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-06351

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for retirement on the grounds of stress have been approved for teachers who are members of the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S4O-00907

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what cost analysis was carried out prior to the ending of the road equivalent tariff for commercial vehicles travelling to the Western Isles.

Question reference: S4W-06149

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the ferry service between Oban and Lochboisdale has been subject to (a) disruption and (b) cancellation in each year since 2007.

The following table provides information relating to the number of disruptions and cancellations on the ferry service between Oban and Lochboisdale since 2002. A longer time series than that requested has been provided to illustrate the fact that the impact of weather conditions, which are responsible for the majority of cancellations and disruptions, fluctuates over time.

Year	Total Sailings	Cancelled Weather	% Cancelled Weather	Cancelled Other
2002	865	9	1.04%	1
2003	985	10	1.02%	2
2004	884	21	2.38%	5
2005	886	40	4.51%	1
2006	940	33	3.51%	4
2007	940	24	2.55%	5
2008	947	37	3.91%	8
2009	947	41	4.33%	7
2010	957	28	2.93%	1
2011	951	48	5.05%	0

Year	% Cancelled Other	Diverted Sailings	% Diverted	Total Lateness	% Total Lateness
2002	0.12%	3	0.35%	69	7.97%
2003	0.20%	6	0.60%	88	8.93%
2004	0.56%	28	3.16%	92	10.40%
2005	0.11%	9	1.01%	80	9.02%
2006	0.42%	8	0.85%	31	3.29%
2007	0.53%	3	0.31%	55	5.96%
2008	0.84%	11	1.16%	82	8.65%
2009	0.73%	11	1.16%	90	9.50%
2010	0.10%	20	2.08%	119	12.43%
2011	0.00%	22	2.31%	163	17.14%

Question reference: S4W-06167

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how environmental and other public interest concerns relating to enterprise areas will be considered in the streamlined planning process.

Question reference: S4W-06166

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the legislative basis will be for the streamlined planning process for enterprise areas.

Question reference: S4W-06164

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S4W-03084 and S4W-03085 by Fergus Ewing on 28 October 2011 and S4W-03808 by Fergus Ewing on 15 November 2011, what (a) criteria it used in and (b) the conclusions were of its environmental impact assessment of potential enterprise areas.

“Environmental impact assessment” generally refers to the assessment of the environmental effects of projects and is undertaken in support of planning and consenting processes. Any development progressed at the sites selected as Enterprise Areas will be subject to project-level screening under the relevant environmental impact assessment regulations and, where a likely significant environmental impact is anticipated, an environmental impact assessment will be undertaken.

Question reference: S4W-06165

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 26 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the streamlined planning process for enterprise areas will involve.

The streamlined planning process for enterprise areas is concerned with ensuring that applications are processed swiftly and to an agreed timescale. It does not remove the requirement to obtain planning or other permissions. Environmental and other public interest concerns will continue to be considered in line with the normal statutory planning requirements, such as the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2008.

Question reference: S4O-00871

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy last met the NHS boards that represent the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S4W-05991

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funds from Cal Mac’s marketing budget will be used to trial a Lochboisdale to Mallaig ferry service.

Question reference: S4W-05995

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 8 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Lochboisdale community regarding the (a) reinstatement and (b) trial of a Lochboisdale to Mallaig ferry service.

We have engaged with the South Uist community on the proposed
Mallaig-Lochboisdale ferry service over a number of years. The draft Ferries Plan published on 21 December 2011 makes clear that we accept the strength of feeling held by some of the South Uist community. We have undertaken to further consider the economic viability of this proposed service in the context of other planned improvements to, and within, the Western Isles.

2007-08	49
2008-09	43
2009-10	43
2010-11	36
2011-12	24