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: S5W-26631

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many times in 2019 it has met Scotland's Railway, and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5W-26633

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to increase midweek access to the rail infrastructure to allow maintenance and other activities to be safely carried out.

Question reference: S5W-26638

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Office of Rail and Road regarding the impact of unfilled vacancies on Network Rail in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-26541

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions in each of the last five years it has met the Community Security Trust, and what issues were discussed.

Officials from our Connected Communities team met with the Community Security Trust twice in 2017; once in 2018; and twice in 2019. Our most recent meeting was on 7 November 2019. On each occasion a range of matters related to tackling hate crime and building connected communities were discussed.

We are unable to provide details of all of wider Scottish Government’s engagements with the Community Security Trust or specific details of all that has been discussed with this organisation.

Question reference: S5W-26542

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions in each of the last five years it has met the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, and what issues were discussed.

The First Minister met with SCOJEC in June 2015 and August 2017, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and the Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment met them in November 2015. The Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities met with the organisation in November 2016 and August 2017. Officials from our Connected Communities team also met with SCOJEC twice in 2017; once in 2018; and twice in 2019. Our most recent meeting was on 7 November 2019. On each occasion a range of matters related to tackling hate crime and building connected communities were discussed.

We are unable to provide details of all of wider Scottish Government’s engagements with SCOJEC or specific details of all that has been discussed with this organisation.

Question reference: S5W-26540

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26373 by Aileen Campbell on 25 November 2019, whether it will provide the information requested regarding the names of all of the organisations that made informal requests for it to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Question reference: S5W-26539

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26373 by Aileen Campbell on 25 November 2019, on what dates and by what methods the (a) Community Security Trust and (b) Scottish Council of Jewish Communities requested that it adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism.

Question reference: S5O-03940

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the planning decision on the proposed development of a golf course at Coul Links will be announced.

Question reference: S5W-26422

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26103 by Ash Denham on 14 November 2019, should a person claims that they have been denied access to a duty solicitor, whether it will confirm what avenues of redress are available to them.

If an individual has concerns about the actions of an officer or their treatment in police custody then this should be raised with the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable of Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland, and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.

If, once a response from Police Scotland has been received, the individual remains dissatisfied they can refer the matter to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC). PIRC have responsibility for providing independent scrutiny of the way the police respond to complaints from the public.

Question reference: S5W-26416

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much carbon has been emitted by (a) ports and (b) the shipping industry in each year since 2014.

The Carbon Account for Transport provides a detailed analysis of annual transport emissions data for Scotland, including emissions by vehicle type which lists Shipping. The latest edition of the Carbon Account, covering the period from 1990-2017, is available on the Transport Scotland website at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/carbon-account-for-transport-no-11-2019-edition/ .

We do not hold information on levels of carbon emitted by ports.