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-06926

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Bruce Crawford on 15 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will update the document, Scottish Executive: Consultation Good Practice Guidance, to include advice on the use of the QuestBack method of consultation or other multiple choice systems.

Question reference: S4W-06901

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of recent consultations by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, whether it will review the legislation on (a) puppy farming and (b) irresponsible breeding of dogs.

There are no immediate plans to review the legislation on puppy farming or the breeding of dogs. In the area of animal welfare we are currently concentrating on developing new legislation on the welfare of animals at slaughter that will implement EU legislation early next year. Other animal welfare issues being considered include the use of wild animals in circuses, the regulation of equine establishments, the use of electronic shock collars for dog training and the tail docking of dogs.

Question reference: S4W-06902

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing legislation on pet vending to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops.

There are no immediate plans to consider secondary legislation on pet vending to prohibit the sale of puppies in pet shops. In the area of animal welfare we are currently concentrating on developing new legislation on the welfare of animals at slaughter that will implement EU legislation early next year. Other animal welfare issues currently under consideration include the use of wild animals in circuses, the regulation of equine establishments, the use of electronic shock collars for dog training and the tail docking of dogs. Pet shops are already subject to inspection by local authorities.

Question reference: S4O-00930

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what training is provided for newly qualified PE teachers to help them identify the symptoms of possible heart conditions in pupils.

Question reference: S4W-06219

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government on measures to protect the future of the wood panel industry in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers are aware of the perceived threat to the wood panel industry from the UK Government’s Bio-Energy strategy. I raised this issue with Greg Barker, Minister for State for Energy and Climate Change during a phone call on 8 June 2011. Since then, I and my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, met representatives of the forest industries in both the North and South of Scotland in the second half of 2011. As a result of discussions we established a short term working group made up of representatives from the UK wood-using industries as well as representatives from the biomass heat sector.

I wrote to UK Ministers on 21 March relaying the views of this group and expressing our concerns around the UK Government’s position on biomass.

In addition, I met Charles Hendry, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 31 October 2011 and again on 20 March to discuss wider energy matters including bioenergy.

Question reference: S4W-06220

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has undertaken to ensure that the wood panel industry has continued access to competitively priced timber.

In response to concerns by the UK's wood using industries that the UK Government’s Bio-Energy strategy will serve to distort timber prices, I and my colleague, the Minister for Environment and Climate Change recently convened and chaired a short term working group on biomass including representatives from the wood panel industry. This encouraged the industries to set out a common position of their concerns and to suggest practical changes that the UK Government's bio-energy strategy should adopt.

The position statement highlights a number of issues including the role of timber products at the top of the carbon hierarchy and urges that there should be no support for new large scale dedicated biomass electricity plants.

I wrote to UK Ministers on 21 March relaying the views of this group and expressing their concerns around the UK Government’s position on biomass.

In addition, I raised this issue with Greg Barker, Minister for State for Energy and Climate change during a phone call on 8 June 2011. I also co-chaired a bioenergy strategy event in Glasgow with Charles Hendry, Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 31 October 2011, at which members of the wood panel sector raised their concerns. Charles Hendry and I met again on 20 March to discuss wider energy matters including bioenergy.

Question reference: S4W-06218

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of biomass policies on the wood panel industry.

Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government commissioned Forest Research and North Energy Associates to undertake two pieces of research in support of the Renewable Obligation (Scotland) (ROS) consultation. In addition, a policy analysis of supporting biomass electricity generation through the obligation was commissioned from Xero Energy. This latter report recognised that while the renewable biomass sector is set to grow, sawmill and wood panel industries also share aspirations for growth over time. In light of this, the report went on to consider whether biomass use should be prioritised in any way.

These reports, as well as all responses received to the consultation will be carefully considered before any announcement is made on future support for biomass under the ROS. I expect to announce our decisions and proposed changes to the ROS during the spring.

Question reference: S4W-06221

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will support the wood panel industry to expand its investment in renewable heat generation.

We have opted for Scotland to be part of the GB wide Renewable Heat Incentive which provides financial support from Central Government funding and is the main mechanism to encourage investment in renewable heat across the sector, including the wood panel industry. Dialogue with the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change on the Renewable Heat Incentive will continue at ministerial and government official level until both phases of the scheme are fully implemented, to ensure net benefit to Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-06199

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans it has in the event that the common agricultural policy reform is not agreed by early 2014.

The European Commission’s timetable for Common Agricultural Policy reform is designed on the basis that the new policy will be available from the 1 January 2014, and the government have been consulting on that basis with stakeholders. However, we acknowledge that this is a challenging timetable and that there is a real possibility of the new policy, including detailed EU implementing rules and approved new rural development programmes, not being completed by that date. We are also aware that there were problems over transitional arrangements between the end of the last and beginning of the current rural development programme in Scotland. With that in mind, we are pressing the European Commission to come up with acceptable transitional arrangements that will allow funding to be continued should there be any delay in launching the new policy. At the same time, officials are developing contingency plans in discussion with the UK government and the other devolved administrations.

Question reference: S4W-06091

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that patients who move to England will continue to be treated by their consultant in Scotland if Scotland becomes independent.

Scottish independence will not have any impact on the current arrangements when a person living in Scotland moves to England.

Under present arrangements it would normally be the case that on moving from Scotland to England, patients would register with a local general practitioner who would decide on referrals to appropriate secondary care facilities (consultants). After such a move, and on an individual case-by-case basis, it may be decided between relevant doctor(s) and patient(s) that it would be practical to complete an episode of treatment in Scotland. The equivalent arrangements would apply for a patient moving from England to Scotland.

A white paper drawing together the Scottish Government’s proposals for independence will be published in November 2013.