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-25195

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the level of landfill tax (a) evasion and (b) avoidance in Scotland, and what the estimate is for each of the next four years.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Landfill tax in Scotland, prior to 1 April 2015, was reserved to the UK Government and collected and administered by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The Scottish Government will work with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Revenue Scotland to monitor Scottish Landfill Tax evasion through purposefully incorrect tax returns and unauthorised disposals of waste.

The Scottish Government has created robust measures in legislation, through the Landfill Tax (Scotland) Act 2014, to tax unauthorised disposals of waste. Given the nature of the activity the Scottish Government does not produce forecasts of potential future unauthorised disposals.

We have also aligned the accounting periods for tax and environmental permitting returns allowing Revenue Scotland to cross reference information from both regimes which should allow for easier identification of on-site landfill tax evasion.

Question reference: S4O-04230

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4O-04213

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 2 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take as a result of the report by Sheriff Principal Bowen, Consumer Protections in Conveyancing Cases.

The Scottish Government is aware of the issues raised by Sheriff Principal Bowen’s report. I am in regular contact with the Law Society of Scotland as these issues have been the subject of discussion with the Law Society and, separately, with the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism, given his portfolio responsibilities for the registries of Scotland to seek their views on how they intend to take forward the recommendations, while contact has also been made with Homes of Scotland on this issue, with a view to addressing the concerns regarding protection for home buyers in conveyancing law.

Question reference: S4W-24999

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of British Transport Police officers working on the Scottish rail network.

Question reference: S4W-24998

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult on its plans for policing of the rail network from 2016.

Police Scotland is responsible for policing in Scotland and it is an anomaly that policing of the railway is out with the jurisdiction of our national Chief Constable. Integration of the British Transport Police (BTP) within Police Scotland will ensure the most efficient and effective delivery of all policing in Scotland and will ensure accountability for the safety and security of our rail network is directed through the Scottish Police Authority and the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage throughout 2015 with all key stakeholders to shape the future model of rail policing within Police Scotland and to ensure that our railways continue to enjoy excellent policing.

The good work of BTP officers and staff in Scotland is valued by the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland, and protecting and maintaining their specialist skills and knowledge will be a priority.

Question reference: S4W-24997

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what safety impact assessment it has conducted of merging the British Transport Police with Police Scotland and whether it will publish the details.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with all key stakeholders throughout 2015 on proposals to shape the integration of the function of BTP in Scotland within Police Scotland. This will include the British Transport Police (BTP), the BTP Federation, other staff associations and unions, and the rail regulator on how this can be most effectively achieved within our national Police Service.

The good work of BTP officers is valued by the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland. It is essential that these skills are maintained and protected for the continued safety and security of the rail network and its passengers

Question reference: S4W-24949

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 27 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the First Minister will host the living wage summit she announced on 26 November 2014.

Question reference: S4F-02698

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2015

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to end the use of zero-hours contracts.

Question reference: S4W-24887

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) Amec Building Ltd, (b) Amec Construction Ltd, (c) Amec Facilities Ltd, (d) Amec Ind Div, (e) Amec Process & Energy Ltd, (f) Amey Construction, (g) B Sunley & Sons, (h) Balfour Beatty, (i) Balfour Kilpatrick, (j) Ballast (Wiltshire) PLC, (k) Bam Construction (HBC Construction), (l) Bam Nuttall (Edmund Nutall Ltd), (m) C B & I, (n) Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd, (o) Costain UK Ltd, (p) Crown House Technologies (Carillion/Tarmac Const), (q) Diamond M & E Services, (r) Dudley Bower & Co Ltd, (s) Emcor (Drake & Scull), (t) Emcor Rail, (u) G Wimpey Ltd, (v) Haden Young Kier Ltd, (w) John Mowlem Ltd, (x) Laing O’Rourke (Laing Ltd), (y) Lovell Construction (UK) Ltd, (z) Miller Construction Limited, (aa) Morgan Ashurst, Morgan Est, (ab) Morrison Construction Group, (ac) N G Bailey, (ad) Shepherd Engineering Services, (ae) Sias Building Services, (af) Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, (ag) Skanska (Kaverna/Trafalgar House Plc), (ah) SPIE (Matthew Hall), (ai) Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd, (aj) Turriff Construction Ltd, (ak) Tysons Contractors, (al) Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd, (am) Whessoe Oil & Gas, (an) Willmott Dixon and (ao) Vinci PLC (Norwest Holst Group) has been awarded public sector contracts in Scotland since 20 November 2013 and, if so, what the (i) name and (ii) value of such contracts is.

Question reference: S4O-04179

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report by Fiona McKenzie for NHS Lothian regarding concerns about the perinatal ward at St John's Hospital.