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: S5O-03027

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what role participation in sport and leisure plays in the health of the population.

Question reference: S5W-21754

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it had with businesses and sectoral interests to discuss trade promotion opportunities in relation to the First Minister’s recent visit to North America.

The First Minister engaged in a number meetings with businesses to discuss trade promotion during her visit to North America. Opportunities across a range of key sectors were discussed, including Technology, Financial Services, Tourism, Renewable Energy and Food & Drink.

In New York, at a Scotland is Now investor lunch, hosted by IBM, First Minister reinforced Scotland’s strengths and assets as a trading partner and investment location to around 50 leading business people. In Ottawa, First Minister hosted an 85 person event to launch the Scotland is Now campaign promoting food and drink exports, promoting Scotland as a great place to work, study, invest, visit and live.

Question reference: S5W-21349

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment by the chairman of the failed energy company, Our Power, that "it is unclear what the level of financial backing is required for a new entrant to cope with market volatility and regulatory change", what it can learn from the collapse of this supplier regarding preparing for a publicly-owned energy company.

The development of the outline business case and our future decisions for the Scottish Government’s ambition of a public energy company will take into account the lessons to be learnt by the withdrawal from the market of a number of energy companies, including Our Power, as well as the recent new market entry rules which Ofgem have proposed, seeking to raise standards around financial resilience. In particular the outline business case will assess the strategic, market, commercial, financial and economic cases.

As I indicated at the 15 January meeting of the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee we will use that information, informed by our engagement with local authorities, to identify next steps.

Question reference: S5W-21350

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns regarding insufficient parking spaces for staff at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, and what assistance it can provide to NHS Lothian to resolve any problems.

Question reference: S5O-02774

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the food and drink sector.

We continue to work with farmers, food producers and industry bodies to drive forward the Ambition 2030 food and drink strategy. Our Programme for Government sets out a range of new measures to support the sector, building on the range of work that is already ongoing.

Indeed, direct investment and support to the food and drink sector in Scotland from the public sector across a range of areas including skills, education, research, industry development, standards and capital investment equates to approximately £100 million per annum.

Question reference: S5O-02692

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with developing a peer-to-peer mentorship scheme to boost exports, alongside CBI Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-20155

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by James Wolffe QC on 3 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02579 by Humza Yousaf on 21 November 2018, whether it considers that the new protocol announced recently by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service aimed at speeding up the release of the bodies of murder victims will have the intended effect, and what its position is on the reported views within the legal profession that the problem is a lack of pathologists.

In consultation with the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates and Forensic Pathologists, COPFS reviewed post mortem examination protocols.

The review recognised the right of accused persons to examine and test the evidence against them, including pathology evidence. The review recognised the professional obligation on the defence to ensure that an accused’s defence is properly investigated and conducted and that any failure to meet this professional obligation may result in a successful appeal against conviction.

However, the review also recognised that in all but exceptional cases, a second invasive post mortem examination of the deceased’s body may be of limited evidential value. The review noted that, in all but exceptional cases, the evidence of the Crown post mortem examination could be properly tested and challenged by the defence through a defence pathologist’s expert examination of the post mortem findings, including samples where relevant, and opinion as opposed to a second invasive post mortem examination.

The review concluded that a Consultation Protocol, supporting effective consultation between pathologists instructed by the Crown and defence may deliver improvements. Effective consultation would support an informed defence decision as to whether a second invasive post mortem examination was required and may reduce not only the number of defence examinations required but also delays in the return of deceased persons to their families, reflecting the views of families.

Following positive discussions with Forensic Pathologists, the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates, the Consultation Protocol has been published.

COPFS will monitor the impact of the Consultation Protocol, including both the timelines in relation to release of bodies in suspicious deaths and the number of post mortem examinations instructed by the defence.

Question reference: S5O-02624

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to meet its commitment in its Programme for Government to oppose legislative consent to all UK legislation relating to EU withdrawal.

Question reference: S5O-02579

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the families of murder victims.

As part of the three year funding package of £13.8 million from the Scottish Government, Victim Support Scotland will establish a new service by Spring 2019 to provide families bereaved by murder and culpable homicide with dedicated and continuous support.

We are also setting up a dedicated Victims Taskforce, which will drive delivery of our Programme for Government commitments to streamline a victim’s journey through the criminal justice system and ensure they receive wide-ranging support and accessible information throughout the process. The Taskforce will hear directly from victims of their experiences of the justice system.

Question reference: S5W-19711

Asked by: Gordon Lindhurst, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the (a) Law Society of Scotland, (b) Faculty of Advocates and (c) Association of Commercial Attorneys following the publication of the report of the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation in Scotland.