- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26007 by Shona Robison on 13 March 2024, whether it will provide an update on how much of the reported £756 million that it received in option fees through the 2022 ScotWind leasing round it spent in 2023-24; how much it projects that it will spend in (a) 2024-25, (b) 2025-26 and (c) 2026-27, and by what date it anticipates that all of the funding will have been spent.
Answer
£756 million of ScotWind option fees were received, of which £96 million was used in 2022-23 to support the overall financial position. No ScotWind Revenues were utilised in 2023-24.
£200 million of ScotWind Revenues were profiled as required to support the funding position in the original Scottish Budget for 2024-25. As was set out in the Fiscal Statement to parliament on 3 September current planning is on the basis of utilising up to £460 million of additional ScotWind revenue funding in the current financial year, the entirety of the remaining Scotwind option fee funding.
The statement made clear the intention to reduce this down as far as possible depending on the final financial position, with an update on the in-year consequential position expected at the UK Budget on October 30th. Decisions on the future utilisation of ScotWind Revenues will be taken in due course.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified any companies that have a relationship with Scottish public bodies that are on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database of companies involved in certain activities relating to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and, if so, which companies.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28974 on 19 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish any correspondence that it has sent to public bodies regarding the need for them to consider the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database of companies involved in certain activities relating to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in their human rights due diligence; whether any public bodies have responded to any such correspondence identifying any potential issues, and, if so, whether it will publish these responses.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28974 on 19 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024
To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28252 by Ivan McKee on 12 July 2024, who has been consulted as part of its collaborative cross-sector work to update the counter fraud strategy Protecting Public Resources in Scotland, and whether it will provide details of the membership of (a) the cross-government Integrity Group and (b) any other stakeholder groups that have been involved.
Answer
The Scottish Government Integrity Group permanent membership, as per its Terms of Reference, is as follows:
- The Head of Counter Fraud Profession (Chair)
- Strategic Lead, Risk, Control & Assurance Division
- Propriety and Ethics
- The Head of Finance Programme Management
- The Chief Information Security Officer
- A nominated HR representative
- A nominated Scottish Government Legal Directorate (SGLD) advisor
- A nominated Internal Audit representative.
The strategy, Protecting Public Resources in Scotland, is due to be updated with the 2024-25 objectives for planned continual improvement in Counter Fraud within Scottish Government and the public sector. The strategy remains extant in its current form. Current collaboration and engagement includes the following stakeholders/partners:
- The Public Sector Fraud Authority – UK Government
- The International Public Sector Fraud Forum
- The Government Counter Fraud Network – Scotland
- The Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre
- Audit Scotland
- NHS Counter Fraud Service
- Social Security Scotland Fraud & Error Resolution Unit
During the wider engagement for Protecting Public Resources in Scotland in 2015, the following stakeholders were involved and endorsed the strategy:
- Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service
- Student Awards Agency Scotland
- Audit Scotland
- The Department for Work and Pensions
- NHS National Services Scotland
- NHS Counter Fraud Services
- COSLA
- Serious Organised Crime Task Force
- Police Scotland
- Scottish Business Resilience Centre
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency
- Scottish Local Authority Investigators Group
- Scottish Local Authorities Chief Internal Auditors Group
- Revenue Scotland
As part of the planned update to the strategy, the Scottish Government will again engage with a broad stakeholder group to ensure that the strategy reflects the wider public sector and current counter fraud strategy and best practice.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its work on the prevention and detection of public sector fraud and corruption, what its definition is of (a) fraud and (b) corruption.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s (SG) definition of fraud is found within the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), under the section titled ‘Fraud’. The term ‘fraud’ is used to describe a wide variety of dishonest behaviour such as deception, forgery, false representation, and concealment of material facts. It is usually used to describe the act of depriving a person of something by deceit, which may involve the misuse of funds or other resources, or the supply of false information. Computer fraud covers the use of information technology equipment to manipulate programs or data dishonestly (e.g. by altering, substituting or destroying records, or creating spurious records), or where the use of an IT system was a material factor in the perpetration of a fraud.
The Scottish Government does not use a separate definition for ‘corruption’, as it is covered by its description of fraud. The general definition of ‘corruption’ describes actions that are fraudulent and carried out by those in a position of authority or control, often involving bribery. The SG has a definition for ‘bribery’, also contained with the SPFM, which aligns to the legal definition as contained within the Bribery Act 2010.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether its decision not to make survivors of abuse at Fornethy House eligible for Scotland's Redress Scheme was due to budgetary pressures.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2024
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 1 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28253 by Ivan McKee on 12 July 2024, what its position is on whether the Counter Fraud Service and Counter Fraud
Toolkit are adequate tools for the identification and mitigation of any corruption
risks, and of any incidents of fraud in the management of public resources.
Answer
The creation of the Counter Fraud Service (CFS) and the introduction of the Counter Fraud Toolkit is a significant step forward in the Scottish Government’s (SG) management of the risks to public resources posed by fraud and corruption. Both the CFS and toolkit exist within a broader range of policies, processes, guidance and support within SG that are concerned with the identification and mitigation of fraud and corruption risks. The CFS routinely collaborates with colleagues across SG and wider public bodies in this, including Internal Audit, Risk Control & Assurance Division, Security Division and Procurement on fraud and corruption risk management, and the response to incidents of alleged fraud that occur.
This approach aligns with current best practice in public sector counter fraud, and the CFS is engaged with external partners and colleagues from the UK Government Public Sector Fraud Authority, the International Public Sector Fraud Forum, Audit Scotland and the Scottish Public Sector Counter Fraud Network. This facilitates the sharing of expertise and current counter fraud practice, as well as horizon scanning on future risks of fraud and corruption, providing assurance on the management of fraud and corruption risk and the protection of public resources.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 July 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 1 August 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it currently has in place to enable
the identification and mitigation of corruption risk in the management of
public resources.
Answer
The key measures to identify and mitigate the risk of corruption in the management of public resources are found in the SG’s Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), and within the SG’s polices and Civil Service Code.
Requirements within the SPFM cover the appropriate standards for the handling of all elements of public finances in terms of payments made, received, and in how they are documented and authorised. All SG organisations are required to demonstrate their adherence to the SPFM standards on an annual basis.
SG employees are required to adhere to employment policies, including adherence to the Civil Service Code, which requires all civil servants to always act with due regard to core principles relating to honesty, integrity, and fairness, and to uphold its standards whilst carrying out any function of government business.
The Integrity Group brings together expertise from across SG from areas such as Propriety & Ethics, Cyber Security, Counter Fraud, Legal and People Services. The group is focussed on providing advice and leadership to the SG on cross-cutting issues related to managing the risk of corruption and breaches of the Civil Service Code.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a feedback exercise in place to ensure that any required improvements to the home visits carried out by Social Security Scotland are implemented.
Answer
Social Security Scotland is focused on continually reviewing and improving its services. People are encouraged to give feedback, whether this is positive or negative, through the official Social Security Scotland feedback process to capture the experiences of their clients.
The Charter, developed with clients, sets out a range of standards for their performance and each year they publish the Charter Measurement Framework to share how they are delivering against their Charter commitments.
The Local Delivery appointments process was developed using feedback from their clients and stakeholders. The service is client led with clients having full control over the type of appointment (home visit/outreach location/video/telephone), the time of the appointment and whether they feel they will need more than one appointment to complete the activity.
To ensure Scottish Security Scotland continue to deliver against the Charter, and meet the needs of their clients, they conduct regular surveys with their clients. These surveys cover all aspects of the service, including clients experience of appointments, whether the service meets their needs and where they can improve. This allows Social Security Scotland to continually review and adapt their service to meet the needs of their clients, regardless of their location or individual needs.
