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: S5W-03991

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the wider implications of delays associated with hip replacement operations.

NHS Boards are responsible for planning and delivering services to meet the needs of their local population now and in future. The Scottish Government Health Directorate continue to actively support Boards to better project demand for NHS services and to plan for sufficient capacity to meet these demands over coming years to ensure that all patients, including those requiring hip-replacement procedures have no delay in accessing health care.

To support the increasing demands placed on the NHS the Scottish Government has already committed to invest £200 million to create five new elective centres and to expand the Golden Jubilee to meet future changing demographics over the next 10-15 years. One of the proposed centres is to be built in Inverness. These new centres will carry out procedures like hip and knee surgery and will allow people to be seen more quickly for planned surgery. This will also help the NHS to meet increasing demand from a growing elderly population, taking pressure off unplanned and emergency treatment.

Question reference: S5W-03295

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02387 by Paul Wheelhouse on 28 September 2016, whether it will answer the question that was asked regarding whether it was consulted on the reported plan by the Oil and Gas Authority to use £2.5 million of money received from the Treasury to fund new analysis of seismic data that was harvested 25 years ago.

The Scottish Government has not been directly or formally consulted by the OGA on the recent new analysis of seismic data, but officials have engaged with the OGA to discuss the Authority’s support for seismic surveying and analysis, including discussing the reprocessing of legacy seismic data in Scottish western inshore waters.

Officials discussed the concept that one of the aims of reprocessing the existing seismic data is to provide context for seismic interpretations in other, geologically connected parts of the offshore area, and so not necessarily to encourage exploration activity in the specific areas covered by the data. For example, the Minches and Skye data is analogous to, and therefore aids in interpretations of, more distant offshore areas.

Question reference: S5W-03993

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been received by each NHS board as a result of NHS facilities being used privately in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S5W-03992

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it last assessed the operational implications of NHS facilities being used privately.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03990 on 4 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The operational implications are a matter for individual Boards who must ensure that services for NHS patients are not negatively impacted.

Question reference: S5W-03990

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made between delays associated with procedures carried out on the NHS and the number of similar private procedures undertaken in NHS facilities.

Question reference: S5O-00318

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Ministry of Defence in the last year regarding the environment.

Question reference: S5W-03567

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the possible environmental and safety risks, what assessment it has made of the implications of the transport of enriched uranium from Dounreay to the USA and the upgrade of Wick John O’Groats Airport to handle this, and what discussions it had had with (a) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, (b) The Highland Council and (c) The Moray Council regarding this.

Nuclear materials stored at Dounreay are owned by the UK Government. The transportation of nuclear materials is a reserved matter. Before any move, there is robust consideration of safety and security, involving as appropriate Scottish agencies including Police Scotland and SEPA. The Scottish Government has been kept regularly informed of progress with the programme of movements of nuclear materials from Dounreay. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which is responsible to Scottish and UK Ministers for their activities in Scotland, carry out a thorough programme of stakeholder communication ahead of any moves.

Question reference: S5W-03635

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used in determining suitability for national nature reserve designation.

In summary, to be considered for the National Nature Reserve accolade a site will:

1. Be nationally important for one or preferably a range of natural features.

2. Be very well managed to ensure the continuity and, where necessary, the enhancement of these features in the long term.

3. Be suitable for presentation or demonstration of these features in an appropriate way to the public.

4. Be likely to inspire people to value and enjoy Scotland’s natural environment.

Criteria for the selection of National Nature Reserves are published and available via the following web link: http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/A1576100.pdf

Question reference: S5W-03637

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of Brexit on (a) local and (b) national nature reserves.

Question reference: S5W-03891

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out an assessment of the environmental impact on the west coast of the recent NATO exercise, Unmanned Warrior.