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-06311

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-05593 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2012, whether there was an underspend in any year of the campaign's central budget and, if so, what that was.

Question reference: S4W-06312

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-05593 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2012, how much was spent in each area of the national programme of materials in each year of the campaign.

As stated in the answer to questions S4W-05593 on 28 February and S4W-06145 on 19 March 2012, the creation and distribution of materials are managed within the agreed budgets of £250,000 for 2009-10, £250,000 for 2010-11 and £500,000 for 2011-12. This approach is guided by a National Steering Group with representation from Young Scot, Youthlink Scotland, Scottish Youth Parliament, Violence Reduction Unit, Medics Against Violence and Scottish Government. Local areas are supported in the development of their approaches by a national No Knives, Better Lives delivery team.

The allocation of the materials listed is based on local priorities, determined by local steering groups in place in each area. The specific spend in each of the categories listed in S4W-05593 is not held centrally.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-06144

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received confirmation from the European Union on whether an independent Scotland would have to adopt the euro in order to be accepted as a member state.

Question reference: S4W-06143

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has engaged with the European Union (EU) to confirm what the EU's formal position would be should an independent Scotland wish to become a member state.

The Scottish Government has regular contact with Commission officials and other member states concerning a range of issues. It is not customary to divulge the content of these or any other official government discussions. To do so would inhibit the free and frank exchanges of views and adversely affect the ability of the Scottish Government to gather all of the evidence needed to make fully informed decisions.

Question reference: S4W-06142

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received independent legal opinion regarding the terms under which an independent Scotland would be able to join the European Union and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Question reference: S4O-00854

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tackle youth unemployment in Greenock and Inverclyde.

Question reference: S4W-06145

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-05593 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2012, who received materials in Inverclyde; what materials they received, and what the value of the materials received was in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

As stated in the answer to question S4W-05593, the budget and creation of materials for the No Knives, Better Lives initiative are managed centrally and there is no specific allocation per area.

A range of materials have been provided for local partners involved with the initiative in Inverclyde, including youth workers, peer educators and schools. These include the No Knives, Better Lives produced educational toolkits, “Sharp Solutions” and “On a Knife Edge”.

The allocation of those resources is based on the centrally held budget for the initiative which was £250,000 during 2009-10, £250,000 in 2010-11 and £500,000 during 2011-12.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4O-00846

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last met the chief executive officer of the Scottish Prison Service.

Question reference: S4W-05593

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it allocated to each No Knives, Better Lives campaign area in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11, is allocating in 2011-12 and will allocate in 2012-13.

The budget for No Knives, Better Lives is managed centrally and there is no specific allocation per area. Monies are used to create a national program of materials that can be used as the initiative rolls out to new areas. This includes social advertising, web resources, educational and youth work toolkits, training to build the capacity of local workers, resources to support youth diversion activities/youth engagement projects, peer education and schools programmes.

The central budget for No Knives, Better Lives was £250,000 during 2009-10, £250,000 in 2010-11 and £500,000 has been assigned to support the initiative during 2011-12. Discussions with partner organisations are ongoing ahead a budget for 2012-13 being agreed.

Question reference: S4O-00658

Asked by: Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to promote jobs in Greenock and Inverclyde.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting sustainable economic growth and promoting job creation throughout Scotland, including in Greenock and Inverclyde, and our Economic Strategy provides us with the overarching economic framework to do that.

We work closely with a wide range of organisations including: Scottish Enterprise; Scottish Development International; Skills Development Scotland; VisitScotland; local authorities; the third sector; financial institutions, and other specialist sectoral advisory bodies to promote job creation.

This support includes the recent Regional Selective Assistance grant of £200,000 awarded by Scottish Enterprise to Blairs Windows Limited in Greenock, expected to create 70 new jobs in the town.