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-24230

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what status the Scottish Ferry Services: Ferries Plan (2013-2022) will have in relation to the tender for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service.

Question reference: S4W-24220

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will allow unbundling of Clyde and Hebrides ferry services to permit social enterprise or community-owned companies to bid to operate single routes where it can be shown that there is local interest in allowing this.

Scottish Ministers confirmed in September 2012 they had looked closely at the options available to drive up ferry service standards across the Clyde and Hebrides routes. There was no compelling case to unbundle the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. Where enterprises consider that they can provide a local service meeting the quality requirements of the contract they can form part of a consortium in response to the contract notice or seek to enter a subcontract with an operator who has been selected to tender.

Question reference: S4W-24225

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its timescale is for designating a special area of conservation for the harbour porpoise.

The Scottish Government is awaiting finalised advice from the Joint Nature Conservancy Council and Scottish Natural Heritage on possible locations that may warrant consideration for designation as special areas of conservation for harbour porpoise. This will include the development of a timetable for this process to ensure that consultations about any potential sites can proceed as quickly as possible.

Question reference: S4W-24223

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23708 by Richard Lochhead on 9 January 2015, whether it will take account of the conclusions of the research described in the paper in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecoysytems by Neat, Pinto et al, Site fidelity, survival and conservation options for the threatened flapper skate (Dipturus cf. intermedia), when deciding on the (a) regulations to be imposed and (b) conservation objectives set for a marine protected area to protect the common skate.

The best available scientific evidence was used to identify proposals for nature conservation marine protected areas (MPAs) in Scotland’s seas, and this included the identification of Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA that was designated in July 2014 for common skate. Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA is home to relatively high numbers of common skate, in particular of large, reproductively mature common skate. The study referred to in the question undertaken by Neat, Pinto et al has already been taken into account in the identification of the MPA, as well as in considering the conservation objectives and the approaches presented at the recently closed consultation on the management of the MPA.

Question reference: S4W-24219

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether long-term pension liabilities in the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services will be included as fixed costs to be met without variance by every prospective tenderer for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Question reference: S4W-24218

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what role public consultation will play in the tendering process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

The Ferries Review involved extensive public engagement and consultation from the spring of 2009 through to the publication of the Ferries Plan in December 2012. The plan sets out the level and type of ferry services to 2022 which will be applied to the Clyde and Hebrides network.

Key stakeholder groups will continue to be engaged and consulted on the development of the specification for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract.

Question reference: S4W-24227

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to designate any part of the Firth of Lorne as a special area of conservation for harbour porpoises.

Question reference: S4W-24229

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has evidence suggesting that illegal dredging has taken place in the Firth of Lorne Special Area of Conservation and, if so, whether prosecutions for illegal dredging have taken place, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

It is inappropriate for Marine Scotland Compliance to comment on the evidence in any live case. However I can confirm that an investigation is currently on going and a case may be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. Until our investigations have concluded you will appreciate that nothing further can be said on the matter.

Marine Scotland Compliance investigates all suspected illegal activity at sea within its remit and, where sufficient evidence exists, reports the matter for consideration by the Procurator Fiscal or takes other action such as offering a fixed penalty. Since the establishment of the Firth of Lorne special area of conservation no cases have, to date, been reported by Marine Scotland Compliance to the Procurator Fiscal or fixed penalties offered in relation to that specific area.

The consultation on management measures for marine protected areas has recently closed and Marine Scotland intends to use the conclusions from the consultation to consider options which could help deliver improved deterrence and detection of illegal fishing, including illegal dredging.

Question reference: S4W-24257

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 10 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has given to local authorities regarding the Custom and Self Build Scheme launched by Capita and Lloyds Banking Group and whether it will develop a right to build scheme similar to that operating in England.

It is for local authorities to decide whether they would wish to support this scheme in Scotland, taking account of their particular circumstances and priorities. The Scottish Government’s revised guidance to local authorities on the preparation of local housing strategies notes that self and custom build approaches can be viable options for a variety of households across a range of areas, both urban and rural.

There are no current plans to introduce a right to build scheme in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-24166

Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the UK Government has implemented recommendation 4.21 of the Commission on Scottish Devolution and, if so, when it came into effect, what posts in Scotland it applies to, and whether it will apply to the appointment of a new Permanent Secretary.

The UK Government accepted recommendation 4.21:

Recommendation 4.21: The responsibility for appointing, or approving appointments of, senior civil servants to senior posts in the Scottish Government should be delegated by the Prime Minister to the Head of the Home Civil Service, acting on the advice of the UK Civil Service Commissioners.

Authority to appoint permanent secretaries and director generals in Scotland has now been formally delegated to the Head of the Civil Service.

The advice of the UK Civil Service Commissioners is contained in the recruitment principles for appointments to the civil service. In line with the commission’s revised recruitment principles (December 2014), the First Minister will make the final selection decision in relation to the appointment of a permanent secretary in the Scottish Government. This provides formal delegation of authority.

For director general roles in the Scottish Government the recommendations of the selection panel are approved by the Head of the Civil Service following agreement by the First Minister or by the cabinet secretary most closely associated with the appointment having discussed with the First Minister.