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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1255 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-11151

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications for the Scottish budget would be if income tax was increased in Scotland.

As I made clear in my answer to Mark McDonald at General Questions (S4O-01479), 15 November, the Scottish rate of income tax will be introduced in April 2016. The Office for Budget Responsibility produced forecasts in March 2012 indicating that a 1p change in the Scottish rate of income tax would equate to around £560 million.

Consequently, were the Scottish rate of income tax to be set at a level above the UK rate, each 1p would provide an increase of around £560 million in the Scottish budget from 2016.

Question reference: S4W-10960

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on whether anyone working in the public sector in Scotland has been the subject of national insurance and tax avoidance arrangements such as reported by the BBC News on 4 November 2012.

The Scottish Government expects those who work on public sector business to do so within the tax system. We are not aware of offshore companies employing teachers in this way in Scotland. Here supply teachers are employed by local authorities and as such should be paid through the local authority’s payroll. Since February 2006 Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd has engaged in off-shore crewing but this practice is adopted widely throughout the UK shipping industry and was formalised by the UK Government in 2003.

Question reference: S4W-10961

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has procurement contracts with firms that have recently been the subject of news stories regarding tax evasion.

Question reference: S4W-10962

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 14 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what shrieval specialisms are available in the Highlands and Islands, broken down by (a) category and (b) location.

Question reference: S4W-10123

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 October 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help NHS boards encourage greater awareness of obstructive sleep apnoea among GPs and other health professionals.

A Sleep Studies Working Group has been formed, with the aim of ensuring that people with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) are appropriately referred to specialist sleep services. The group, (consisting of NHS clinicians, managers, members of the Scottish Government’s Access Support Team and a patient representative) is in the process of piloting sleep studies referral guidance within a number of NHS boards, including Dumfries and Galloway, Highland and Lothian for GP referrals.

GPs are being encouraged to complete this referral guidance as it will give secondary care clinicians valuable information prior to the out-patient-review.

NHS boards are also encouraged to capture data for all patients undergoing investigation in the out-patient setting. In addition, the working group is developing GP guidance for management of OSAS to help raise awareness in primary care. It is expected that the group’s report will be cascaded via NHS board chief executives in the New Year.

Sleep disorders, including OSAS have also been discussed at meetings of the National Advisory Group for Respiratory Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs), which comprises representatives from the local respiratory MCN in each NHS board. The group has set up a sleep sub-group, which includes representation from the Scottish Sleep Forum, to identify issues in sleep services and potential solutions. The Scottish Government will be kept informed of its findings.

Question reference: S4O-01392

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what implications have arisen for the Scottish rail franchise as a result of the recent UK Government decision on the west coast mainline.

Question reference: S4W-09687

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact on employment, what approaches it has made to defence industries based in Scotland to encourage them to diversify into civilian areas of work.

Scotland has a rich and diverse defence industry in Scotland, with many companies working across a broad range of other sectors, including in the growing renewables market.

The Scottish Government and our agencies are working to support companies, including defence companies, diversify into new markets through innovation support, research and development funding; skills and training, and to harness and exploit international opportunities through inward or outward investment. This includes exploring opportunities for joint working in key strategic areas with other Scottish key sectors such as digital markets & enabling technologies and textiles.

Question reference: S4O-01335

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements it is making to the A82 between Fort William and Inverness.

The Scottish Government continues to invest in the A82 trunk road. Transport Scotland is progressing a programme of maintenance and minor safety improvements on the A82 for this financial year. Works are also ongoing at Glen Gloy (where work to repair the landslide will also incorporate road realignment) and Loch Lochy. In addition, the first three phases of a £600,000 A82 Route Accident Reduction Plan have been completed between Tyndrum and Inverness.

Question reference: S4W-09607

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose was of the recent census of users of the A9; what the purpose of each of the questions was, and whether the resulting information will be provided to commercial organisations.

The purpose of the surveys is to provide some of the information required to undertake the design of the A9 Dualling from Perth to Inverness.

Question	Purpose
Breaks from driving	To assist in decisions on the frequency and provision of lay-bys and rest areas
Bluetooth Technology	This was to assist with a research project on the potential usage of new technology
Frequency of use and where are you going from and to	To assist in decisions on the location and design of the junctions
Purpose of journey	To refine the business case for the project
Type of good and weight of vehicle (HGV only)	To provide data for freight and logistics planning

Data will not be supplied as a matter of course to commercial organisations, but it would not be withheld from any party asking for it. This would be in a format that ensures the requirements of data protection are met.

Question reference: S4W-09606

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the proposals to improve arrangements for independent monitoring of prisons will meet the obligations under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT).

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has asked Professor Andrew Coyle, Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies in the University of London and Visiting Professor in the University of Essex, to review the Scottish Government’s proposals to improve arrangements for independent monitoring of prisons.

The review will run from October 2012 until January 2013. Professor Coyle will produce a report with recommendations by the end of January 2013.