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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 516 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4O-00305

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the UK Government on the possible effect in Scotland of the proposed cap on housing benefit for families that require more than four bedrooms.

Question reference: S4W-02844

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Prison Service staff have been suspended with pay for longer than a year in each of the last five years, broken down by prison.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

Prison	1 April 2006 31 March 2007	1 April 2007 31 March 2008	1 April 2008 31 March 2009	1 April 2009 31 March 2010	1 April 2010 31 March 2011
Aberdeen		1	1
Barlinnie				6	6
Dumfries			1
Edinburgh	1	1
Glenochil		1	3	1
Greenock					3
Inverness	1	1
Open Estate			1	1
Perth	2	2	1	1	1
Polmont		1	4	3	3
Shotts		2	3
Total	4	9	14	12	13

In some cases the same individual has been on a single period of suspension which overlaps the boundaries of two or more years.

Question reference: S4W-02845

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Prison Service internal disciplinary appeals board decisions have found in favour of the complainant in each of the last five years.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

	No of Dismissals Overturned	Total Number of Dismissal Appeal Boards Held
1 April 2006 – 31 March 2007	1	5
1 April 2007 – 31 March 2008	1	9
1 April 2008 – 31 March 2009	4	14
1 April 2009 – 31 March 2010	2	5
1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011	3	15
Total	11	48

Question reference: S4O-00181

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support an awareness campaign regarding the prevention of pressure sores.

Question reference: S4O-00162

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-01802

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 11 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-01443 by Aileen Campbell on 18 July 2011, what the criteria are for ministers not accepting a local plan.

Question reference: S4W-01053

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 21 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Baldernock Primary School in East Dunbartonshire is covered by the moratorium on the closure of rural schools.

The voluntary moratorium on rural school closures will affect rural school closure proposals from 20 June 2011 for a period of 12 months. If, on 20 June 2011, a local authority had completed the consultation process and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) had submitted its report then, in such circumstances, an authority may complete the process and take a final decision. If that decision is to proceed with a closure, Scottish Ministers will consider the proposal and the requirements of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 will apply.

As Baldernock Primary School is classified as Accessible Rural, and there was no HMIE report on any proposals relating to this school, it is covered by the voluntary moratorium.

An explanation of school classifications under the Scottish Government’s Urban / Rural Classification system is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/Buildings/changestoschoolestate

In tandem with the voluntary moratorium, a Commission on Rural Education has been established which, over the period of moratorium, will consider issues relating to the impact of the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act on rural school closures, examining the links between rural education and the preservation, support and development of rural communities. The Commission will make recommendations in early 2012.

Question reference: S4W-01443

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role is of Scottish Ministers in the process to approve a local authority local plan when there have been objections to recommendations of the Scottish Government Reporter by both elected representatives and the public.

Apart from certain limited exceptions, authorities must make any modifications to plans that are recommended in examination reports. Within 3 months of receiving the report, authorities must send the modifications, the proposed plan they wish to adopt, and the advert of their intention to adopt the plan to Scottish Ministers. There is then a 28 day period during which Ministers may delay the adoption of the plan, direct the authority to modify the plan, or direct that the plan should only come into force on being approved by them.

Question reference: S4O-00003

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it is making available for the development of new affordable housing.

Question reference: S1W-34651

Asked by: Fiona McLeod, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2003
Current Status: Answered by Elaine Murray on 21 March 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures sportscotland have in place to ensure that Netball Scotland will not suffer financially from having been misgraded to level 3, before being reinstated to level 2 on appeal.