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-02857

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it does to support shared or common housing registers for local authorities, housing associations and housing co-operatives.

Question reference: S4O-02815

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many authorised police firearm officers there are.

Question reference: S4W-19006

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18760 by Keith Brown on 18 December 2013, what the timetable is to carry out the further measures referred to.

Question reference: S4W-17363

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 13 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what advice the Lord Advocate has issued regarding use of Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Question reference: S4W-18912

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how (a) it and (b) the Scottish Prison Service monitors the performance of the organisations that operate prisoner escort services in the Highlands and Islands.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

“The Scottish Prison Service (SPS), on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, is responsible for the management of the contract in place for the provision of Court Custody and Prisoner Escort Services in Scotland (CCPES), including in the Highlands and Islands. These services are provided by G4S Care and Justice Services.

The SPS has a contract management unit and an escort monitor team to oversee and monitor the performance of the services specified in the CCPES contract, which is published on the SPS website at:

http://www.sps.gov.uk/Publications/Publication-3104.aspx.”

Question reference: S4W-18337

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the value of is of the contracts that it has awarded to (a) Atos, (b) G4S, (c) Serco and (d) Capita in each year since 2007.

Details are as follows:

(a) Atos

The Scottish Government has awarded the following contracts to Atos since 2007:

Occupational Health Services (awarded in December 2012): Scottish Government spend to date: £35,135.

Provision of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and Welfare Services (awarded in November 2012): Scottish Government spend to date: £34,033.

(b) G4S

The Scottish Government has awarded the following contracts to G4S since 2007:

Contract for the Electronic Monitoring of Offenders (awarded in April 2013); contract value: £12,124,081.

Contract for an Escorting Service for Children and Young People sentenced to detention through the courts (awarded in January 2012); contract value: £398,130.

The Scottish Government has awarded the following contracts to Serco since 2007:

Contract for the provision of Cleaning Services (awarded in November 2008); contract value: £1.3 million.

Contract for the provision of “Know The Score & Drinkline Scotland Helplines” (awarded in November 2012); contract value: £53,976.

(d) Capita

The Scottish Government has awarded the following contracts to Capita since 2007:

Framework for Assessment Centres and Related Services (awarded in December 2008 and expired November 2013): contract value £1,939,646.

Framework for Assessment Centres and Related Services (awarded in November 2013): This framework is open to core Scottish Government only. Note this is a new framework and there have been no call-off contracts to date.

Question reference: S4W-18762

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop infrastructure to help Kishorn become a centre for the renewables industry.

Question reference: S4W-18765

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government which ministers received a copy of the Scottish Enterprise-commissioned report, Scottish Aerospace, Defence & Marine Industry Study 2010, and what its response is to the findings.

The Scottish Aerospace, Defence & Marine Industry Study 2010 was welcomed by the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, who noted the strong and vital contribution the aerospace, defence and marine industry makes to Scotland’s economy, substantially enhancing Scotland’s excellent reputation for innovation and technology, and supporting thousands of jobs.

The publication of the industry baseline study was important in helping to illustrate clearly the impact and size of the sector, particularly defence manufacturing, in Scotland and also helped inform the Scottish Government’s response to the UK Strategic Defence and Security Review also published in 2010.

Question reference: S4W-18760

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the A82 will be subject to further upgrading following the completion of the Crianlarich bypass and, if so, (a) where and (b) when.

The £500,000 package of environmental and engineering surveys between Tarbet and Inverarnan as announced in June 2011 is now complete. A £2 million feasibility study of the 17km section of the A82 from Tarbet to Inverarnan started this summer and is programmed to take around two years to complete. The Crianlarich Bypass itself is programmed to open by late Summer 2014.

Further measures between Glasgow and Fort William including climbing lanes; overtaking lay-bys and junction improvements are identified in the Strategic Transport Projects Review. The detail of these will be delivered as funding allows.

Transport Scotland will also continue to work closely with The Highland Council on the Inverness West Link Road where it joins the A82 at Tomnahurich Bridge.

Question reference: S4W-18763

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it will make of whether each stage of the upgrade of the A9 will result in a modal shift of use of the (a) A82 and (b) Highland mainline.