Chamber and committees

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-17271

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the abolition of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge on (a) jobs and (b) economic development in Fife.

The Scottish Government took the decision to abolish the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge in the belief that it was unfair and unacceptable to continue charging. This introduced equality on all bridges in Scotland, ending an injustice whereby those crossing the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge, commuters, drivers of commercial vehicles, tourists or local residents, were singled out for road charging.

Our transport system contributes to this government’s purpose of sustainable economic growth through connecting people to jobs, education, services and recreation, and connecting businesses with customers and suppliers. The removal of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge contributes to increased mobility and equality, enabling faster and more reliable journeys, and increasing access to employment.

Question reference: S4W-17273

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it maintains a record of the number of vehicles using the Forth Road Bridge since the abolition of bridge tolls.

On behalf of Transport Scotland, the Scottish Roads Traffic Database operates a number of automatic traffic counters at Echline. These were installed in 2004 to record traffic flows on the bridge.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority is responsible for the management, maintenance and operation of the Forth Road Bridge. Detailed traffic statistics recording the number of vehicles using the Forth Road Bridge are available on their website:

http://www.forthroadbridge.org/the-bridgetraffic-statistics/the-bridge-traffic-statistics-2013.

Question reference: S4O-02456

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what procedure local authorities should follow when taking decisions to close schools.

Question reference: S4W-17084

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 24 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its anti-poverty strategy, what information it has on the number of widowers in Scotland affected by the 1988 contributions cut-off date in social security legislation.

Question reference: S4O-02430

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to mitigate the impact of welfare reforms.

Question reference: S4W-16540

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 14 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the replacement of Disability Living Allowance with personal independence payments will have on (a) disabled people in Scotland and (b) its poverty targets.

Using Department for Work and Pensions forecasts, the changes from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment is estimated to reduce the number of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment by nearly 70,000 in Scotland by October 2018. Those changes to disability benefits, along with other coalition welfare cuts, will have a significant and detrimental impact on poverty in Scotland and will undermine our efforts to tackle its causes. The solution is for the Scottish Parliament to have control over welfare matters so that we can devise policies for the benefit of the Scottish people.

Question reference: S4W-15177

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it keeps under review matters arising from flooding incidents in Fife.

The Scottish Government recognises the misery and distress flooding can bring. That is why my officials remain in regular contact with officials from local authorities across Scotland via the various stakeholder groups established to assist with the implementation of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, as well as through the local authority SCOTS flood risk management group.

Where flooding events do happen, the Scottish Government would be in contact with responders, such as Fife Council, to understand the nature of the impact, and would ask to be kept informed of any flood risk management work that was planned as a result of the incident.

Question reference: S4O-02166

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how economic impact can be considered more fully in the planning system.

Question reference: S4W-15133

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2013
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish information on the economic opportunities of independence.

I am delighted to announce that the paper Scotland’s Economy: the case for independence will be published on 21 May 2013. A copy will be lodged with SPICe under bib number 54973.

The paper highlights the strengths of Scotland’s economy across a range of key sectors, our fiscal position and Scotland’s potential for growth. The paper also explores the social, economic and geographic inequalities that have developed under the UK system and the opportunities for Scotland’s economy that would flow from independence.

Question reference: S4W-14654

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what PFI projects there are in Fife and what the (a) estimated capital value and (b) annual revenue cost is and what percentage of Fife Council spend the revenue cost represents.

<>The information relating to (a) and (b) is available from the Scottish Government website under ‘PPP/PFI Projects (operational) by way of the following link: www.scotland.gov.uk.

Information relating to Local Government revenue expenditure is also available from the Scottish Government website under Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics by way of the following link: www.scotland.gov.uk.