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-00588

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

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken in 2012 to promote the cultural legacy of rural Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-04472

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding streams are available to (a) housing associations and (b) social landlords other than competitive tendering under the Innovation and Investment Fund.

The Innovation and Investment Fund introduced earlier this year has been the principal and largest element of the Scottish Government’s affordable housing supply programme in 2011. Open to all suppliers, bids to the fund were invited by 31 May 2011 with successful bids being announced during September 2011.

Approval of these bids will enable 3,462 new homes to be provided through the Innovation and Investment Fund (IIF), with a further 848 supported through the fund in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is anticipated that total grant funding of almost £143 million will lever in around £350 million in additional investment.

We are now discussing with stakeholders how to deliver a forward programme of new housing supply which continues to achieve high rates of leverage but which allows councils and housing associations to plan ahead with confidence.

Question reference: S4W-04473

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum grant available to housing associations is for the building of new homes in remote and rural areas.

The introduction of the Innovation and Investment Fund (IIF) this year, replaced the previous Affordable Housing Investment Programme budget. Under the IIF, the benchmark subsidy figure which applies to applications from housing associations is £40,000 per unit. The Scottish Government will retain flexibility to consider higher subsidy levels e.g. in remote rural areas or where projects require additional features to meet particular needs.

Question reference: S4W-04391

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to Stirling Council’s rejection of Scottish Power’s proposals to mitigate the visual impact of the Beauly to Denny power line.

The Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism wrote to Stirling Council on Wednesday 7 December 2011 to inform them that he had announced his decision to the Scottish Parliament to accept Scottish Powers Transmission’s (SPT) proposals to mitigate the visual impact of the Beauly to Denny power line.

Mr Ewing advised Stirling Council that he has requested that SPT undertake further measures to mitigate the visual and landscape impact by:

Undergrounding the Fallin to Glenbervie 132kV line.

The development of the Central Scotland Green Networks initiative in the area of the line to provide compensatory mitigation in the way of landscape, civic amenity and biodiversity improvements.

The minister has also invited Stirling Council to meet with him over the coming weeks to discuss how these further measures can be taken forward.

Question reference: S4W-04392

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Stirling Council's objections to the proposals, whether it will allow Scottish Power to go ahead with building the Beauly to Denny power line.

The decision to accept Scottish Power Transmission’s proposals for Condition 19 of the Beauly Denny Consent – the Stirling Visual Impact Mitigation Scheme - was announced to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 7 December 2011. This is one among several conditions which must be discharged before Scottish Power can go ahead with the build of their section of the Beauly Denny 400kV overhead power line.

In coming to a decision on Condition 19, Stirling Council’s position was fully taken into account, and Scottish Power Transmission have been asked to undertake further measures to mitigate the overhead line by:

Undergrounding the Fallin to Glenbervie 132kV line.

The development of the Central Scotland Green Networks initiative in the area of the line to provide compensatory mitigation in the way of landscape, civic amenity and biodiversity improvements.

The Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism has invited Stirling Council to meet with him over the coming weeks to discuss how the Central Scotland Green Networks measures should be taken forward.

Question reference: S4O-00533

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-04307

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the quality of mobile broadband coverage across the country.

The Scottish Government wants improved mobile coverage (including voice and data) across the whole of Scotland, particularly in rural areas where coverage is poor. Current coverage levels across Scotland are well behind the UK average.

The Scottish Government currently has no powers to require improved levels of mobile coverage as telecoms regulation in the UK is reserved, with Ofcom being responsible for the license conditions under which mobile operators operate. Currently, all UK mobile operators are meeting the UK coverage obligations contained within their respective license conditions.

The Scottish Government has in the past and will continue to press UK Government and Ofcom to increase mobile coverage obligations in Scotland, specifically to include a minimum target coverage level for Scotland, at least equivalent to the UK target.

Question reference: S4W-04306

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the rollout of 4G mobile services across the country.

As set out in Scotland’s Digital Future: A Strategy for Scotland, the Scottish Government has made it clear it expects all of Scotland, including rural Scotland, to benefit from the roll out of 4G mobile services. The Scottish Government currently has no powers to require improved levels of mobile coverage as telecoms regulation is reserved to the UK Government, with Ofcom being responsible for the license conditions under which mobile operators operate.

The Scottish Government’s position on the roll out of 4G mobile services was clearly articulated in the response to the Ofcom consultation in June 2011. The key actions identified were: that the coverage obligation should be increased to at least 98% and should apply to each constituent nation of the UK, i.e. 98% of Scotland; and that the target date should be accelerated to 2015.

A copy of the full response to the consultation can be accessed here:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/06/14092555/0.

Question reference: S4W-04308

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the decision by Ofcom to delay the date of the auction of the spectrum for mobile services in the (a) 800 and (b) 2,600 MHz band.

As set out in Scotland’s Digital Future: A Strategy for Scotland, the Scottish Government has made it clear it expects all of Scotland, including rural Scotland, to benefit from the roll out of 4G mobile services. The delay to the auction is therefore concerning, particularly as the roll out of 4G mobile services could play a significant role in improving broadband coverage across Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-04302

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to (a) the UK Government and (b) Ofcom regarding the delay to the auction of the spectrum for mobile services in the (i) 800 and (ii) 2,600 MHz band.

Responsibility for mobile spectrum and for the auction of spectrum in the (i) 800 and (ii) 2,600 MHz band across the UK rests with Ofcom. The Scottish Government meets regularly with Ofcom and the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment last met the Chief Executive, Ed Richards, on 9 November 2011.

Ofcom has advised that the delay is due to the need to carry out further consultation with industry on the design of the auction but that it remains confident that the spectrum auction will take place in the second half of 2012.