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: S3W-21949

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth was told by Mr Macdonald at the SNP National conference in 2007 and what the outcome was of the meeting held at the conference between the Minister for Community Safety, the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, the chairman of the Cairngorm National Park Authority and the convenor of Highland Council.

Question reference: S3W-22442

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a moratorium on the erection of bilingual road signs and, if so, how long this will last.

There is no moratorium on the erection of bilingual road signs in areas where these have been authorised by the Scottish Government. In particular we are continuing the authorised programme of installing bilingual direction signs on the A82 trunk road between Tarbert and Inverness and on those trunk roads that lead direct to the Western Isles'' ferry ports of Kennacraig, Oban, Mallaig, Uig and Ullapool.

Question reference: S3W-22687

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers or Transport Scotland have considered bringing the Edinburgh South Suburban Railway network back in to use for either heavy or light rail.

The Edinburgh South Suburban Railway (ESSR) is designated by Network Rail as a primary freight route, conveying around 50 freight trains per day. The re-opening of the ESSR to passenger services was considered through the Strategic Transport Projects Review, but was not included in the final recommendations as recent studies concluded that there was no business case for its re-opening. There are therefore no plans to use the line for passenger traffic.

Question reference: S3W-23097

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to legislate to make site waste management plans mandatory within the construction industry for projects over £300,000, as is the case in England.

The Climate Change (Scotland) Bill, currently under consideration by the Parliament, would give Scottish ministers a power to make regulations requiring the preparation of waste prevention and management plans, and compliance with them. As the Policy and Financial Memoranda to the Bill indicate, a possible use for these powers would be to require site waste management plans similar to those now required in England.

Decisions about the exercise of any powers the Parliament grants through the waste reduction and recycling provisions of the Bill will be made in due course, and in the light of circumstances prevailing at the time.

Question reference: S3W-22414

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 23 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether allegations of unreasonable delay, incompetence or unfairness of any kind by the Highland Council in the handling of applications from Aviemore resort hotels were made to ministers or civil servants and, if so, who made the allegations and on what dates, whether any evidence supported the allegations and what steps were taken to ensure that incorrect allegations were refuted.

Mary Scanlon MSP wrote to Scottish ministers on 7 December 2007 expressing concern that the planning application by Aviemore Highland Resort was being delayed by Highland Council, Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Transport Scotland. Officials sought information from the CNPA about the timetable for the handling of the planning application. The First Minister subsequently wrote to Ms Scanlon to reassure her that the CNPA, as planning authority, was handling the application as promptly as possible.

Question reference: S3W-21950

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9043 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, for what reason the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism attended a meeting with Mr Macdonald at the SNP conference on 26 October 2007 to get an update on a live planning application.

Question reference: S3W-21951

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9043 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, what benefit the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism saw in attending a meeting with Mr Macdonald at the SNP conference on 26 October 2007 to get an update on a live planning application.

Question reference: S3W-21952

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9043 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008, what the outcome was of the meeting between the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and Mr Macdonald at the SNP conference on 26 October 2007.

Question reference: S3W-22412

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether allegations of unreasonable delay, incompetence or unfairness of any kind by the Cairngorm National Park Authority in the handling of applications from Aviemore resort hotels were made to ministers or civil servants and, if so, who made the allegations and on what dates, whether any evidence supported the allegations and what steps were taken to ensure that incorrect allegations were refuted.

Mary Scanlon MSP wrote to the First Minister on 7 December 2007 expressing concern about delays by the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and by other public bodies in their handling of the planning application from Aviemore Highland Resort. Officials sought information from the CNPA about their proposed timetable for the handling of the planning application. Based on this information, the First Minister replied to Ms Scanlon to advise her of the position and of his understanding that the CNPA was handling the application as expeditiously as possible.

Question reference: S3W-22443

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to question S3W-9066 by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008 and question S3W-19266 by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 February 2009, whether the matters of process raised with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) by the Minister for Environment were the same as those raised with SEPA by an official from the Rural Directorate on 30 November 2007 and, if not, what matters of process were raised by the Minister for Environment.