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: S4W-00624

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to local transport authorities to encourage the use of public transport.

Local authorities receive capital funding through the local government settlement to spend according to their priorities. The Scottish Government encourages the use of public transport through initiatives such as Smarter Choices Smarter Places, through publishing guidance to encourage a partnership approach to develop and address improvements in bus services and through the concessionary travel scheme.

Question reference: S4W-00635

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff are British Sign Language users.

As with other languages, the information relating to staff language or other qualifications, is not held centrally, nor do we hold centrally the information relating to any languages understood or spoken by staff.

Where a member of the public or job applicant required access to British Sign Language interpreter, as a reasonable adjustment to access a service, we would arrange for that to be provided in the same manner as we would for any other reasonable adjustment or interpretation requirement.

Question reference: S4W-00633

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests to translate its documents or publications into British Sign Language have been refused in the last five years.

Question reference: S4W-00622

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to redraw local authority boundaries in Uddingston and Bellshill in the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to redraw the boundaries of local authority areas in Uddingston and Bellshill. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland has the duty to review local authority area boundaries and to recommend changes resulting from any such review to ministers. This duty is subject to any ministerial direction given to the commission about the scope of reviews. Ministerial directions have been in place since 1999 restricting the commission to small scale reviews affecting a limited number of electors.

Question reference: S4W-00621

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to redraw local authority boundaries in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth in the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to redraw the boundaries of local authority areas in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland has the duty to review local authority area boundaries and to recommend changes resulting from any such review to ministers. This duty is subject to any ministerial direction given to the commission about the scope of reviews. Ministerial directions have been in place since 1999 restricting the commission to small scale reviews affecting a limited number of electors.

Question reference: S4W-00619

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to redraw local authority boundaries in Motherwell and Wishaw in the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to redraw the boundaries of local authority areas in Motherwell and Wishaw. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland has the duty to review local authority area boundaries and to recommend changes resulting from any such review to ministers. This duty is subject to any ministerial direction given to the commission about the scope of reviews. Ministerial directions have been in place since 1999 restricting the commission to small scale reviews affecting a limited number of electors.

Question reference: S4W-00615

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to redraw local authority boundaries in Falkirk East in the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to redraw the boundaries of local authority areas in Falkirk East. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland has the duty to review local authority area boundaries and to recommend changes resulting from any such review to ministers. This duty is subject to any ministerial direction given to the commission about the scope of reviews. Ministerial directions have been in place since 1999 restricting the commission to small scale reviews affecting a limited number of electors.

Question reference: S4W-00630

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what documents and publications it makes available in British Sign Language.

Question reference: S4W-00632

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests to translate its documents or publications into British Sign Language have been granted in the last five years.

Question reference: S4W-00629

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for legal recognition of British Sign Language as an official language of Scotland.

Shona Robison MSP, the then Minister for Public Health and Sport, formally announced the Scottish Government’s recognition of British Sign Language as a language in Scotland on 5 March 2011. The Minister said:

“The Scottish Government recognises the importance of British Sign Language to the Deaf community in Scotland, and the contribution which this vibrant language makes to the rich and varied use of language in Scotland today. BSL is a vital means of communication for Deaf people, as well as part of their linguistic and cultural identity, and we see our funding to support the training of tutors of BSL and of BSL interpreters as an important contribution towards protecting the language.”

The Scottish Government recognise the importance of British Sign Language to the deaf community in Scotland. We work with partners on the British Sign Language and Linguistic Access Working Group, which has published the Roadmap to British Sign Language and Linguistic Access in Scotland. We have provided funding for British Sign Language work, and we continue to work to support British Sign Language in Scotland.