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-19549

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to assess the possible impact in Scotland of proposed EU regulations on the provision of food information to consumers.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for general food labelling and nutrition labelling in Scotland. During the development of the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation, the FSA consulted on an impact assessment regarding the EU requirements.

The FSA also consulted on a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment to support the introduction of the Scottish legislation needed to enable local authorities to enforce the EU food labelling rules and to take up flexibilities allowed regarding minced meat and non-prepacked foods. The Food Information (Scotland) Regulations 2014 are expected to be introduced in May 2014.

In addition to the full public consultations, FSA officials have engaged with representatives from food businesses, stakeholder organisations (including those representing consumers) and local authorities. Further engagement with interested parties will take place during 2014.

Question reference: S4O-02833

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to protect bus routes in South Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-02760

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how its education policy supports children with additional support needs.

Question reference: S4O-02700

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to provide carers with information and advice on accessing practical support and technology.

Question reference: S4O-02669

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not undertaken a public consultation on, or discussed with relevant organisations, the criminalisation of forced marriage.

Question reference: S4O-02624

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what account the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth takes of sustainable development in his policy framework for sustainable growth.

Question reference: S4T-00464

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, what action it is taking to ensure that all relevant policies and proposals are properly costed and acted on to ensure that annual emissions targets are met.

Question reference: S4W-17243

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, other than that provided on its website, what information has been shared with stakeholders with regard to the consultation, Planning Scotland's Seas.

The Planning Scotland’s Seas consultation covers five distinct but linked sets of proposals, a) draft national marine plan, b) Marine Protected Areas network; c) draft sectoral plan for Offshore Renewables; d) Priority Marine Features; and e) draft Planning Circular on terrestrial and marine planning and associated assessments. These proposals have each been subject to on-going discussion with stakeholders over a number of years and relevant information has been shared via a number of mechanisms. Most notably these include meetings of the Marine Strategy Forum; national level stakeholder workshops on the proposed Marine Protected Areas; and stakeholder advisory groups established to contribute to relevant sustainability appraisals and impact assessments. The consultation process to date has also resulted in a number of additional requests for specific information which have been responded to as appropriate.

Question reference: S4W-17241

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will provide information on fisheries activity that is needed for decision making in the proposed marine protected areas but is not given by the ScotMap project.

A draft Business Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) is provided for each proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA). Each BRIA contains the available fisheries data. For over 15 metres vessels, official landings data is spatially distributed using VMS pings. For fishing vessels under 15 metres, for which VMS data are not available, official landings data is used and ScotMap provides a qualitative assessment of the spatial distribution. In addition we are currently undertaking a series of public consultation events around Scotland which have been attended by local and national fishing interests. These events are serving to add context and knowledge of fishing activity in and around the possible MPAs. Marine Scotland will assess all responses to the consultation and we encourage the fisheries industry to supply additional information on their activities to get a better representation of where activities are taking place.

Question reference: S4W-17242

Asked by: Claudia Beamish, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide guidance on the coordinates of the explicit management zones in the proposed marine protected areas.

The boundaries of the Marine Protected Area (MPAs) proposals currently out to public consultation are based on best available evidence on the distribution of habitats, species and geological features. The management options papers include information on activities that may need to be managed for particular features as well as best available information on the distribution of these features.

The proposed boundaries and information on the distribution of features will be assessed in light of consultation responses and any other new information that becomes available before final decisions are taken on the case for designation of nature conservation MPAs. Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee are also currently completing a project which aims to improve the available information on the distribution of features within 13 of the 33 MPA proposals. The work will be completed later in 2013 and the results will be made publicly available.

We have a policy of protecting MPA features while supporting sustainable use. Therefore management zones for activities in relation to certain features may differ from the overall boundary of an MPA. For example, MPAs may be designated to protect several features but only one of those features may be sensitive to a particular activity and it may be preferable to only control that activity within part of the MPA boundary where that feature occurs.

We will provide guidance on how management boundaries will be created before the first designations occur in 2014. This will outline the types of data that can be used to delineate the distribution of features and management boundaries and will be based on advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and our statutory nature conservation advisers. Improvements to our knowledge of the distribution of features will be combined within revised management options papers for discussion with stakeholders. Co-ordinates for management zones will be provided once finalized.