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: S5W-07598

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date the Forth Replacement Crossing will be (a) completed and (b) open to the public, and how this compares with the initial projected date.

Question reference: S5W-07303

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report by Ombudsman Services, which suggests that one-in-five railway passengers in the UK are “resigned to poor service”, what action it is taking to ensure that passengers have confidence in services in Scotland.

Monitoring performance is a key aspect of the Scottish Government's management of the ScotRail franchise. Transport Scotland oversees and specifies the performance levels that ScotRail should meet. The Service Quality Incentive Regime operated by Transport Scotland is regarded by Transport Focus as the toughest quality regime in GB. While the responsibility for day-to-day operation rests with ScotRail, Transport Scotland have contractual processes in place regularly to monitor ScotRail’s performance in delivering the obligations of the Franchise Agreement and officials meet regularly with ScotRail Alliance staff to ensure that the improvement of performance remains a priority. The Performance Improvement Plan Notice issued by Transport Scotland to ScotRail has led to a process delivering consistent improvement in performance levels. Passenger satisfaction levels with ScotRail are consistently higher than the GB average.

Question reference: S5W-07435

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report that Coca-Cola Ltd has added its support to a campaign calling for a deposit return scheme to be introduced in Scotland and the company's comment that 63% of its consumers support the introduction of a deposits system in the UK, with 51% saying they would be more likely to recycle as a result.

Question reference: S5O-00763

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider sending hard copies of payslips to Members and staff on request.

Question reference: S5W-07256

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to farmers who keep birds that have lost their free-range status because of its avian flu-related measures.

The risk of an incursion of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza from wild birds into domestic birds is assessed to be ‘low to medium’. However, the Scottish Government has listened carefully to key industry stakeholders and are clear that changing the requirements of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone by allowing birds outside from 28 February 2017, under enhanced biosecurity, provides the right balance between reducing disease risk and minimising the economic impact on Scotland’s vital free range poultry industry. Producers will still have the option to house their birds voluntarily after the 28 February 2017, but they will take that decision knowing that their produce may not qualify as "free range" under EU law. On 3 February 2017, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, in support of the Scottish free range sector, wrote to the UK Government urging them to request that the European Commission review free range marketing requirements where birds have been housed as a precaution against disease.

Question reference: S5W-07255

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to farmers who face higher insurance premiums as a result of being located in areas that are deemed at high-risk of avian flu outbreaks.

There are no areas in Scotland where the risk to poultry on individual premises from avian flu is deemed as "high-risk". The risk of an incursion of highly pathogenic Avian Influenza from wild birds into domestic birds is assessed to be ‘low to medium’ depending on the levels of biosecurity, so it is essential that all bird keepers continue to ensure that their birds are protected from infection by practicing the highest levels of biosecurity. That is why Scottish Government has introduced an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone, where the requirement to introduce enhanced biosecurity applies across all of Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-07257

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to protect the free-range status of farm birds affected by its avian flu-related measures.

Question reference: S5W-06536

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many businesses may fail as a result of the recent revaluation of business rates.

In my Draft Budget 2017-18 statement to Parliament I set out a comprehensive package of action in light of the revaluation to deliver a highly competitive business rates regime that will benefit businesses across Scotland.

The package includes expansion of the Small Business Bonus Scheme from April 2017 to lift 100,000 properties out of rates completely, excluding 8,000 properties from the large business supplement, and cutting the overall business rates poundage by 3.7 per cent to 46.6 pence.

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 has enabled councils to apply further rates reductions separately from Government-funded reliefs.

In addition, an external review led by Ken Barclay is exploring how business rates can better reflect economic conditions and support growth. We will respond swiftly when the review concludes in the summer of 2017.

Question reference: S5W-06537

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 9 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much the full exemption of business rates for 100,000 small firms will cost.

Question reference: S5W-06538

Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 9 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much its proposed increase in business rates will raise.