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-04636

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of timetabled sailings have been cancelled on the Gourock to Dunoon ferry service since July 2011 and how many of these were treated as relief events in terms of the public service obligation between Argyll Ferries Ltd and the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4W-04635

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the maintenance and refit of the MV (a) Ali Cat and (b) Argyll Flyer since they were purchased and how these costs were met.

Question reference: S4F-00361

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2011

To ask the First Minister how Scottish fishermen will be affected by the outcome of the EU fisheries negotiations.

Question reference: S4W-04540

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive by how much greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced since the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 targets were set.

Emissions data becomes available 18 months after the end of the calendar year in which they occurred, and since the first batch of annual targets was set in October 2010, the most recent data available are for 2009.

According to Official Statistics, compared with 2008, and after taking into account both the effect of emissions trading and including international aviation and shipping, emissions in 2009 reduced by 3.8 per cent (from 54.0 Mt CO₂e to 52.0 Mt CO₂e).

On the same accounting basis, emissions in 2009 were 27.6 per cent lower than the 1990 base year.

Question reference: S4W-04235

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains committed to the policy of relocating jobs throughout the country and, if so, what action it is taking to relocate jobs to (a) the Highlands and Islands, (b) Argyll and Bute and (c) Kintyre.

This government’s policy on the location of public sector jobs was set out for the Parliament in evidence to the Finance Committee on 29 January 2008. Following criticism of the policy pre-2007 as set out by the Auditor General for Scotland as well as by the Parliament’s Audit Committee and Finance Committee, the incoming government decided to refocus this strategy on achieving efficiencies and best use of public funds.

The policy on location of public sector jobs is now driven by strategic estate management and focused on making the best and most efficient use of space wherever that is available across the country. The government has a central team which works with individual organisations to assess their needs and identify suitable accommodation. No record of relocation of jobs by these individual organisations is held centrally.

Question reference: S4W-04237

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its and its agencies' jobs have been relocated to (a) the Highlands and Islands, (b) Argyll and Bute and (c) Kintyre since 2007.

Question reference: S4O-00467

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote the teaching of foreign languages in schools.

Question reference: S4W-04045

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of (a) invoices paid by David MacBrayne Ltd, (b) payments to David MacBrayne Ltd from Argyll Ferries Ltd, (c) any other financial transactions between Argyll Ferries Ltd and David MacBrayne Ltd and (d) any other financial transactions between Argyll Ferries Ltd and other companies in the David MacBrayne Group relating to the Gourock to Dunoon public service obligation operated by Argyll Ferries Ltd.

Question reference: S4W-04044

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) cost was to buy and (b) lease charges payable are for the MV (i) Ali Cat and (ii) Argyll Flyer.

Question reference: S4W-04043

Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive who owns the retained reserves held by David MacBrayne Ltd.