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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 842 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5O-01153

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 21 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to physically disabled adults to access sporting and fitness facilities.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is set out in our disability action plan which was published last December. We believe that a fairer Scotland can only be realised when we secure equal rights for everyone.

sportscotland, the national agency for sport, works to ensure that every person in Scotland has opportunities in sport. Equalities and inclusion is a priority for sportscotland which recognises that widening access to sport is about understanding the needs of people and the contribution sport can make to tackling inequality and discrimination, promoting greater access and inclusion, and addressing wider social issues.

Question reference: S5W-09625

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 15 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to undertake a review of the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, specifically in relation to the level of fine that can be imposed.

Question reference: S5W-09520

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a standalone board for the new south of Scotland enterprise agency, similar to that of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

The second phase of the Enterprise and Skills Review has been exploring options for the new South of Scotland vehicle which will be set out in the final report to be published in late June. The detail of the governance arrangements will be further developed as part of the implementation phase and I reiterate our position that we are committed to delivering dedicated support which is locally based, managed and directed.

Question reference: S5W-09399

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the procedure is for people in Scotland to raise concerns regarding the application of section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, consent required for overhead lines.

Applications made under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 are subject to public consultation procedures set out in Schedule 8 of the Act and within the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017, where these Regulations have effect. The following link provides further detailed information on applications, legislation and statutory public consultations.

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Infrastructure/Energy-Consents

Question reference: S5O-01089

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote economic growth in the south of Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-01046

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the report by Fujitsu regarding the IT system used to process CAP payments.

The report from Fujitsu contains sensitive commercial information as well as technical detail which has implications for cyber-security – publishing such detail could compromise the security of the CAP payments IT platform and, at this critical juncture in the payments schedule, I’m sure the member would agree that would not be a desirable outcome.

I can reassure the member that improvements identified in the Report are already underway and that my officials are working with CGI, the main IT supplier, and Fujitsu on an incremental improvement programme to provide longer term sustainability, scalability and flexibility to the CAP payment system.

Question reference: S5W-09199

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing low-emission zones in cities to reduce congestion and improve air quality, and what assessment it has made of the economic impact of such a policy.

Question reference: S5W-08847

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that increasing the threshold for screening proposed forestry projects for their environmental impact will not lead to a risk of significant negative environmental impacts.

The Scottish Government has only increased the threshold for forestry projects outside sensitive areas. There remains no threshold for forestry projects in sensitive areas and all woodland creation projects in those areas must undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

In addition to the EIA process, the significant majority of woodland creation projects apply for financial support under the Forestry Grant Scheme. The scheme’s application process requires surveys and environmental information to be submitted where appropriate. All applications are then checked to ensure compliance with the UK Forestry Standard, the widely recognised benchmark for sustainable forest management.

Question reference: S5W-08812

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance can be provided to people on low incomes in band E properties and above to help mitigate any rise in council tax.

Question reference: S5W-08506

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether, under European protected species legislation and guidance provided by the Scottish Government to local authorities, in circumstances where a planning authority is advised that bats are present in a building due to be demolished and a mitigation plan detailing the implications and action to be taken is present, planning permission can be granted on condition that a European Protected Species License must be obtained and copied to the planning authority before demolition commences.

Scottish Government guidance is that planning permission cannot be granted without the planning authority first being satisfied that the proposed development will not impact adversely on any European protected species. This is to ensure compliance with national and European legislation on such species.

If the presence of a European Protected Species has been established and the development’s likely effects on it will not be adverse, the planning authority could still apply certain conditions, for example on the timing of development, that further support and ensure that no adverse impacts occur.

It would not be appropriate to use planning conditions requiring compliance with other statutory requirements, such as the need to secure a licence. A planning authority could include an advisory note in this regard on a decision notice for planning permission; however, responsibility for complying with such requirements rests with the applicant or developer.

I include a link to a 2006 letter to planning authorities about these issues. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0042/00427305.pdf - 2006 letter to planning authorities.