-  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Derek Mackay on 22 November 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how its various departments support measures to increase GDP in Ayrshire.
                                Answer
                                    The Scottish Government is committed to working with our partners in Ayrshire to support inclusive growth. This involves a wide range of contributions from government departments and agencies. All of this effort is firmly focused on boosting Ayrshire's economy, including enabling an increase in GDP, and creating and sustaining high quality jobs. Central to our ambitions for Ayrshire is agreement of a Growth Deal with regional partners and the UK government. We continue to work hard to secure a Heads of Terms agreement as soon as possible.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Michael Russell on 13 November 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what the economic impact would be on Scotland of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of the Ireland.
                                Answer
                                    A hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would be the likely result of a Brexit agreement that resulted in the United Kingdom being outside of the European Single Market and Customs Union. The economic implication of such a scenario would be to introduce considerable additional costs for businesses across the UK seeking to trade with the EU. In addition to this, it would also cause considerable disruption to the supply chains that currently exist between Scottish businesses in Ireland and across the EU.
Scottish Government analysis published in Scotland’s Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment, assessed the implications for Scotland’s economy if the UK exits the European Union. The analysis indicates that a hard Brexit could lead to a loss of up to 8.5% of GDP (or £12.7 billion in 2016 terms) in Scotland by 2030 – equivalent to £2,300 per individual.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the analysis of the UK Budget, which states that the announced changes to tax overwhelmingly benefit the richest households.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2018
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Joe FitzPatrick on 4 October 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask NHS Ayrshire and Arran to review its policy on providing cataract operations.
                                Answer
                                    Scottish Government Eyecare Workstream officials are in contact with NHS Ayrshire and Arran on an on-going basis and regularly discuss the existing policy on second eye surgery. Similar to all Health Boards, Ayrshire and Arran regularly review their policy and are in the process of re-evaluating the threshold for second eye cataract surgery with a view to lowering this from its current level.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the completion status and final outturn costs of the William McIlvanney school campus in Kilmarnock.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2018
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what progress the Scottish Sentencing Council is making with guidelines on sentencing in relation to deaths caused by driving.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2018
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Treasury’s draft audit and accountability framework and its proposals for effective scrutiny of shared services.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2018
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Angela Constance on 15 March 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask Scottish Government when it last met East Ayrshire Council and what matters were discussed.
                                Answer
                                    Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of all Scottish local authorities, including East Ayrshire Council, to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                                Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the provision of more direct rail services between Ayrshire and Edinburgh.
                                Answer
                                Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2018
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Roseanna Cunningham on 21 February 2018
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses and monitors flood risk in the KilmarnockĀ and Irvine Valley constituency.
                                Answer
                                    
The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 requires SEPA to prepare a flood risk assessment which covers every flood risk management district in Scotland. SEPA are currently reviewing this assessment and will publish an updated assessment later this year.