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-03223

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4W-20685

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish Scottish Natural Heritage's revised guidance on the visual presentation of proposed windfarm developments to aid assessment of the likely impact on the landscape.

Question reference: S4O-03197

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it considers that Police Scotland has had on policing in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S4W-20315

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that the proposed network of marine protected areas achieves the UK level of biogeographical coherence.

Under the EU Wild Birds Directive (WBD) all member states are required to classify the most suitable territories, in number and size, as Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The provisions relating to the creation of SPAs apply to all species listed in Annex 1 of the EU Wild Birds Directive which are resident within a member state’s territory, as well as regularly occurring migratory species.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), on behalf of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and other country nature conservation agencies, has undertaken an extensive programme of surveys of seabirds, seaduck, divers and grebes around the entire UK. This has enabled JNCC (in its UK coordination role), SNH and others to assess the full geographical range of those species for which SPA should be identified under the EU WBD. The application of the UK SPA selection guidelines, in particular guideline 2.2 (‘Species Range’), will ensure that wide geographical coverage of a species range is achieved.

Stage 1(4) of the UK SPA selection guidelines will be applied when application of Stages 1 (1)–(3) for a species does not identify an adequate suite of most suitable sites for conservation of that species, and enables expert judgement to be applied to select further potential SPAs as required.

Question reference: S4W-20317

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use the stage 1(4) guideline set out in The UK SPA network: its scope and content to propose marine protected area status for nationally important populations of seabirds.

Question reference: S4W-20316

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government which species are being considered for inclusion in the proposed network of marine protected areas.

Question reference: S4O-02973

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Question reference: S4O-02944

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage sustainable growth in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting sustainable economic growth across Scotland, including in Dumfries and Galloway, by working closely with a wide range of delivery partners, particularly Scottish Enterprise and Dumfries and Galloway Council as partners in the South of Scotland Alliance.

As part of the Alliance’s programme, we are working together to capitalise on strategic opportunities such as the Crichton Campus; Stranraer Waterfront and the roll out of next generation broadband. We have also worked with Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Enterprise to develop a robust submission seeking Assisted Area status and, while this is subject to European Commission approval, we are hopeful of a positive outcome.

Question reference: S4O-02898

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Director of Education at Dumfries and Galloway Council and what matters were discussed.

Question reference: S4O-02896

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Dumfries and Galloway Council regarding the cost of repairing the damage to the coastal defences sustained during the New Year floods.

Scottish Government officials contacted Dumfries and Galloway Council in the aftermath of the New Year storms, and the triggering of the Bellwin Scheme, to check whether the council would be submitting a claim for additional funding under the scheme. The council confirmed that although it had suffered considerable flooding it would be able to contain the costs within their revenue budget and would not be making a claim under the Bellwin Scheme.

We have had no specific discussions with the council about the cost of repairing coastal defences. As agreed with COSLA, funding for coastal defences is included in the General Capital Grant to local authorities, which is not ring-fenced and so may be used to fund the capital investment priorities of each council.