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-19105

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of each project subject to a funded service level agreement by NHS Lothian under its Strategic Mental Health Interventions Fund from 2013 to 2016.

No information is held centrally on projects funded under NHS Lothian’s Mental Health Strategic Programme Budget.

While the Scottish Government sets the national direction of mental health policy, for example through the Mental Health Strategy: 2012-15, the management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities, are the responsibility of relevant local agencies.

Question reference: S4W-18476

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans for an independent Scotland to recognise the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and, if so, whether it would wish to invoke any of the exemptions under clause 298.

Question reference: S4O-02657

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle air pollution in cities.

Question reference: S4F-01667

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2013

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government and NHS are taking to increase awareness and understanding of HIV.

Question reference: S4O-02546

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the potential introduction of NHS charges for overseas visitors will apply in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-16763

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what role Transport Scotland had in drawing up the 15-year financial projection for the Edinburgh tram project that was published by City of Edinburgh Council on 16 August 2013.

Question reference: S4W-16766

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what role Transport Scotland will have with the operation of the proposed Transport for Edinburgh arms-length company.

Question reference: S4W-16765

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being one of the conditions that it set in order to provide funding for it, how it will monitor the benefit-to-cost ratio of the Edinburgh tram project.

The benefit-to-cost ratio was used as a conditions precedent for the approval of the Scottish Government grant. In order to qualify for the grant funding the business case had to demonstrate a benefit-to-cost ratio of greater than one. This conditions precedent was fulfilled.

The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) will continue to monitor the performance of the tram system set out in the operating agreements between CEC and Edinburgh trams to ensure the benefits of the project are realised to the optimum level.

Question reference: S4W-16764

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Edinburgh tram project should continue to have a positive benefit-to-cost ratio.

Question reference: S4W-15866

Asked by: Marco Biagi, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what capital projects it has funded or part-funded, or expects to fund or part-fund, in Edinburgh between 2007 and 2016; what the value is or will be of its contribution for each project, and what the overall value is or will be of each project.

Edinburgh has benefitted and will benefit from a wide range of capital investment between 2007 and 2016. Information relating to major projects which are completed or which are currently in construction within the Edinburgh area and which the Scottish Government has provided funding or part funding for since 2007, is provided in the following table:

Project Name	Status	Capital Value	Scottish Government Proportion of Funding
Forth Replacement Crossing	In Construction	£1.45bn-£1.60 billion	100%
Edinburgh to Glasgow Rail Improvement Programme	In Construction	£650 million	100%
Edinburgh Tram Link project	In Construction	£500 million	64%
Parliament House Redevelopment	Completed	£60 million	100%
National Museum of Scotland	Completed	£47 million	33%
National Museums Collections Centre	In Construction	£11.8 million	100%
Scottish National Portrait Gallery	Completed	£17.1 million	42%
NHS Lothian Royal Victoria Hospital	Completed	£44 million	100%

Information relating to those major projects which the Scottish Government plan to provide funding or part funding for from 2013 to 2016 can be found in the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan which was published in December 2011 and subsequent update which was published in February 2013. Major projects include for example, the NHS Lothian Royal Hospital for Sick Children/Department of Clinical Neurosciences NPD project (£155 million), the NHS Lothian Reprovision of Royal Edinburgh Hospital project (c £181 million) as well as James Gillespie's High School, Boroughmuir High School and St John's Primary School which are all included within the £1.25 billion “Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme” which will deliver 67 new or refurbished schools by 2017-18.

Both publications can be found on the Scottish Government website by way of the following link: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/IIP

Through a range of funding initiatives, the Scottish Government has supported a number of housing projects between the period 2007 and 2012 and will continue to support over the 2012-16 period.

2007-12

During the period 2007-12, funding of £192.9 million was approved which resulted in the completion of 2,870 affordable homes through the traditional grant funding programme. In total these figures were achieved over 105 projects. In addition, over the 2007-12 period through the Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) programme (including Homestake), funding of £50.334 million was approved resulting in the purchase of some 1,202 properties. New Supply Shared Equity with Developers was launched in 2010-11. In Edinburgh we have supported the purchase of 20 homes over the 2010-12 period and £0.482 million funding.

2012-15

Over the period 2012-15 the Scottish Government has allocated £78.744 million funding to the City of Edinburgh Council which is expected to result in over 1,500 new affordable homes being approved although this number may change to reflect the recent changed targeted grant level per unit. A further £2.424 million funding was allocated in July 2013 given a total allocation of £81.168 million. In 2012-15 the Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) programme is continuing with a significant out-turn expected. For example in 2012-13 the OMSE out-turn figures in Edinburgh were 124 approvals with spend of £4.947 million. The recent announcement on the increase in this funding now totalling £90 million (Scotland wide) is expected to result in higher approvals in Edinburgh up to April 2015. During the 2012-15 period there is also a range of alternative funding models being taken forward including the National Housing Trust (NHT) on lending and unsubsidised housing. The NHT model in particular will provide 422 homes with no grant but rather a government guarantee. An additional 250 units are being considered using this funding model.