving limits have been realised in England and Wales. This will help inform our own consideration of whether drug driving limits should be introduced in Scotland.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government who has been appointed to Police Scotland's short-life working group to tackle automatic number plate recognition issues, as reported in The Ferret on 7 July 2016; when it will meet, and what will be discussed.
Answer
The information requested is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, with the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. I have alerted the Chief Constable to your question and I have asked him to write to you.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government whether, as reported in The Ferret on 7 July 2016, officials told Police Scotland “We do not want you to provide us with detailed answers to all of the questions Ms McInnes asks" and, if so, for what reason and what action it will take.
Answer
A number of the Parliamentary Questions asked by the former MSP Alison McInnes in March 2016 sought information on the governance and regulation of policing activity whilst others sought detailed information on the delivery of operational policing activity. Responsibility for the delivery of operational policing activity lies with Police Scotland with oversight of the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Government’s approach to requesting information reflected this position.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 July 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 August 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the transfer of information regarding head injuries between A&E units and (a) police custody units and (b) prisons.
Answer
When any patient attends A&E their electronic patient record in the hospital will be updated and upon discharge will receive a discharge letter outlining the treatment received. This will be the case for those transferring to police custody units and prisons and allow receiving staff to take appropriate action if necessary.