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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 582 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4O-01182

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses the population of raptor species across Scotland and how this information is recorded and published.

Question reference: S4F-00727

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2012

To ask the First Minister how many 18 to 24-year-olds started their own businesses in Scotland last year and how this compares with England and Wales.

Question reference: S4O-01019

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to raise awareness of the early symptoms of lung cancer in risk groups.

Question reference: S4O-00828

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the process of consulting on ferry services to island communities will be completed.

Question reference: S4O-00645

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the loss of 30,000 construction jobs in the year to September 2011.

Question reference: S4W-04940

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the system to regulate sport through recognised governing bodies protects individuals who may unwittingly be involved in a sport of which the governing body is not recognised by sportscotland.

Sportscotland is responsible jointly with the other home nation Sports Councils and with UK Sport for the recognition of National Governing Bodies. The recognition process operates to identify a single lead governing body having achieved a position of pre-eminence within its sport. However, non-recognition of a governing body does not imply that it is in any way lacking in its ability and capacity to properly administer and manage the sport.

Question reference: S4W-04941

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether individual users of unregulated sports facilities are being treated as a source of revenue and are not receiving assistance with sports development.

All owners and operators of sports facilities have a duty of care to their users and will as a minimum be subject to health and safety legislation. Thereafter it is for the owners and operators to determine the level of charges to be applied and these would include an element for any sport development related activity. Individual users have the option to use alternative facilities should they consider the charges applied to be excessive.

Question reference: S4W-04942

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the system of recognising coaching qualifications protects individual participants from unsafe and potentially dangerous methods.

This government believes that modern governing body coaching qualifications offer the best method of providing coaches with the appropriate training, instruction and knowledge required to deliver coaching in their sport.

Ensuring coaches have up to date qualifications, are registered with the appropriate governing body, and undertake appropriate development and Coaching Personal Development opportunities, offers the best assurance to the participant that the coach operates safely and appropriately.

A number of sports do have their own qualifications and sportscotland work closely with them to help develop sport specific qualifications based on the UKCC framework principles.

Question reference: S4O-00602

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes will be constructed under phase one of the National Housing Trust initiative.

Question reference: S4W-04370

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it has not set an earlier target date than October 2014 for delivery of its objective to roll out a further road equivalent tariff pilot for passengers and cars including small commercial vehicles and coaches to Arran.

Ardrossan-Brodick, the main route to Arran, is an exceptionally busy route. We anticipate that the introduction of RET could result in an increase in carryings on the route of up to 40%. In order to ensure that we are able to deal with this additional pressure on available vessel capacity, and in order to consider any infrastructure enhancements that may be necessary to cope with the potential increase in carryings, we consider that it is sensible to wait until we have had the chance to learn any lessons from the rollout of RET to other busy routes, particularly Kennacraig - Port Askaig (Islay).