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-27536

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on creating the four violence against women strategy working groups; when each of these groups has met; who chairs each group; who the members are; when they will report on progress, and when they will report their recommendations to the violence against women joint strategic board.

Question reference: S4W-27534

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what developments there have been regarding Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence against Women and Girls since March 2015.

Since March 2015, we have been taking forward a range of commitments in Equally Safe. These include record levels of investment to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls: £11.8 million in 2015-16, and a further £20 million from the Justice portfolio over 2015-18. As announced in the recent Programme for Government, we are developing legislative proposals to tackle abusive behaviour and sexual harm, and plan to consult on a specific offence around coercive control in November 2015. With Police Scotland, we have completed a pilot Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme and taken the decision to roll the scheme out nationally later in 2015. We are consulting on a draft National Action Plan to end female genital mutilation. These, and a number of other measures, will continue to be progressed as part of the government’s strong commitment to preventing and eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls.

Question reference: S4W-27535

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the violence against women joint strategic board has met; who chairs the board; who the members are, and when it will report its recommendations.

The Violence against Women and Girls Joint Strategic Board will hold its first meeting in November 2015. The board will be co-chaired by myself and Councillor Harry McGuigan in his capacity as Convention of Scottish Local Authorities lead for Health and Wellbeing. The membership is in the process of being finalised, and we will announce this soon. The role of the board is to oversee progress, approve work stream membership and terms of reference, identify emerging issues and ratify the action plans developed through the work streams.

Question reference: S4O-04642

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Futures Trust about the completion of the new Elgin High School.

Question reference: S4W-27537

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government to whom the (a) Equality Fund, (b) Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, (c) Children's Services Women's Aid Fund and (d) Rape Crisis Specific Fund awarded funding for 2015-16.

Question reference: S4O-04602

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote emergency life support training in schools.

Question reference: S4F-02941

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2015

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with women's groups following reports that the UK Government plans to devolve abortion law.

Question reference: S4O-04538

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether a public local inquiry will be held following the publication of the draft road order material for the A9 Berriedale Braes improvement scheme.

Question reference: S4W-26899

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) exchanges and (b) cabinets are being upgraded as part of the rollout of superfast broadband in the Western Isles.

As a result of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme, the first fibre broadband services in the Western Isles went live in Stornoway in July 2015. Further rollout in Stornoway is planned.

Fibre broadband in the following 28 exchanges in the Western Isles is expected over 2015 and 2016:

Back	Crossbost	Lochmaddy
Balallan	Eriskay	Manish
Barvas	Garrabost	North Tolsta
Benbecula	Gravir	Northbay
Berneray	Grogarry	Port O’Ness
Borve	Harris	Scalpay
Callanish	Leverburgh	Shawbost
Carloway	Lochboisdale	Sollas
Carnan	Locheport	Stornoway
Castlebay

The following seven exchanges are not currently expected to receive coverage from the DSSB programme: Bayhead, Bornish, Drinnishadder, Great Bernera, Scarsta, Scarp, Timsgarry. We are exploring how coverage to these areas can be extended in phase 2 of our broadband programme.

Only Stornoway and Garrabost exchanges have existing cabinets that can be upgraded as part of DSSB. In all other areas, and within Stornoway and Garrabost as well, BT will be installing new cabinets.

Question reference: S4W-26898

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the long-term plan is for the Connected Communities network.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is working with partners, including Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, NHS and Community Broadband Scotland to assess what the rollout of fibre through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme will mean for Connected Communities customers.

HIE is currently exploring whether the Connected Communities network could benefit from the core subsea fibre connection which was installed as part of the DSSB programme. This high-capacity backhaul link brought superfast services into Stornoway earlier this summer. Once HIE establishes the reach of new fibre services in the Western Isles arising from DSSB, there will be a better understanding of the role that Connected Communities could play in providing services in the future.