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-24554

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 3 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is demonstrating its support for school libraries in addressing literacy levels across the country.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving literacy levels across the country as part of the drive to raise attainment and reduce educational inequalities. Local authorities have full autonomy to make decisions concerning school libraries in their areas. We provide support to libraries by funding the Scottish Library and Information Council, the independent national advisory body for the library and information sector. The council actively engages with local authorities about their provision of public and school library services and provides self-evaluation tools to support development of good quality library provision across Scotland. Ministers welcomed the research undertaken by Robert Gordon University in 2013 on behalf of the Scottish Library and Information Council which showed the value of school libraries in terms of supporting learning across the curriculum and raising attainment.

Question reference: S4W-24508

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out to assess the impact of the six-month moratorium on diligence under the Debt Arrangement Scheme.

Our analysis shows that the majority of debtors who intimate their intention to apply for the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) go on to have an approved debt payment programme under the scheme. The Bankruptcy and Debt Advice (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act), which comes into force on 1 April 2015, introduces the six week moratorium period for all statutory debt solutions in Scotland with this length supported by the majority of stakeholders during the consultation. The Act will also allow this six week period to be extended, in prescribed circumstances, to allow for any application received and in progress to be approved or rejected. Since the six week moratorium was introduced in DAS at the end of June 2007, almost 21,000 debtors have been saved from the additional stress of further diligence.

Question reference: S4W-24553

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the collective budget for school libraries has been in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S4W-24552

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many school libraries have closed in each of the last three years as a result of reductions in local government funding.

Question reference: S4W-24551

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many school librarians have lost their jobs in each of the last three years as a result of reductions in local government funding.

Question reference: S4W-24509

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on establishing a statutory right to a "breathing space" for all debtors.

The Bankruptcy and Debt Advice (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act) comes into force on 1 April 2015 and introduces a moratorium on diligence for persons considering access to any Scottish statutory debt solution. These include the Debt Arrangement Scheme, Protected Trust Deeds and bankruptcy. The Act provides for a moratorium period of six weeks. During the moratorium period, creditors are prevented from commencing any new diligence action.

The policy intent behind the introduction of the moratorium period is to allow debtors a breathing space, during which they can explore the most appropriate solution for their specific circumstances, without the fear of new diligence action being taken against them.

Question reference: S4O-04047

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland plans to review its operational method known as kettling.

Question reference: S4O-04021

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will respond to the Insult to Injury campaign and ensure that war pensioners are treated fairly.

Question reference: S4W-23889

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the use of the operational method, kettling, and whether it considers this an appropriate way to maintain public order.

Ministers meet with Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority regularly to discuss a range of issues, although there have been no specific discussions with Police Scotland the regarding the use of tactical options in public order situations.

The deployment of police officers and the decision around the use of tactical options for crowd management is a matter for Police Scotland. Any decision to utilise containment as a tactical option is one made by the police tactical commander and is fundamentally subject to a variety of legal tests derived from stated cases. Scottish Ministers expect that any use of this approach to policing is proportionate to the situation making the measure necessary and is enforced for no longer than is reasonably necessary.

The Scottish Police Authority has a statutory responsibility for holding the Chief Constable to account for the policing of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-23890

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that Police Scotland's use of the operational method, kettling, to control some football supporters in Glasgow on 16 March 2013 was appropriate and necessary, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.