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-30741

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether special advisers and civil servants are allowed to go straight into other employment as lobbyists without a break in employment.

<>The Business Appointment Rules apply to all civil servants including special advisers and are designed to uphold the civil service's core values and avoid any cause for public concern, criticism or misinterpretation over the appointment of former civil servants.

Under these rules, civil servants including special advisers need to apply for permission to take up an external appointment or employment up to two years after leaving the civil service. This includes when the proposed appointment or employment would involve making representations to, or lobbying the government on behalf of a new employer.

An application may be approved but be subject to conditions. This may include a waiting period and/or a prohibition on them being involved in lobbying government on behalf of their new employer.

Any conditions may be applied for up to a maximum of two years.

Question reference: S4W-30720

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) it and (b) other public bodies has/have spent on research on fracking.

Question reference: S4W-30726

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what research (a) it and (b) other public bodies have carried out and are carrying out in relation to fracking.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30628 on 23 March 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.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

In 2014 the Scottish Government convened an independent group of scientific experts to provide impartial evidence on unconventional oil and gas. A copy of the final report can be found on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2014/07/1758.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Scottish Government asked ClimateXChange to undertake a desk-based study of the estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction of onshore unconventional gas in Scotland, from exploration to the point of fuel production. The final report was published in 2014, a copy of which can be found at: http://www.climatexchange.org.uk/reducing-emissions/life-cycle-assessment-ghg-emissions-unconventional-gas1/.

Question reference: S4W-30724

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of all meetings that it has had with INEOS since May 2011.

Question reference: S4W-30723

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of meetings that (a) ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants have had with representatives of INEOS since May 2011.

Question reference: S4W-30721

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of meetings that (a) ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants have had with (i) fracking companies or representatives acting on their behalf and (ii) fracking trade associations since May 2011.

The Scottish Government is committed to engaging widely with our stakeholders on unconventional oil and gas. During the course of the consultation we will engage with communities, environmental organisations and industry in an open and balanced way.

Information on ministerial meetings is routinely published on the Scottish Government website, and can be found at:

http://www.gov.scot/About/People/14944/Events-Engagements/MinisterialEngagements/MinisterialEngagements

For details of meetings between ministers and stakeholders to discuss the Scottish Government research into unconventional oil and gas, I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26272 on 27 July 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S4W-30573

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the reported provision of inappropriate accommodation for asylum seekers in Scotland and whether it will publish any such correspondence.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights wrote to the Home Secretary about allegations of inappropriate accommodation provision for asylum seekers on 10 February and 8 March 2016. The UK Immigration Minister responded to the first of these letters on 11 March 2016. The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with the UK Government on this subject.

Copies of the Cabinet Secretary’s letters have been placed in the Scottish Parliaments Information Centre (SPICe) under bib numbers 57774 and 57775.

Question reference: S4W-30725

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any correspondence from, and held any dialogue or meetings with, Charlotte Street Partners on behalf of any fracking companies in relation to fracking.

Question reference: S4W-30722

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of all meetings that it has had with (a) fracking companies and their representatives and (b) fracking trade associations since May 2011.

Question reference: S4W-30451

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what response it has had from the Home Secretary to its request for the Pitchford inquiry into undercover policing to cover Scotland.