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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 550 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-13909

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 16 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines it has issued on generic prescribing.

The long standing advice from the Scottish Government, and the Scottish Executive before it, is that generic drugs should be prescribed wherever clinically appropriate. Generic prescribing is supported by the medical profession.

At health board level, generic prescribing is promoted by Prescribing Advisers through a range of initiatives to improve cost-effective prescribing. In recent years, the focus has been to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of all prescribing through the work of the NHSScotland Efficiency and Productivity Programme national Prescribing Workstream.

The Prescribing Workstream has been working with NHS boards on initiatives such as compliance with twelve National Therapeutic Indicators and the use of local Joint Formularies to promote and monitor performance on quality and cost-effective prescribing. Further information and guidance on the National Therapeutic Indicators can be found at http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/pca/PCA2012(M)08.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-13214

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 7 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many older people are registered as carers, broken down by age group.

Question reference: S4W-13216

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been (a) charged and (b) convicted for possession of crystal methamphetamine in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

The available information is given in the following tables and is based on drug possession offences that have an offence modifier for methamphetamines recorded.

Persons proceeded against for drug possession¹ with an offence modifier for methylamphetamine recorded, by approximate local authority area², 2007-08 to 2011-12.

Local Authority	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Aberdeenshire	0	0	0	0	1
Dundee City	0	0	0	0	1
Edinburgh, City of	0	0	0	0	1
Glasgow City	0	0	0	1	0
Highland	0	0	2	0	0
Moray	1	0	0	0	0
Stirling	0	1	0	0	0
Scotland	1	1	2	1	3

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings Database.

Persons with a charge proved for drug possession¹ with an offence modifier for methylamphetamine recorded, by approximate local authority area², 2007-08 to 2011-12.

Local Authority	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
Aberdeenshire	0	0	0	0	1
Dundee City	0	0	0	0	1
Edinburgh, City of	0	0	0	0	1
Glasgow City	0	0	0	1	0
Highland	0	0	2	0	0
Moray	1	0	0	0	0
Stirling	0	1	0	0	0
Scotland	1	1	2	1	3

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings Database.

1. Where main offence.

2. Based on an approximate mapping of sheriff courts to local authority areas.

Question reference: S4W-13215

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of drugs has been seized in each prison in each of the last five years.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

The following table illustrates the number of suspected drug finds recorded in each year since 2008 broken down by establishment. SPS does not carry out analysis on substances found, and is not always advised of the outcomes of such analysis.

Establishment	2012	2011	2010	2009	2008
Aberdeen	77	98	108	139	89
Addiewell	465	297	275	233	0
Barlinnie	208	225	208	272	303
Cornton Vale	52	81	119	121	117
Dumfries	26	26	20	14	36
Edinburgh	208	213	255	250	316
Glenochil	114	117	134	132	133
Greenock	52	77	91	64	83
Inverness	36	6	12	21	14
Kilmarnock	252	225	194	195	298
Low Moss	90
SPS Open Estate	30	26	38	54	64
Perth	111	106	122	137	145
Peterhead	28	0	1	0	2
Polmont	64	116	89	124	135
Shotts	136	95	121	109	113
Totals	1949	1708	1787	1865	1848

HMP Addiewell opened December 2008

HMP Low Moss Closed April 2007 – re-opening March 2012

Question reference: S4O-01885

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what impact closing Motherwell, Cumbernauld and Coatbridge Justice of the Peace courts could have on access to justice.

Question reference: S4W-12045

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 29 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the recommended separation distance between wind turbines and the edge of cities, towns and villages contained in the Scottish Planning Policy.

Question reference: S4W-12046

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 29 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the scientific basis is for the recommended separation distance between wind turbines and the edge of cities, towns and villages contained in the Scottish Planning Policy and when this was last reviewed.

The scientific basis for the recommended separation distance is that in relation to settlements, wind turbine development at a distance of up to 2 km is likely to be a prominent feature in an open landscape. This was first set out in Guidelines on the Environmental Impacts of Windfarms and Small Scale Hydroelectric Schemes (Scottish Natural Heritage), February 2001. The criterion was then set out in Planning Advice Note 45 (2002) (since superseded). The criterion was later adopted in a review of Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) on Renewable Energy in 2007 and continued in the consolidated SPP in 2010.

Question reference: S4W-12123

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reduction in the further education budget for 2013-14 will have on student places at Motherwell College.

Question reference: S4W-12124

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 21 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what impact there has been on staff numbers at Motherwell College as a result of reductions to the further education budget in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

Question reference: S4W-11789

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) courts have been affected and (b) cases have been delayed by strike action by solicitors in November and December 2012.