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-14405

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of lambs raised in Scotland was slaughtered in abattoirs in Scotland in the last year for which information is available.

Question reference: S4W-14406

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many abattoirs have closed since 2007.

Question reference: S4W-14057

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether arrangements are in place to (a) retain and (b) make available sea lice data that it has gathered for (i) scientific and (ii) academic research.

All of the primary data is owned and retained by private third parties. Marine Scotland Scientists will retain sea lice data or access to the data that has been used to publish research results in line with scientific professional practice which is to be able to revisit, confirm or extend the original analysis. Availability will be through the requirements of all public authorities carrying out scientific research. This is covered by Freedom of Information legislation.

Question reference: S4W-14055

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it has in place with the salmon farming industry for the provision of sea lice data for the purpose of scientific research and whether these will be extended to include weekly counts of sea lice at each farm.

Question reference: S4W-14060

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to impose conditions that would limit the use of sea lice data for scientific purposes.

Question reference: S4W-14053

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the data used in the sea lice dispersal model for Loch Linnhe was not made available prior to being published in the Journal of Fish Diseases and on what date Marine Scotland Science received the data.

At no point during this project’s progression have data been withheld. Marine Scotland Science received the information by 30 October 2012 and further work on the model using this information is being carried out, given the dispersal modelling still has a year to run.

The paper, published in the journal of Fish Diseases, aims to present the approach and scientific principles relevant to the project and to ensure the modelling methods and procedures are assessed by peer review, to give confidence that the work is deploying a scientifically valid methodology.

Question reference: S4W-14059

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to prevent the publication of sea lice data being published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

No. The content of publications is determined by scientific needs. The Ministerial Group on Sustainable Aquaculture Working Group on Science and Research will take forward discussion of how best to coordinate and maximise the impact of resources deployed on research in the aquaculture sector to benefit the industry, academic community and to support policy development and regulatory functions of Scottish Government and its agencies. This will provide a useful platform for discussion of knowledge exchange, while respecting commercial sensitivities.

Question reference: S4W-14054

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether its policy on the publication of sea lice data was influenced by the 2012 study by Jensen et al on sea lice and salmon farming that was published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Question reference: S4O-01921

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the use of air source heat pumps.

Question reference: S4O-01779

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to improve access to GP services.