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: S4O-01917

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the 2 Sisters Food Group regarding the acquisition of VION Food Group's UK red meat and poultry businesses.

Question reference: S4O-01861

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it plans to upgrade the voting consoles in the chamber and, if so, when this will be carried out.

Question reference: S4W-12792

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 28 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate initial teacher education places have been available at each university in each year since 2005.

The following hyperlinks to Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Circular letters show (a)undergraduate and (b) postgraduate initial teacher education (ITE) places that have been available at each university in each year since 2005:

2005

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20090411233457/http://www.sfc.ac.uk/information/info_circulars/shefc/2005/he0405/annex3.pdf

2006

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20080412030808/http://www.sfc.ac.uk/information/info_circulars/sfc/2006/sfc0606/sfc0606.html

2007

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20101011225710/http://www.sfc.ac.uk/news_events_circulars/Circulars/2007/SFC1307.aspx

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20101011225626/http://www.sfc.ac.uk/news_events_circulars/Circulars/2007/SFC4407.aspx

2008

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/newsinformation/Circulars/2008/SFC0808.aspx

2009

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/news_events_circulars/Circulars/2009/SFC1809.aspx

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/newsinformation/Circulars/2009/SFC0809.aspx

2010

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/newsinformation/Circulars/2010/SFC0510.aspx

2011

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/newsinformation/Circulars/2011/SFC0111.aspx

2012

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/newsinformation/Circulars/2012/SFC0312.aspx

2013 target intakes for ITE will be announced by SFC shortly.

Question reference: S4O-01872

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding a currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S4O-01853

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the distribution of food from food banks.

Question reference: S4O-01755

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had or will have with the new local police commanders for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

Question reference: S4W-11589

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) men and (b) women convicted for failing to pay a fine have been given a custodial sentence in the last five years.

Question reference: S4W-11587

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted for failing to pay a fine in the last five years.

Sentencing is made independently of government and Scottish Government does not hold all the information requested relating to the enforcement of fines.

The Scottish Court Service is responsible for enforcing court fines, fiscal penalties and antisocial behaviour fixed penalty notices. Their fines enforcement officers have a range of sanctions available to them to ensure that offenders cannot avoid the penalty and are encouraged to make prompt payment. These sanctions include deduction from benefit, arrestment of earnings and bank accounts and seizure of vehicles. Where people are unable to pay, the court may impose a supervised attendance order or a custodial sentence as an alternative sanction. Imprisonment is only used as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted.

Information on enforcement action carried out by the Scottish Court Service, including the number of supervised attendance orders imposed, is available in the Scottish Court Service quarterly fines report:

http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/about-the-scottish-court-service/reports-data

Information on the number of prison receptions for fine default is available in Table A.15 of the Scottish Government Prison statistics and population projections Scotland statistical report:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/06/6972/21

Question reference: S4W-11591

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many people convicted for failing to pay a fine aged (a) under 21, (b) 21 to 35 and (c) over 35 have been given a custodial sentence in the last five years.

Question reference: S4O-01545

Asked by: Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding the schools estate.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

ORAL ANSWER

28 November 2012

Index Heading: Learning and Justice

Maureen Watt (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding the schools estate.

(S4O-01545)

Alasdair Allan: Scottish Government officials met the then acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport of Aberdeen City Council on 23 July 2012 to discuss a wide range of issues, regarding the school estate.