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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: S5W-03784

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its analysis that showed that 46% of parents who do not use the childcare they are entitled to cite a lack of availability, how it will increase the provision of childcare in large urban areas.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing high quality, flexible early learning and childcare that meets the needs of children and their families. That is why we have increased the amount of funded early learning and childcare to 600 hours a year for all 3 and 4 year olds, and extended this to over a quarter of all 2 year olds, through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The Act has also placed flexibility on a statutory footing for the first time, and has placed a duty on local authorities to consult with local groups of parents every 2 years on patterns of hours that will best suit their needs. It is therefore through this consultation process that any specific needs, such as availability in large urban areas, will be identified and addressed.

More broadly, provision has increased nationally through additional hours. The Care Inspectorate’s overview of initial expansion, published in March 2016, indicated that “Local authorities have generally succeeded in making available 600 hours for all eligible children” and, “The clear progress being made by local authorities to measure and meet parental demand for early learning and childcare is welcome, and there is a need to embed effective and widespread methods for consulting parents”. We will continue to work with local authorities to increase and accelerate choice and access to early learning and childcare.

Question reference: S5W-03809

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 3 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what policies or guidance are in place regarding the terms and conditions of employment used by non-departmental public bodies, and how it ensures that these are adhered to.

Question reference: S5O-00305

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to extend access to high-speed fibre broadband across the country.

Question reference: S5W-03859

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reclassification of its funding of capital, what the impact will be of the reduction of planned loans to Scottish Water over the next five years, and which infrastructure projects might be affected by this.

There has been no reclassification of Scottish Water’s funding. Loans made by the Scottish Government to Scottish Water and Interest repaid by Scottish Water to the Scottish Government score in the capital and resource budgets respectively. The Scottish Government is committed to lending up to £760million in the regulatory period 2015-21 in support of the £3.5 billion programme of improvements to water and sewerage services.

Question reference: S5W-03860

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the investment in Scottish Water infrastructure has been in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S5W-03861

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Water's budget has been in each of the last five years.

Scottish Water’s budget, as confirmed in Spring Budget Revisions, has been as follows:

2011-12	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Voted Loans	£0.0	£85.1	£85.1
Interest on Voted Loans	-£92.7	£0.0	-£92.7
	-£92.7	£85.1	-£7.6
2012-13	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£1.0	£0.0	£1.0
Voted Loans	£0.0	£142.1	£142.1
Interest on Voted Loans	-£88.3	£0.0	-£88.3
	-£87.3	£142.1	£54.8
2013-14	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£1.5	£0.0	£1.5
Voted Loans	£0.0	£56.8	£56.8
Interest on Voted Loans	-£91.7	£0.0	-£91.7
	-£90.2	£56.8	-£33.4
2014-15	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£2.8	£0.0	£2.8
Voted Loans	£0.0	£106.6	£106.6
Interest on Voted Loans	-£98.0	£0.0	-£98.0
	-£95.2	£106.6	£11.4
2015-16	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£0.8	£0.0	£0.8
Exemption Scheme	£2.0	£0.0	£2.0
Voted Loans	£0.0	£132.5	£132.5
Interest on Voted Loans	-£99.9	£0.0	-£99.9
	-£97.1	£132.5	£35.4

Further details on budgets may be found on the Scottish Government’s website at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Finance/18127/Documents

Question reference: S5W-03862

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Water's capital reserves have been in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S5O-00256

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there is meaningful and inclusive community engagement in the planning system.

Question reference: S5W-03186

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers have met parliamentary conveners, and what was discussed.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs met with Joan McAlpine MSP, Convener European and External Relations Committee on Tuesday 16 August to discuss European, Tourism and Cultural Matters.

Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Employability and Training met with Sandra White MSP, Convener to the Social Security Committee on 7 September to discuss Employability and Training matters.

Question reference: S5W-03184

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it shares confidential information with (a) parliamentary liaison officers and (b) any other MSP.

As set out in section 4.11 of the Scottish Ministerial Code, government information may be shared with parliamentary liaison officers for the purposes of allowing them to discharge their role effectively. Parliamentary liaison officers are required to respect the confidentiality attached to such information.

Government information may be shared in confidence with MSPs, including Party Leaders, where it is in the public interest to do so.