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-20161

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many events relating to Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland ministers have attended since January 2014.

The Scottish Government is holding a programme of activity to inform the people of Scotland about Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland and to debate and discuss the issues in the referendum with the public. This programme includes meetings of the Scottish Cabinet, speeches and public meetings. At 1 April 2014 Scottish Ministers had attended 23 events across Scotland.

In addition to the Government’s programme of activity, a wide range of other organisations have held events attended by ministers at which Scotland’s Future and the independence referendum have been discussed and debated.

Question reference: S4W-20162

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on events relating to Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-20282

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason agricultural producers have received a letter from the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate intimating a re-examination of every agricultural unit's land classified as rough grazing.

Scotland will be implementing a new type of area-based payment known as the basic payment scheme (BPS) in 2015, which you will be aware I have been consulting with the industry on; and one aspect is whether this will be based on historical land types, so it could be important that all land is categorised accurately.

My officials therefore took the opportunity in the 2014 IACS claim packs, which issues to all known claimants of the current single farm payment scheme, to remind farmers and crofters how the different types of grass that are found in Scotland should be categorised, and they did this to improve the accuracy of the data submitted by including a guidance note on categorising grazing land. This will hopefully aid the smooth transition of entitlement allocation under the BPS, should historical land type be chosen, when farmers and crofters submit their application for this support in 2015 and beyond.

Question reference: S4W-20169

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what use it has made of the research document that it commissioned, Mitigating Transport's Climate Change Impact in Scotland: Assessment of Policy Options, and whether it will commission updated research.

The Mitigating Transport's Climate Change Impact in Scotland (MTCCI) Report was a cornerstone of the transport analysis contained in the Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emissions Reduction Targets 2010-2022, the Second Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP2) publication. RPP2 also stated the Government's intention to continue to support and evaluate ongoing projects as well as commission and undertake additional research to support the development of options for consideration as part of RPP3.

Question reference: S4O-03062

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the appointed chairs of the regional college boards and what matters were discussed.

Question reference: S4O-03041

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether ministerial engagements regularly coincide with Yes campaign events.

Question reference: S4W-19973

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it took to ensure that it followed each of the seven principles set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life when appointing the regional college chairs.

Question reference: S4W-19972

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much each regional college chair has been paid in (a) fees and (b) expenses.

Question reference: S4W-19974

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to the regional college chairs on their participation in public political debate.

It has been communicated to all regional college and board chairs that they, like all public appointments, must (i) operate in line with the nine principles set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life; (ii) accept their appointment on the basis that they may be removed from office if the Scottish Ministers are satisfied that the acceptance or holding of any other office, role, position or interest means that it is not appropriate for them to hold office; (iii) disclose any political activity as part of formally accepting their appointment.

Question reference: S4W-19858

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the EU’s greenhouse gas and renewable energy targets for 2030 are strong enough to enable the necessary investment into Scotland to allow it to meet its own climate and energy targets.

The Scottish Government has welcomed the European Commission’s package of proposals which include greenhouse gas and renewable energy targets for 2030. We believe a 40% greenhouse gas target should be the minimum adopted by the EU, with a commitment to a 50% target in the context of an ambitious global climate agreement in 2015. We want to see a renewables target that is as ambitious as possible, to give certainty to industry, and act as a spur to investment unlock major new technology development, and create jobs far into the future. The proposed 27% renewables target, binding at EU level, is a step in the right direction.

We want to see the EU maintain its lead on climate ambition, and will continue to work with other ambitious countries to make the case for the jobs, trade, investment and growth opportunities that the transition to a low carbon economy will deliver. In this respect, we will continue to present evidence to our European partners of the existing investments and low carbon jobs already experienced in Scotland and the potential we have to fulfil a higher level of ambition on climate mitigation, as well as the importance of taking action to support developing nations as part of our climate justice approach.