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-12097

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the Scottish Public Finance Manual and, if so, when.

Question reference: S4W-12093

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Public Finance Manual was first issued.

Question reference: S4W-12094

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the contents of the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

The Scottish Government has never had any formal discussions with the UK Government on the contents of the Scottish Public Finance Manual. Guidance issued by the UK Government has no application with regards devolved matters, unless expressly adopted by the Scottish Ministers. However, in the preparation of guidance published in the manual due consideration is given to relevant guidance issued by the UK Government.

Question reference: S4W-12121

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 January 2013
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will receive HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Authorities’ report on the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service.

We have now received the report, and thank Mr Torrie and his team for their work. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 54552) and it is being published on the Scottish Government website.

Ministers instructed this Inquiry under Section 44 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 to establish the extent of progress made by the Highlands and Islands Fire Board since the Accounts Commission Best Value Report, as well as to identify what remains for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to address when it commences on 1 April 2013. We will carefully consider Mr Torrie’s report, but look to the Highlands and Islands Fire Board, as well as the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, to take forward its recommendations.

Question reference: S4F-01102

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2013

To ask the First Minister how the recent report by Pinsent Masons, Scotland's place in the Renewable Energy World, aids Scotland's sustainable growth.

Question reference: S4T-00181

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reinforce sea defences following the recent severe weather.

Question reference: S4W-11867

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2012
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on establishing a marine protected area network in Scottish inshore waters and offshore region to meet the duties in section 103 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and section 124 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

Today I am laying a Report to the Scottish Parliament on progress on the development of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) network, as required under Section 103 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and Section 124 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. It reports on which sites are currently included in the network and outlines progress on Nature Conservation MPAs, Historic MPAs, and Demonstration and Research MPAs.

Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee recently submitted advice on Nature Conservation MPA proposals in Scotland’s seas to complete the network. The advice includes 33 MPA proposals for consideration, along with four search locations that are the subject of further scientific work. This represents an important milestone in establishing an MPA network and is the basis for our Report to Parliament.

Scotland’s seas are extraordinary, and we are only just starting to get to know what is in them and how much we rely on them.

Our seas provide indirect and direct services, such as providing nurseries and feeding grounds for species critical to the marine ecosystem many of which are commercial stocks. Healthy seas assist in protecting us from climate change by absorbing CO2. Kelp and seagrass forests and offshore reefs help reduce the impacts of storms by acting as a physical buffer. So it is important not just to protect rare, threatened or declining, or nationally representative species and habitats for their own sake, but also for these benefits we take for granted.

I want the protection of these services and Scotland’s marine environment to mean something. Protecting rare, representative and productive species and habitats on the basis of sound science means we can keep on getting these benefits and enjoying the rich diversity of life in the waters around us.

Since 2007 we have had much more of a focus on marine conservation. We have been able to protect important marine habitats for seabirds. 11 Special Areas of Conservation have been designated in Scottish offshore waters, one of which is the largest marine protected area in the European Union.

The Marine (Scotland) Act in 2010 delivered new powers to protect other habitats and species of national and international importance through the designation of MPAs.

We are working hard to achieve a well managed MPA network by 2016.

The network currently includes 45 Special Protection Areas for seabirds, 46 Special Areas of Conservation and 61 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Scottish waters and another 8 fisheries management measures contribute to the wider aims of a MPA network. Scottish Natural Heritage and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee are also progressing work to complete the identification of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas in the marine environment to deliver our obligations under European legislation.

The next step is to go to consultation on a number of proposals, and we aim to time this with the consultations on the draft National Marine Plan and draft sectoral marine plans for offshore renewable energy.

For further details on the identification of Nature Conservation MPAs, Scottish Natural Heritage and Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s Advice to the Scottish Government on the Selection of Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the Development of the Scottish MPA Network is now available on the Scottish Natural Heritage and Joint Nature Conservation Committee websites.

MPAs can also add to the protection of Scotland’s outstanding marine cultural heritage through Historic MPAs for the protection of historical sea-wrecks. Historic Scotland is identifying Historic MPAs to deliver another part of the Marine (Scotland) Act.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in the last two years to get to where we are today. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you as we move towards designation and management of Marine Protected Areas.

Our ecologically coherent MPA network will significantly contribute to the Scottish Government’s efforts for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas, and will, I believe, deliver for the environment as well as for the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-01493

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Linda Fabiani on 15 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress it has been made on varying the species of apple trees in the Parliament garden.

Question reference: S4O-01445

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how wildlife crime officers will be deployed in the new single police force.

Question reference: S4W-09428

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what agreement has been made for community benefit to be paid out from the lease of Forestry Commission land.

Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) leases areas of the National Forest Estate for a number of purposes including: renewable energy development; for private sector companies to carry out commercial activities and; to communities directly. The level of direct community benefit is different in each circumstance. The land to be leased to renewable energy developers under the recent FCS development opportunities programme will provide a direct community benefit. This will be in the form of either a community benefit payment of £5,000 per Megawatt per year, or the opportunity for this to be transferred into a community equity share and also the chance for local communities to invest further if they would like to.