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: S4F-01048

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2012

To ask the First Minister what impact the autumn budget statement will have on Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-11230

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it will produce a cost estimate for the proposed high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

A cost estimate will be developed as part of the programme of work referred to in my answer to question S4W-11226 on 28 November 2012. This will report in 2014. The estimate of the cost of construction will be determined by route appraisal and final design decisions.

However, I have made clear that we must challenge the per kilometre cost assumptions of delivery of high speed rail elsewhere in the UK. A first stage development of high speed rail in Scotland will only be required to accommodate standard UK gauge trains and this will avoid the need for expensive station redevelopment and build planned for elsewhere in Britain.

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-11227

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether its planning exercise for a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh will be conducted by Transport Scotland or by external consultants.

Question reference: S4W-11226

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on the results of its planning exercise for a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-11229

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether any future high-speed rail route between Scotland and London should split at the Carstairs Junction and serve both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-11228

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether its planning exercise for a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh will consider all possible route options and, if not, what specific options will be considered.

Question reference: S4W-11156

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to be told whether the application to the European Commission to extend the deadline for meeting nitrogen dioxide pollution levels in Glasgow has been successful.

Question reference: S4W-11155

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 23 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when Scotland will be compliant with the European air quality targets for nitrogen dioxide for 2010.

The whole of Scotland is expected to be compliant with the targets by 2015 with the exception of the A8 between Newhouse and Baillieston. As set out in S4W-11154, on 22 November 2012, this road is to be upgraded to motorway standard and as a consequence modelling predicts this section of the network will become compliant following completion of the project in 2017.

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-11154

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 22 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has requested an extension for Glasgow in the UK’s application to the European Commission for a time extension to meet air quality targets for nitrogen dioxide in the UK.

The Scottish Government has not requested an extension, as full compliance with the nitrogen dioxide limit value in the Glasgow Urban Area zone is not expected until 2017, after the maximum extension deadline for 2015 is allowed under the ambient air quality directive. A further 15 zones across the UK are not expected to comply until after 2015. Most other member states also have zones which fall into this category. Modelling data suggests that compliance will be secured by completion of the upgrade to motorway standard of the missing link on the M8, between Baillieston and Newhouse.

Question reference: S4W-11014

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-03713 by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2011, what steps it has taken toward the publication of an options paper on an environmental court for Scotland.