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-04223

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 22 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will produce a publicly-available map of the locations of wildlife crimes since 1999.

There have been 6,760 recorded wildlife crimes across the 15 year period 1999-2000 to 2013-14.

We do not have sufficiently precise location information for most of these crimes and it is therefore not practicable to attempt to map them.

It is worth mentioning that the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime in Scotland have been publishing annual maps since 2010, which show the approximate locations for all crimes against raptors – poisonings, trappings, shootings and the like. These maps have brought partners together, are easy for everyone to understand and most importantly, highlight problem areas. These maps must rely on official data only. The Scottish Government has already committed to considering the use of further maps in the next wildlife crime annual report.

Question reference: S4O-04170

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it will spend the £14 million announced in the budget for low-cost home energy efficiency loans.

Question reference: S4O-04089

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much private and public land in Scotland was registered on the national map-based register of land ownership by December 2014 and how much it envisages being registered in the next five years.

Question reference: S4O-04013

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in devolving the powers of the Crown Estate.

Question reference: S4F-02585

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 February 2015

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to encourage voter registration.

Question reference: S4O-03971

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how building standards can be improved to help mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Question reference: S4O-03811

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed land commission will identify landowners and plan diversity of ownership.

Question reference: S4O-03778

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether modern studies should be made available at all secondary schools if 16 and 17-year-olds have the right to vote in elections.

Question reference: S4W-22433

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to address concerns regarding the status of the spring stocks of wild Scottish salmon.

The conservation of spring stocks of wild Scottish salmon is an issue of growing concern and I consider it necessary to take proactive action in order to protect these stocks by placing on a statutory footing the good practice currently operated by many responsible anglers and netsmen across Scotland.

I therefore intend to consult in early course on statutory conservation measures, to be effective for commencement in 2015 requiring mandatory catch and release until
1 April 2014, together with a delay in the start of the net fishing season, which broadly replicates the voluntary arrangements that have been in place prior to the 2014 season. The conservation measure would be for an initial five year period at which point it would be reviewed.

Question reference: S4T-00764

Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the economic impact will be of Royal Mail's decision to bring forward rural post box collection times.