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-00275

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps a person can take to reclaim an overpayment of council tax due to a wrong banding.

Question reference: S4W-02962

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will re-evaluate the zero waste regulations to introduce minimum standards for the extraction of recyclables at waste treatment facilities.

The Scottish Government will shortly issue our Policy Statement which will set out the final measures to be progressed within the Zero Waste (Scotland) Regulations. This follows an extensive consultation process with key stakeholders.

A key aim of the Regulations is to ensure that recyclable material is removed before incineration takes place.

Through Zero Waste Scotland, we are working closely with industry to develop quality standards for recycled materials, which will assist in maximising the quantity and quality of recycling in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-02532

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland has lost files regarding the construction of junction 6 of the A8/M8 motorway and, if so, what the Scottish Government's position is on this matter and whether copies of the files can be retrieved by the contractor.

Question reference: S4W-02229

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment plans to inspect and monitor the operation of the 65 seal licenses granted this year.

Question reference: S4W-02228

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is taking to protect the seal population in light of the granting of 65 seal licenses.

The Scottish Government has already achieved the most significant advance in seal protection in 40 years through the introduction of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. This has made it an offence to kill any seal at any time unless under licence or to alleviate suffering.

Marine Scotland monitors the operation of the seal licensing system through a system of quarterly returns. The results of the first quarter returns have been published on the Marine Scotland website and show that only 61 grey and 19 common seals were shot in the first three months out of a grey seal population of 108,000 and a minimum common seal population of 20,400. No seals were shot for over three quarters of licences granted. These figures are significantly lower than any previous estimates of seals shot each year offered by NGOs (non-governmental organisations) at between 2,000 and 5,000 per annum.

The low numbers of seals shot during the first quarter of the licensing system show that licensees are only shooting as a last resort and I expect that this will continue to be the case.

This information can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/marine/licensing/seallicensing.

Question reference: S4W-02231

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has taken to investigate non-lethal seal management measures.

The Scottish Government funds a number of projects investigating the interactions between seals and fish farms. The projects are wide ranging in nature but focus on gaining a better understanding of the interactions between seals and fish farms, leading to improved sustainable methods for managing seal predation, and developing and testing existing and novel non-lethal measures.

Marine Scotland will continue to work closely with industry and scientists to develop and improve non-lethal seal management measures.

Question reference: S4W-02230

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is taking to ensure that the Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture and the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 are being adhered to by the Scottish fishing industry.

The Code of Good Practice (CoGP) for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture is a voluntary code, independently audited by Food Certification International Ltd. A CoGP management group is responsible for implementation of the Code and Marine Scotland Science Fish Health Inspectorate is represented on this group. The Fish Health Inspectorate also conduct inspections under the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2007 to ensure satisfactory measures are in place for prevention of escapes, containment of fish and control of sea-lice, as detailed in the relevant sections of the Code.

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 introduced seal licensing for control of seals and marine licences for marine activities. Marine Scotland monitors the operation of the seal licensing system, including the checking of quarterly returns of seals shot under licence and examination of any seal carcasses recovered and, where appropriate, will investigate any specific issues that may arise.

A marine licence is required for the deposit of any material that may represent a danger to shipping or navigation and for the deposit of chemicals used in the well boat treatment of farmed fish for parasites. On completion of the licensed activity the licensee must submit a return to Marine Scotland which is checked against the licence details before being placed on the public register. Marine Scotland has a range of options available in terms of enforcement activity including using vessels and, if required, aircraft. Under normal circumstances, officers will visit the site and check that the activity is being undertaken according to the licence and the conditions.

Question reference: S4W-02264

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many housing associations use different systems to that of their local authority area for allocating houses.

Question reference: S4W-02262

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the same system for allocating houses is not used by all local authorities and housing associations.

Question reference: S4W-02261

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that local authorities and housing associations which share a common housing register should have a common policy for allocating houses.

It is for social landlords to determine the most effective allocation policy based on the housing needs and pressures they face and the stock they have available to let. A guide for social landlords published in 2009 and entitled Building a Common Housing Register sets out the definition and key components of a common housing register. The guide can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/10/12154642/0.