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: S5W-26912

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the self-certification of the safety of new buildings by so-called relevant persons is reliable and carried out to a proper standard.

The Building (Scotland) Act 2003, requires the “relevant person” submitting a completion certificate to certify that the work done is constructed in accordance with the approved building warrant and complies with the building regulations. On submission of the completion certificate the local authority verifier will undertake reasonable inquiry, and if satisfied, will accept the completion certificate.

The “relevant person” is defined by the Building Scotland Act 2003 as the building owner, tenant or developer and is ultimately responsible for compliance with the building regulations. Where they do not have the relevant expertise they may seek assurance from construction professionals that the work is compliant.

As noted in the answer to question SSW-26911 on 17 January 2020, the role of the "relevant person" in submitting the completion certificate is currently being reviewed.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-26802

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to put age restrictions in place for buying over-the-counter medicines.

The Scottish Government have no plans to introduce age restrictions for purchasing over the counter medicines (OTC). There are no legal age restrictions for buying OTC medicines. OTC medicines can be bought from a range of retail outlets without the supervision of a pharmacist and without a prescription. These are sold in small pack sizes or a low strength.

Some retail outlets may have their own policies that restrict the sale of OTC medicines to children, and there may be some situations where a retail outlet cannot sell an OTC medicine for use by a child because the medicine is not licensed for children of that age.

Where OTC medicines are sold within a pharmacy, pharmacists would be expected to use their professional judgement and any guidance outlined by the regulatory body, the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Question reference: S5O-03937

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how its planning policy and guidance to local authorities on takeaway food outlets take account of its policies on healthy eating.

Question reference: S5O-03899

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes rural tourism, and how much it invests in this work.

Question reference: S5O-03857

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with plant passporting.

Question reference: S5W-26391

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with young people regarding the design and implementation of its proposed deposit return scheme.

The Scottish Government has been keen to hear the views of young people on its proposals for a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers, with Young Scot participating in a workshop prior to the public consultation. That organisation also contributed to the development of the Equality Impact Assessment undertaken in respect of our proposals.

The Scottish Government will continue to explore opportunities for engagement with the public, including children and young people, as we prepare for the scheme’s implementation.

Question reference: S5O-03650

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been on the number of EU tourists coming to Scotland this year of any uncertainty caused by Brexit.

Question reference: S5O-03567

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what impact UK Government welfare reforms have had on Scottish social security spending.

Question reference: S5W-25069

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 12 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of a golden eagle found with an illegal trap on its legs, what action it is taking to protect wild birds as a matter of urgency ahead of the publication of the findings of the Grouse Moor Management Group (the Werritty report).

The Scottish Government is strongly committed to safeguarding the welfare of all animals, including wild birds such as raptors.

The illegal persecution of our birds of prey is an extremely serious issue and, as we announced in our Programme for Government for 2019-2020, we will bring forward a Bill increasing the maximum penalties for certain wildlife offences, including those associated with illegal killing or injuring of wild birds. This will deliver a commitment to implement the recommendation to increase wildlife crime penalties in the review undertaken by Professor Poustie.

We also committed in the Programme for Government that we will respond to the independent review on grouse moor management. The review is examining how we can ensure that grouse moor management is sustainable and complies with the law and it would not be appropriate to make decisions in advance of its report. We will carefully consider the recommendations in the report and other relevant evidence when deciding our response.

The measures on wildlife crime penalties build upon a range of other work we have undertaken to tackle this issue, including: supporting the use of satellite tags to monitor birds of prey; introducing new offences for harassing birds of prey or damaging their nesting places; setting up a poisons disposal scheme to remove poisons used to kill wild birds; strengthening Police Scotland wildlife crime resources, including in the Cairngorms; and introducing vicarious liability so that landowners can be held responsible for crimes against wild birds committed by their employees.

Question reference: S5O-03429

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 20 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported 5% increase in crime in the area, what its position is on whether Midlothian Council’s disbandment of its community safety teams is in the public interest and appropriate.

The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling crime across Scotland. Over the last decade official statistics show that recorded crime in Scotland has fallen by more than a third, with a 43% decrease in violent crime.

While there was a small increase in crimes of attempted murder and serious assault recorded by police in Midlothian in 2017-18 compared to 2008-09, recorded statistics for Midlothian show that crime recorded by the police has fallen by a fifth over the same period.

The Scottish Government recognises that local community safety structures and approaches rightly vary based on local circumstances, and it is for Midlothian Council to decide what is best for the local area.