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-00661

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2012

To ask the First Minister what impact the recent increase in the cost of postage will have on the Scottish economy.

Question reference: S4O-00937

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 26 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive at what stage phase III of the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme is.

Question reference: S4W-06438

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Lesley Thomson on 12 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service about its staff or representatives discussing the matter of a precognition with an individual approached for precognition by counsel for an appellant.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has issued comprehensive guidance to staff on the precognition process including guidance for witnesses who are asked to provide a statement or precognition to the defence. The guidance states that witnesses should generally be encouraged to co-operate with requests for precognition. Accordingly, while there may on rare occasions be particular circumstances which mitigate against a witness providing a precognition at specific points in the investigation of a criminal offence, the general approach taken by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is to encourage witnesses to co-operate with such request for precognition.

Question reference: S4W-06308

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations there are requiring haulage companies to obtain an escort for their vehicles on public roads.

The movement of abnormal loads is a reserved matter. There are currently no legislative requirements for abnormal loads to be escorted; however, in the interests of public safety the police decide when an escort is required. The Highways Agency on behalf of the Department for Transport has published a Code of Practice and Operating Guidance on Abnormal Load Escorting which gives guidance on when an escort vehicle is required. This may be a police escort or a Self-Escort and is a matter for the police.

Question reference: S4W-06309

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the police can insist on undertaking escort duties for haulage company vehicles on public roads and, if so, under what legislation.

Where a haulage company vehicle’s laden dimensions exceed a defined overall width, length or weight the police in the interest of public safety will decide whether an escort vehicle is required and whether the escort is provided by the police or the haulier. There are currently no legal requirements for abnormal loads to be escorted; however there are legal requirements for the haulier to provide an attendant dependent on the dimensions of the load.

Question reference: S4W-06310

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive under what authority the police can charge haulage companies for escort duties on public roads.

The charging of hauliers for police escorts has been agreed between Scottish Police Forces at the special services rates set by Association of Chief Police Offices in Scotland (ACPOS). The special services rate is designed to include an element for both wear and tear to police vehicles and fuel costs, in addition to the cost of the officers; one rate to cover all costs incurred. In addition, the agreement allows charging for the time spent in planning such escorts. It is down to individual police forces whether to implement these charges.

Question reference: S4W-06437

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the position of the Scottish Court Service is on a judge sitting on a criminal appeal who is related to either the counsel of the appellant or representatives of the Crown.

Question reference: S4W-06096

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it has provided to facilitate the development of marine power in each of the last five years.

The first research and development grants to marine projects were awarded in February 2007, under the Wave and Tidal Energy Scheme (WATES). Payments under the scheme have been as follows (based on financial years):

2007-08	£1,204,355
2008-09	£573,752
2009-10	£888,462
2010-11	£4,455,003
2011-12	£675,519
Total	£7,797,091

The Scottish Government has also released over £5.5 million during this period to help develop the infrastructure needed to accommodate WATES projects located at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. In addition to this, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) have spent just under £20 million to develop the marine energy sector over the equivalent period.

HIE has also contributed £8.8 million towards infrastructure developments closely associated with marine renewables activity.

Question reference: S4W-06097

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what energy production is forecast for (a) marine and (b) wind power under its plans to generate 100% of electricity by renewable sources.

While we have not forecast specific outcomes for individual technologies in the context of our renewables targets for 2020, we would expect wind energy - on and offshore - to make a major contribution. We are also continuing to support and encourage marine renewables, with new initiatives such as our £18 million Marine Renewables Commercialisation Fund aimed at proving wave and tidal technologies, driving down costs and enabling them to play a significant part in meeting our energy needs in 2020 and beyond.

Question reference: S4W-06095

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much energy has been produced by (a) wave and (b) tidal power in each of the last five years.

The information requested on electricity generation from wave and tidal stream generating stations is not held centrally. Scottish renewable electricity statistics for renewable electricity from 2000 onwards are collated by the UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change. Wind, wave and tidal statistics cannot be published in a disaggregated form because to do so could disclose data that relate to individual companies.