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: S4O-00388

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the decrease in the number of homes built by the private house building sector has had on the operations of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has reported a reduction in the number of planning consultations it is involved in as a result of both the economic downturn and also as a result of planning reform changes.

SEPA continues to provide valuable and swift input on large, environmentally significant planning applications. SEPA has also provided standing advice for use by planning authorities on smaller, less environmentally significant applications. SEPA reports that 96% of its responses are currently provided within consultation periods set by the planning authority, a success rate which is to be commended.

Question reference: S4W-03800

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 15 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Scotland received (a) housing and (b) council tax benefit in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09, (iv) 2009-10 and (v) 2010-11.

The relevant National Statistics are published by the Department for Work and Pensions are available at:

http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/index.php?page=hbctb_arc.

The following below is extracted from this source and shows the number of recipients of housing benefit and council tax benefit in Scotland.

	Housing Benefit	Council Tax Benefit
August-06	432,200	537,700
August-07	427,300	526,400
July- 09	446,120	542,330
July- 10	468,960	562,680
July- 11	473,300	560,470

These statistics are based on individuals rather than households. The Department for Work and Pensions changed the way it collected information between August 2007 and November 2008. As a consequence there is a discontinuity in the time series covering this period.

Question reference: S4O-00286

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with Historic Scotland regarding future funding.

Question reference: S4W-03011

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appointments have been (a) missed or (b) cancelled in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area due to patients not receiving their letter of notification of appointment in the period since TNT was awarded the board's postal contract.

Question reference: S4W-02976

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what agencies have enforcement powers under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to tackle pernicious deep-rooted plants.

Question reference: S4W-02975

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory duties local authorities have in relation to Japanese knotweed.

Local authorities have powers to take action against Japanese knotweed where it poses a threat to the local amenity of an area or if it is considered a statutory nuisance. Section 179 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 empowers local authorities to serve notice requiring an occupier to deal with any land whose condition is adversely affecting the amenity of the other land in their area. If the occupier fails to comply, the authority may take control action and recover the costs of the action. The use of these powers is a matter for individual local authorities to determine.

Question reference: S4W-02974

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what public agencies have enforcement powers to deal with Japanese knotweed.

Japanese knotweed is listed on Part II of Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA), which makes it an offence (under Section 14 of that Act) for any person to plant or otherwise cause it to grow in the wild. Enforcement of the WCA is a matter for the police. Offences under sections 14 (Introduction of new species etc.) and 14A (Prohibition on sale etc. of certain animals and plants) are also enforced by wildlife inspectors. There is no specific legal duty on landowners or any agency to eradicate the species once it is established.

Japanese knotweed and the soil containing particles of the plants or their rhizomes, once removed, is regarded as controlled waste for the purposes of Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are responsible for regulating waste.

Question reference: S4W-02746

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on 21 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost was of the acquisition and installation of the new voting consoles and sound system in the chamber.

Question reference: S4O-00234

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many incidents requiring action by the police have occurred in the Parliament since 2003.

Question reference: S4W-02162

Asked by: John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 9 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in relation to establishing enterprise zones.

The Scottish Government is currently developing plans for the introduction of a number of enterprise zones in Scotland so as to maximise their economic impact. As part of this exercise, we are also engaging with the UK Government on the potential availability of enhanced capital allowances towards manufacturing plant and machinery within some sites.

We expect to make initial decisions on this issue during the autumn.