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-08902

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 August 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on the shipbuilding industry in Scotland, what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the appointment of a Korean shipbuilder as preferred bidder for Royal Navy ships.

Question reference: S4W-08548

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when an announcement will be made on Falkirk Council’s tax incremental financing bid.

Question reference: S4W-08349

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress NHS Forth Valley has made toward meeting insulin pump provision targets.

Question reference: S4W-08238

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on plans to install signals at the M9 junction 6 off-slip and the M9 junction 6 on-slip.

Question reference: S4W-08237

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress Transport Scotland and Falkirk Council have made regarding improving junctions 5 and 6 on the M9.

Question reference: S4W-08216

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 19 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in developing a successor to the air route development fund.

The European Commission introduced restrictive guidelines in 2005 which severely limit the amount of public assistance that can be made available for the start-up of new air routes. The Commission is currently reviewing these guidelines and our contributions to the Commission’s consultation exercise have argued strongly for guidelines which do not inhibit sustainable economic growth. We wish to see revised guidelines which would allow us, within current financial constraints, to effectively support improvements to Scotland’s international air network.

Question reference: S4W-08350

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 19 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with improvements to the A801 Avon Gorge link road since February 2012 and what the timescale is for completion.

In light of the objectives of the Strategic Transport Project Review and National Planning Framework 2, we are continuing our discussions with Falkirk and West Lothian Council and other stakeholders regarding the development of the Grangemouth Freight Hub. This includes consideration of the A801 and recent progress on Falkirk’s Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) proposal.

The timetable for the delivery of the A801 (including the River Avon Gorge Crossing) will be set in the context of overall affordability.

Question reference: S4W-08351

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 16 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many breaches of the sulphur dioxide 15-minute mean objective, as specified in the Air Quality (Scotland) Regulations 2000, have been identified by the (a) Bo'ness Town Hall, (b) AURN (Inchyra Park), (c) Moray Primary School, (d) Grangemouth Municipal Chambers and (e) Polmont monitoring stations since November 2005.

The number of breaches of the sulphur dioxide 15-minute mean objective is set out in the following table:

Area	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012³
Bo’ness Town Hall	0	0	0	0	4	1	0	0
AURN (Inchyra Park)	0	14	1	4	20	46	36	44
Moray Primary School¹	-	-	126	117	65	62	74	67
Grangemouth Municipal Chambers	0	3	109	49	17	12	6	43
Polmont²	-	-	-	-	-	1	0	0

Notes:

1. Operational from January 2007

2. Operational from September 2010

3. To 7 July 2012.

Question reference: S4W-08352

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards the new Business Gateway contracts will contain to ensure that social enterprises receive full support and advice.

The Business Gateway provides support and advice which is open to all businesses across Scotland, including social enterprises. Local authorities are responsible for the delivery of Business Gateway locally and legally responsible for the retendering of the service. The specification for Business Gateway contracts highlights that support for social enterprises is available, including access to all one to many services provided (tools, guides and website diagnostics) as well as to workshops and events. Like other businesses, social enterprises can also access more intensive locally delivered support where they meet the criteria outlined in the specification.

Business Gateway also refers businesses onto other specialist advice services where necessary, including the Just Enterprise Programme, a business support programme, financed by the Scottish Government, delivering business support and learning services across Scotland and integrating for the first time, start-up, business support and learning and development services to Social Entrepreneurs and Enterprising Third Sector Organisations. Just Enterprise complements the economic development infrastructure in Scotland – Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Business Gateway.

Question reference: S4W-08215

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in integrating health and social care in the Falkirk Council area.

On 8 May I launched a consultation on the integration of adult health and social care. During the consultation period there will be a thorough engagement process taking place with a wide range of stakeholders involving the NHS, local government, the third and independent sector. The analysis of the consultation will take place over the autumn. This will inform the policy and legislation proposals.

While it is reasonable for local partnerships to wait for future direction on integration to be made clear, there is much good work already on-going at a local level. The partnership in Falkirk is pursuing a range of joint initiatives as part of its Change Fund activity.