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: S5O-01831

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect music services and encourage musical education and interest among young people.

The Scottish Government supports the on-going development of the Music Education Partnership Group led by John Wallace, a former Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

In 2018-19 the Scottish Government are investing £9million in the Youth Music Initiative ensuring every school pupil in Scotland is offered a year of free music tuition by the time they leave primary school and enabling access to music making opportunities for thousands of young people across Scotland.

The Scottish Government also support Sistema Scotland which has Big Noise Centres in Raploch, Govanhill, Torry and Douglas. Our £2.5m four-year funding package is enabling the youth orchestra programme to sustain and build on its work to enhance the health, wellbeing and prospects of young people in the communities of Stirling, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Creative Scotland work with a range of partners, including the National Youth Choir of Scotland and National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, to ensure young people have the opportunity to engage in music which is so crucial for building young people's confidence, self-esteem and personal skills.

Question reference: S5O-01808

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether wetlands sites in Scotland that are covered by the Ramsar Convention are given the same level of protection as those in the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S5W-13994

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13539 by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 January 2018, what action has been taken, or is planned to be taken, to mitigate the effects on nature conservation, including the protected areas network in Scotland, in the eventuality that Scotland leaves the EU and loses EU funding.

The Scottish Government remains of the view that the best approach for Scotland and its environment would be to remain part of the European Union and subject to European environmental legislation, which provides a long-standing and shared basis across the continent for protecting our shared environment. We are determined to ensure that current standards of environmental protection in Scotland are maintained. The UK Government’s approach to EU exit must not be allowed to provide an excuse for lowering these standards and we believe that it is important that the Scottish Parliament must continue to have the powers over environment legislation to enhance those standards and to continue to reflect EU standards as necessary.

Question reference: S5O-01734

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason carers assistance is not included in its proposed uprating amendment to the Social Security (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S5W-13539

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how much has been provided in EU LIFE funding towards maintaining and improving the condition of protected environmental areas since 1992, and whether it plans to provide equivalent funding post-Brexit.

The EU LIFE Projects Database (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/) contains details of funding awarded under every EU LIFE project since 1992, and is searchable by country and region.

The Scottish Government believes that Scotland’s public finances should not be adversely affected as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU. Although EU exit was not Scotland’s choice, we will work with the UK Government to mitigate the worst effects in Scotland and to ensure that any repatriated powers transfer to the Scottish Parliament alongside replacement levels of funding.

Question reference: S5W-13719

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in furthering its land reform policies, local community organisations, such as those types referred to in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, are given the first opportunity to buy any Scottish Government-owned land or property, or part thereof.

When evaluating options for the treatment of surplus assets, the Scottish Government gives consideration of the acquisition of assets by community bodies, where appropriate. This consideration is also consistent with the principles of Best Value, where wider public benefits may be achieved.

Community bodies can submit an asset transfer request for any Scottish Government property, whether it is surplus or not. They would also have the option to submit a community right to buy application, which would, if successful, grant a community body the first right to purchase the property if it is to be sold.

Question reference: S5O-01706

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that sporting facilities at Ravenscraig in Motherwell, and others used by people in the South Scotland region, will be maintained in their present form.

Question reference: S5W-13511

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 16 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what role Scottish Natural Heritage has in considering (a) economic development and (b) nature conservation matters when providing advice regarding applications for planning permission.

It is the responsibility of the relevant planning authority to take into account any material economic and nature conservation considerations when determining a planning application.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is a statutory consultee under the terms of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2008. SNH also provides advice to developers, Planning Authorities and Ministers on the environmental implications of development proposals and applications for planning permission. SNH does not determine planning applications.

SNH exercises its role in accordance with Scottish Planning Policy and the requirements of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, including the balance between social, economic and environmental considerations.

Question reference: S5W-13512

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what role each of its development agencies has in considering (a) economic development and (b) nature conservation matters when providing advice regarding applications for planning permission.

It is the responsibility of the relevant planning authority to take into account any material economic and nature conservation considerations when determining a planning application.

The development agencies are not statutory consultees and are therefore not required to be consulted by a planning authority in determining any application for planning consent. It is however open to any individual or organisation to make comments on any particular planning application and, where these raise material planning considerations, the planning authority should take these into account in their consideration of the application.

Question reference: S5W-13513

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what role VisitScotland has in considering (a) economic development and (b) nature conservation matters when providing advice regarding applications for planning permission.

It is the responsibility of the relevant planning authority to take into account economic and nature conservation matters when determining a planning application.

VisitScotland is not a statutory consultee and is not therefore required to be consulted by a planning authority in determining any application for planning consent. It is however open to any individual or organisation to make comments on any particular planning application and, where these raise material planning considerations, the planning authority should take these into account in their consideration of the application.