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: S4W-07760

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal provision allows the exit strategy for the Knapdale beaver trial to be undertaken.

Question reference: S4W-07761

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what circumstances have changed since Scottish Natural Heritage’s unsuccessful application in 2005 for a beaver trial in Knapdale that has allowed the current trial to proceed.

Question reference: S4W-07587

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to replace the system in which farmers have to prove individual farm yield for nitrate vulnerable zone Nmax limits with a more regional-based approach.

Question reference: S4W-07585

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation nitrate vulnerable zones, whether it will (a) review and (b) update the figures concerning nitrogen uptake and use in modern crops.

Question reference: S4O-01161

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many women had post natal depression in 2011.

Question reference: S4W-07471

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pressured area status applications it has (a) approved and (b) rejected since the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 came into force, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) month of application.

Question reference: S4W-07470

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) local authority and (b) housing association properties for social rent will become eligible for purchase by tenants in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16 under the right to buy.

The Housing (Scotland) Act provided that, from 1 March 2011, houses built or acquired after 25 June 2008 are not subject to the right to buy, with some limited exceptions, so, but for cases where these limited exceptions apply, no houses will become eligible for purchase in these years. We estimate that 93,000 local authority tenants and 121,000 housing association tenants have not yet reached the qualifying period for modernised right to buy.

Question reference: S4W-07586

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to amend the limits for groundwater nitrate levels.

Question reference: S4W-07469

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) local authority and (b) housing association properties for social rent are eligible for purchase by tenants under the right to buy.

Question reference: S4W-07584

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the claim in the report, The relationship between soil mineral nitrogen, applied nitrogen and yields in Scottish soils, that many crops would need to exceed their Nmax figures to achieve potential yield.

The Nmax figures in the Scottish Nitrates Action Programme are based on the Scottish Agricultural College's recommendations for economically optimal applications of nitrogen fertiliser. The report cited has highlighted the variability of soil mineral nitrogen test results, but provides no explanation for the variability between sites. The statement relating to the need to exceed Nmax does not take account of the yield adjustment factor, which allows for increased rates of nitrogen where there is a history of higher than standard yields. The report does not demonstrate any significant indication for the need to increase Nmax for profitable crop production.