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-05249

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scottish Natural Heritage is refreshing its corporate plan to cover 2017 to 2022.

Question reference: S5W-05102

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that adequate funding is allocated to (a) develop and (b) deploy effective transport measures to tackle air pollution.

Transport measures to improve Scotland’s air quality are set out in our Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy. Many initiatives are already in place to develop and deploy effective transport measures to tackle air pollution. The Scottish Government is continuing to explore with Transport Scotland and other partners how these can be developed and built on to ensure successful delivery of all the actions contained in the Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy.

Question reference: S5W-05139

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review national scenic areas in the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S5O-00452

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist sites in Scotland that are preparing to apply for licences to operate as spaceports.

Question reference: S5W-04791

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to commission the Met Office to conduct a weather radar network review.

Over the past two years the Met Office, through the Public Weather Service Customer Group, has made a significant investment in the weather radar network for Scotland, with £1.368 million spent so far. This includes the main upgrade elements to the Hill of Dudwick in Aberdeenshire and Holehead in Stirlingshire. There are also plans for the upgrade to Munduff Hill in Kinross and to the Isle of Lewis facility

Furthermore, my officials are giving ongoing consideration to the capabilities requirements for Scotland, including the radar infrastructure, as part of regular discussions and relationship with the Met Office.

Question reference: S5W-04729

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Welsh Government regarding the number of fire incidents in Wales since legislation requiring fire suppression systems to be installed in all new and converted residential accommodation came into force; whether it plans to introduce similar legislation, and, if so, whether this will include houses of multiple occupation and halls of residence.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the Welsh Government regarding the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011. The Welsh Government has been monitoring the design and installation of fire suppression systems and their was published on 4 November 2016. This highlights a range of issues including costs, water supplies and maintenance.

It is still too early to assess the effectiveness of fire suppression systems installed in Wales since the legislation came into force. Therefore the Scottish Government has no immediate plans to introduce similar requirements for fire suppression systems beyond that already covered in building regulations, we will however keep the scope of sprinkler coverage under review.

Question reference: S5W-04568

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of research by the British Heart Foundation and the University of Edinburgh suggesting that there is a correlation between air pollution and cardiovascular disease, whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making with the introduction of low-emission zones.

The implementation of low-emission zones is being taken forward as set out in the Programme for Government. The Scottish Government are preparing the National Low Emission Framework to offer guidelines for LEZ implementation, and are engaging with local authorities and other key stakeholders to help identify early adopters for Scotland’s first low-emission zone to be put in place by 2018. The most recent stakeholder meeting was the Cleaner Air for Scotland governance group which met on the 21 November in Dundee.

Question reference: S5W-04506

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to encourage voluntary restraint by estates on large scale culls of mountain hare.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has developed a joint position statement on the subject of hare culling following consultation with key stakeholders representing moorland managers, namely Scottish Land & Estates and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.

The statement, which was issued in December 2014, calls for voluntary restraint on the culling of mountain hares. SNH is also working with key stakeholders to improve transparency and understanding about the reasons why some moorland managers continue to wish to cull mountain hares.

Question reference: S5W-04505

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the extent of mountain hare culls and the occurrence of large-scale culls of mountain hare between 1 August 2015 and 31 March 2016.

Question reference: S5W-04504

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of mountain hare culling as a management technique for louping ill in red grouse, and what advice is given to land managers in this regard.

The Scottish Government recognises that mountain hares may need to be controlled for land management purposes, but does not support large-scale culls of mountain hares.

The advice from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to land managers is that large-scale culls of mountain hares to reduce tick loads and therefore the incidence of Louping Ill, in order to benefit grouse and other bird survival, are ineffective except in the highly unlikely circumstance that all other tick hosts are absent. SNH aims to work with land managers to put in place effective and sustainable management of mountain hares that is consistent with the species’ status on Annex V of the EC Habitats Directive.