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: S5W-05724

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what costs were associated with roundabout upgrades in Scotland for wind turbine movement, how these costs were met and by whom.

Question reference: S5W-05723

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what costs were associated with roundabout upgrades on the A75 and A76 in Dumfries and Galloway for wind turbine movement, how these costs were met and by whom.

Question reference: S5W-05669

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when a survey of school estates in Dumfries and Galloway (a) was last and (b) will next be conducted, and which schools were considered fit to deliver the curriculum for excellence at the last survey.

Question reference: S5O-00505

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether its common agricultural policy IT system is fully compliant with EU regulations.

The CAP IT system is used to administer subsidies under the new EU Common Agricultural Policy and is an EU requirement. This system will provide the capability required to be CAP compliant, supplemented by some functionality from legacy IT systems and some additional manual processes.

As a result of the complexity of the new CAP, it would have been impossible to deliver CAP compliance on schemes configured to Scotland’s needs without a bespoke IT system.

Question reference: S5W-05447

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 19 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) the rest of Scotland have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted for offences related to electro-fishing in each of the last three years.

Marine Scotland Compliance records show that across Scotland, during the years 2014 - 16 inclusive, there were five convictions for offences related to electro fishing. Four of these convictions were in 2016 and the remaining one was in 2015. Of the five convictions, one was in the Dumfries and Galloway region.

Those records also show that there are a further 4 cases related to electro-fishing currently with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for consideration of prosecution. Of these cases, three are within the Dumfries and Galloway region.

In addition to this, prosecution of one case was marked for no further proceedings by the COPFS in 2016.

Question reference: S5W-05193

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been supported (a) directly and (b) indirectly by fishing for (i) shellfish and (ii) whitefish in Scottish inshore waters in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S5W-05190

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the total (a) tonnage and (b) value of whitefish catches was from within the Scottish inshore waters area in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S5W-05192

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the EU derogation being sought, whether the opening of a razor clam fishery would only take place following a full stock assessment.

The Scottish Government has not to date sought a derogation from the EU prohibition on fishing with electricity. A public consultation about whether such a derogation should be sought closed on 30 September 2016, and Ministers are considering views offered through the consultation.

In the event that a regulated razor clam fishery, by means of electrofishing, were permitted, it would be subject to the provisions of domestic and EU legislation. The Government would also consider necessary preparatory steps, including the possibility of an area based stock assessment of razor clam biomass.

Question reference: S5W-05168

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with local communities when implementing the Scottish Safety Camera Programme.

Local governance and scrutiny of Scottish Safety Camera Programme activity and operations is realised through existing Community Planning structures, associated Community Safety Partnerships, or other relevant bodies (e.g. Local Authority-led Road Safety Forums) as agreed at a local level with partners in the Local Authority area. Police Scotland is responsible for the operational delivery of the Programme, through Units in three enforcement Areas.

Local policing plans ensure that policing activity across Scotland is directed at local issues and reflects the needs of the community. In their meetings to discuss these plans with Local Authority Chief Executives, Police Scotland Commanders may address any concerns regarding local safety camera activity. Area Safety Camera Managers must liaise with their Police Scotland colleagues and address emerging concerns as they arise.

Area Safety Camera Managers must also be available to address any specific concerns raised by partners with a road safety interest regarding the activity and operation of the Programme in their area.

Information is provided proactively about safety cameras, including their deployment and performance, as part of the wider approach to road safety-related communications. Information about sites is updated on relevant web pages and through social media and press releases.

Question reference: S5W-05169

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a review of potentially vulnerable areas (PVAs), in light of floods in 2016 when areas not currently designated as PVAs were severely flooded.

The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 requires SEPA to carry out a National Flood Risk Assessment (NFRA) every 6 years, and from this identify Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) where a significant flood risk exists. SEPA is now starting the process for reviewing the NFRA and the designation of PVAs as part of the next cycle of flood risk management planning and will be considering new evidence and information that has emerged since the last cycle of planning was completed.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04790 on 29 November 2016. All answers to written parliamentary are available on the parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx