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-24604

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) which services will be affected by short-forming because of the reduction in the number of trains in the ScotRail fleet from April 2015.

Question reference: S4W-24608

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, following the negotiations with Abellio and Govia, how much it will cost to sub-lease back to ScotRail the five of the nine trains that were due to be withdrawn from the fleet in April 2015.

Question reference: S4W-24605

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional trains will be hired to cover the shortfall of carriages because of the reduction in the number of trains in the ScotRail fleet from April 2015 and, if so, (a) on which services and (b) how much this will cost.

Question reference: S4W-24601

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of how the reduction in the number of trains in the ScotRail fleet from April 2015 will impact on passengers, and whether it will publish the findings.

Question reference: S4W-24606

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of how the Borders railway service will impact on other ScotRail services and whether it will publish the findings.

Question reference: S4W-24607

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many trains will be required to operate on the Borders railway line and how many will be (a) new, (b) taken from other ScotRail services, broken down by service, and (c) hired from other operators.

Question reference: S4W-24602

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on what date (a) ministers were and (b) Transport Scotland was advised that the lease agreement between ScotRail and the Eversholt Rail Group for Class 170 diesel trains was due to expire in April 2015.

Question reference: S4W-24653

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether Glasgow Prestwick Airport is its preferred Scottish location to become the first UK spaceport.

The decision of where to locate the spaceport is a matter for the UK Government. The Scottish Government wants to see the spaceport located in Scotland but at this stage we will remain neutral in terms of the Scottish locations shortlisted by the UK Government as a potential permanent location for the spaceport. The Scottish Government and its agencies will provide advice and support to any Scottish airfield which wishes to pursue the spaceport opportunity.

Question reference: S4W-24471

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 4 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23806 by Richard Lochhead on 9 January 2015, whether it will provide an update on its assessment of how the ban on tail-docking has impacted on working dogs, and whether it has come to a decision regarding formally consulting on a potential exemption for working dogs.

As noted in response to the question S4W-23806, the latest Scottish Government funded research investigating how the tail docking ban has impacted on working dogs was published in two peer reviewed papers in the Veterinary Record on 4 April 2014. That answer also noted that subsequent discussions were held with stakeholders regarding the impact of the results of the research on their views on the tail docking of working dogs, and that the Chief Veterinary Officer for Scotland had further investigated how exemptions allowing tail docking of working dogs have worked in practice in other parts of the UK and how any potential exemption might be genuinely restricted to working dogs in Scotland. These views and findings are being thoroughly considered before coming to a decision on what further action to take and on whether we will formally consult on a potential exemption for working dogs.

Question reference: S4W-24541

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 4 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the £13,938.1 million turnover in the food and drink sector identified in its growth sector statistics is attributable to the seafood and aquaculture industries when all income from fish processing is included.