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-02173

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote hydrogen as a means of storing and distributing energy.

Question reference: S4O-02113

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme Open Fund will be.

The Open Fund is a major component in the development of the nationwide Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Culture Programme. It received a fantastic response and I am delighted by the incredible enthusiasm that has been shown by cultural organisations and individuals throughout the nation.

The Culture Programme will significantly enhance the Games experience for all of Scotland’s communities, spectators and visitors, as well as present the best of Scotland’s culture alongside that of the Commonwealth.

Question reference: S4W-14729

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2013
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the outcome of its parallel streams of work on an historic environment strategy and the future of Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.

I am pleased to announce that I am today publishing the business case for the merger of Historic Scotland and RCAHMS and that I intend to establish the merged body as a non-departmental public body and make provisions for it to apply for charitable status in line with Scotland’s National Collections.

I am also publishing a draft Strategy for Scotland’s Historic Environment. This is a strategy for Scotland and seeks to establish a common shared direction for the varied organisations and individuals who play a role in caring for our historic environment. The new body will have a key role in leading and enabling its delivery

I am today launching a joint consultation covering both the strategy and the establishment of the proposed new body. The published documents are available at: www.scotland.gov.uk/HEstrategy_merger

Question reference: S4O-01990

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with college regionalisation.

Question reference: S4W-13728

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what progress Historic Scotland has made on designating Historic Marine Protected Areas.

Following work to record the remains of a historic wreck site discovered by scallop divers close to the harbour of Drumbeg, Sutherland, Historic Scotland has today designated Scotland’s first Historic Marine Protected Area (MPA) under the urgent designation procedures in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. This is the first time that the new MPA powers have been used. Public consultation will follow shortly on a proposal to make this designation more permanent.

As part of this first round of consultation, Historic Scotland will also be inviting views on proposals to designate six further Historic MPAs during 2013, to protect seven historic shipwrecks ranging from a 17^th century Scottish warship off Duart Point, Mull, to the Campania, a Clydebuilt former Blue-Riband winning Cunard liner, which performed valuable service as a converted aircraft carrier during WW1. Their designation as Historic MPAs will allow the Scottish Government to replace existing statutory protection for these sites under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. This will align marine heritage protection in Scotland with the Scottish Government’s new marine planning system and its overall approach to protection of our outstanding marine environment. The change in designation will not only help to protect these sites from harm, but will also help to streamline the consent arrangements and provide new opportunities for responsible access by scuba divers and others who will be more easily able to enjoy and appreciate these highly important sites.

Once these initial designations are in place, Historic Scotland will be visiting Orkney to consider the need for a historic MPA to protect what remains under water relating to the key wartime naval anchorage of Scapa Flow in advance of the centenary of WW1. A small number of other high priority, currently undesignated sites around the Scottish coast may also be considered between now and 2015.

Question reference: S4O-01928

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the health benefits of access to green space.

Question reference: S4O-01883

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what difference being named a Fairtrade nation will make to the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-01723

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made toward implementing the shovel-ready projects announced in December 2012.

Question reference: S4F-01104

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2013

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the recent CNN poll that places Scotland as the number one tourist destination for 2013.

Question reference: S4W-11876

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2012
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when the Registrar General will publish the results from the 2011 Census.

Scotland’s Census 2011: Release 1A is published today (Laying number: SG/2012/254). This report presents the first results from the 2011 Census in Scotland, which was held on 27 March 2011. The statistics provide estimates of the usually resident population of Scotland on Census Day broken down by age and sex along with estimates of the total usually resident population in each council area. A copy of the report is available in the Scottish Parliament Reference Centre (Bib. number 54593), or from the Scotland’s Census website at: