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: S3W-29426

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive at what meeting and with whom licences to kill or control buzzards and other protected species were discussed, as reported in The Scotsman on 4 November 2009, and whether ministers were involved in such meetings.

The meeting referred to in The Scotsman article took place on the 26 October 2009.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the criteria for the issue of licences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, for the purpose of protecting game-birds from avian predators. The meeting was held by the Scottish Government and attended by representatives of the following organisations:

British Association of Shooting and Conservation,

Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust,

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,

Scottish Countryside Alliance,

Scottish Estates Business Group,

Scottish Gamekeepers Association,

Scottish Natural Heritage,

Scottish Raptor Study Groups,

Scottish Rural Property and Business Association and

Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

No ministers were present, but I was aware of the meeting and its purpose.

Question reference: S3O-08665

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive what progress is being made on improving the sexual health of young people.

Question reference: S3W-29068

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers that colleges transferring funds from discretionary and childcare funds to bursary funds will have on the poorest students and their parents over the coming year.

Colleges are best placed to identify the particular needs of their student cohort. Against that background, increased flexibility within further education student support funds (between bursary, childcare and discretionary elements) will enable them to best meet the particular needs of the particular students.

Colleges must first ensure the childcare needs of their students are being met before seeking Scottish Funding Council approval for flexible use of any funds.

Question reference: S3W-29067

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of colleges and student groups to discuss problems with student support funding.

Question reference: S3W-28147

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been involved in or had input into any recent stakeholder meetings organised by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss and promote solutions to dealing with construction waste containing special or hazardous materials such as plastic foam insulation containing ozone-depleting substances from steel-clad buildings.

The Scottish Government continues to work with the UK Government, SEPA, industry and other stakeholders to assess methods for recovery and/or disposal of materials containing ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) from buildings that are being demolished. Officials have attended two stakeholder events this year at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and continue to have input to developing legislation relating to ODSs.

Question reference: S3W-28399

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what communications its Energy Consents Unit has had with Ayrshire Power regarding the requirements for carbon capture and storage technology to be fitted to the proposed multi-fuel power station at Hunterston.

Ayrshire Power Ltd formally requested a scoping opinion on their outline design for the Hunterston plant from the Scottish Government. This was issued on 20 March 2009 and published on the Scottish Government Energy Consents webpages. Scottish Government officials have also met on a number of occasions with Ayrshire Power Ltd to discuss issues relating to the proposed project and have drawn their attention to the answer to question S3W-24912 on 17 June 2009. This is in line with normal procedures with proposals of this kind.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Question reference: S3W-28398

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the requirements for carbon capture and storage technology to be fitted to any new thermal power station in Scotland will be the same as the requirements set by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Question reference: S3W-28397

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what dialogue it has had with the Department for Energy and Climate Change regarding the requirement for carbon capture and storage technology to be fitted to all new thermal power stations.

The Scottish Government have been working closely with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on their clean coal consultation, including discussions around proposals for the basis on which coal fired power stations will be required to operate in the future. We have also held workshops in Scotland with DECC officials where the regulatory proposals for carbon capture and storage (CCS) were discussed with our stakeholders.

Question reference: S3W-28148

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27 October 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has recently issued guidance to the demolition industry or landfill operators to ensure that construction waste containing special or hazardous materials, such as plastic foam insulation containing ozone-depleting substances from steel-clad buildings, is disposed off correctly.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) published guidance in July 2008 on the current legal requirements for the disposal of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) material.

This can be found at :

http://www.sepa.org.uk/waste/waste_regulation/idoc.ashx?docid=bbd86b60-2ff6-47cd-85da-f23fdac3bc2f&version=-1.

I understand that SEPA have also written to the National Federation of Demolition Contractors to highlight that this guidance is available and to ensure that it is suitable for the needs of the industry.

Question reference: S3W-26997

Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the outcome of a recent application of the Rush system of analysis to the likely need for drug and alcohol treatment facilities in Scotland, for what reason many of the beds available for such treatment are unoccupied.

The provision of services is for each local area to consider, taking account of local needs, circumstances and resources. It is for individual NHS boards, local authorities and alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) to ensure that appropriate health care services are provided to meet the needs of their resident populations.

Decisions on the most appropriate treatment for individual patients are taken by clinicians who determine the most appropriate form of treatment, taking account of the needs and circumstances of each patient. Their aim is to ensure that the treatment package will provide the most effective support for the individual concerned.