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: S4O-03699

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what action it is taking to clean the wall and hanging glass panels in the chamber.

Question reference: S4O-03490

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking regarding the provision of a specialist centre for robot-assisted surgery for radical prostatectomies.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing announced on Tuesday 19 August 2014 that Scottish men will soon be able to benefit from state of the art robotic surgery.

The Scottish Government is investing up to £1 million to purchase a robot to assist surgery, initially for prostate cancer.

We plan to see this service up and running by spring 2015 and thereafter to roll this out in the central belt.

Question reference: S4O-03455

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the cost of childcare.

Question reference: S4O-03366

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of art treasures, paintings, artefacts and national treasures that it or the Scottish National Gallery holds.

Question reference: S4W-21466

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it will take forward the findings of its consultation on the water and sewerage charges exemption scheme for small organisations.

Question reference: S4W-21467

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how changing the basis for eligibility for the water and sewerage charges exemption scheme for small organisations from net to gross income would impact on churches.

Question reference: S4W-21468

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make more money available to the water and sewerage charges exemption scheme for small third sector organisations.

Question reference: S4O-03194

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs last met Historic Scotland and what was discussed.

I met Historic Scotland officials at Stirling Castle on 1 May 2014 as they finalised preparations for the Wallace, Bruce and Scotland’s contested crown exhibition. I discussed the significance of 700 year-old letters relating to William Wallace and Robert the Bruce being exhibited together for the first time. The exhibition is being run by National Records of Scotland with support from Historic Scotland and is on display at Stirling Castle from 3 May 2014 until 1 June. 2014

Question reference: S4W-20622

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 30 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the then administration instructed the Lord Advocate to raise with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council the issues raised in Report of the Expert Group on Financial and Other Support, which was published in 2003, and, if so, what the response from the committee was and what subsequent action was taken.

Following the publication of the Report of the Expert Group on Financial and Other Support in March 2003, on 29 August 2003 the Secretary of State for Health and Health Ministers of the Devolved Administrations announced that a UK wide scheme would be set up to make ex gratia payments to certain persons who had been infected with the hepatitis C virus by NHS blood products provided certain conditions of eligibility were met and this scheme continues.

The report recommended that if the Westminster Government disputed the vires of what was being proposed by way of compensation for the people who had contracted hepatitis C from blood products, the Scottish Government should take immediate steps to have the issue referred to the Judicial Committee by the Lord Advocate. No such reference was made. With regard to the vires issue, in view of the fact that the scheme would involve continuing expenditure it was considered appropriate for Scottish Ministers to seek statutory powers. Scottish Ministers adopted the Skipton Fund under section 28 (Infection with hepatitis C as a result of NHS treatment etc) of the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2005/13/contents.

Section 28 of the 2005 Act provides for the Scottish Ministers to make a scheme for making payments to, or in respect of, persons who have been infected with the hepatitis C virus in certain circumstances. A scheme may include certain matters such as conditions for eligibility and the Scottish Ministers may make provision in the scheme for other persons to undertake functions or manage the scheme on their behalf.

Provisions within Section 85B of the NHS Scotland Act 1978:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1978/29/section/85B allow Scottish Ministers to introduce a scheme to make provision to meet losses and liabilities of certain health service bodies.

Question reference: S4O-03166

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider proposals to amend the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 in relation to the licensing of funfairs in light of the reported economic impact on showpeople.