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-29370

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 3 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the contract for the temporary position of business development manager at Sumburgh Airport is due to finish.

Question reference: S4W-29413

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-27988 by Richard Lochhead on 10 November 2015, whether land classified as code PGRS continues to be downgraded to region 3 payment under the common agricultural policy Basic Payment Scheme and, if so, whether it will provide a breakdown of such land by Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate office area; for what reason this is being done, and when it expects it to end.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-27988 on 10 November 2015. As explained previously, there is nothing in the classification process which results in land classified as PGRS being automatically assessed as Payment Region 3 land.

Land parcels will be assessed and classified according to their own individual features and allocated a region according to the findings of that assessment.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-29356

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 1 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how recent flooding has affected people with private water supplies in each local authority area.

Question reference: S4W-29357

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 1 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is available to people with private water supplies who have been affected by flooding.

The Scottish Government has announced an aid package to local authorities to enable them to provide support and assistance to those who have been most affected by the recent flooding events. Local authorities are able to provide a grant of £1,500 to every household, business, community group or charitable organisation directly affected by the flooding. No specific, targeted assistance is available to owners and users of private water supplies over and above this funding, but under the existing private water supplies legislation, non-means-tested grants of up to £800 are available for all premises served by a private supply to make improvements to the supply.

Question reference: S4W-29324

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason horse passport issuing organisations can charge owners different rates.

Question reference: S4W-29354

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest length of time is between incidents occurring and payments being made to local authorities under the Bellwin Scheme.

Responsibility for making a claim under the Bellwin Scheme rests with the local authority. The Scottish Government's guidance states that an interim claim should be received by the Scottish Government within four months of the incident (or such later date as agreed between the local authority and the Scottish Government). Interim claims represent 90 per cent of the total anticipated claim for additional eligible expenditure and are paid within 15 working days of receipt. Final claims must be externally audited and the remaining payments are again paid within 15 working days.

Of the completed claims referred to in S4W-29249 on 19 January 2016 both the 2009-10 Moray Council claim and the 2012-13 Scottish Borders Council claim were received within the four months deadline and interim payments made also within the four months deadline. The 2009-10 Aberdeenshire Council claim interim payment was paid within six months but this was as a result of Aberdeenshire Council requesting an extension to allow them further time to put together their claim which was agreed to by the Scottish Government.

Final payments of the 10 per cent element take much longer to bring to account given the need for them to be externally audited and as a result the Scottish Borders Council was made and paid 11 months after the incident; Aberdeenshire Council's claim paid after 16 months and Moray Council's claim paid after 18 months.

The average interim payment for these claims is therefore 103 days except where the local authority has asked for an extension to the deadline. The longest time taken for a standard claim to be paid the 90 per cent interim payment has been 112 days.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-29358

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many companies in Scotland were invited to (a) apply for the tendering list and (b) submit a final bid for the new digitalisation programme at the National Library of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-29174

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what reports (a) its officials and (b) Scottish Development International received from the delegation of SNP parliamentarians who visited Iran in December 2015.

Question reference: S4W-29355

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will review the Bellwin Scheme and what the review will include.

Question reference: S4W-29172

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02112 by Humza Yousaf on 15 May 2013 (Official Report, c. 19792), which Scottish Government economic development plans have included reference to Iraqi Kurdistan since that date.