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: S5F-03043

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether learning to play a musical instrument should be a core subject in schools.

Question reference: S5W-20291

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Andy Wightman on 4 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S5W-17225 by Andy Wightman on 25 June 2018, whether it will provide an update on how many cross party groups there are.

Question reference: S5F-02837

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2018

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will ban the use of dog shock collars.

Question reference: S5F-02693

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2018

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on the use of Daylight Saving Time.

Question reference: S5W-18803

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the trunking of the A7 North to Edinburgh from the A6091(A68) roundabout.

Question reference: S5W-18596

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-08841 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 May 2017, whether it has come to a view on the banning of the sale of puppies and kittens from pet shops following its review last year.

The member might be aware that the sale of puppies and kittens from traditional pet shops is extremely uncommon in Scotland. The Scottish Government committed, in the Programme for Government 2017-8, to preparing legislation for a modern system of registration and licensing of animal sanctuaries and rehoming activities which could potentially be used as a means of unregulated third-party selling. Following a public consultation, held between December 2017 and March 2018, the Scottish Government is drafting legislation, for the approval of the Scottish Parliament, which will provide appropriate licensing arrangements whilst minimising the burden on local authority inspectors.

The largest volume of sales of puppies and kittens in Scotland are carried out by breeders. The Scottish Government launched a public consultation on 7 September 2018 to propose improvements to the licensing of dog, cat and rabbit breeding which will improve the conditions in which animals are bred and extend legal protection to a greater number of animals.

Question reference: S5W-18598

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister’s statement on the Programme for Government on 4 September 2018, and in light of the Bonomy Review and recommendations of 2016 on the efficacy of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, whether it considers that the only solution is to ban fox hunting outright.

Almost 20,000 people responded to our consultation on Lord Bonomy’s recommendations, and the analysis of those responses was published just before the summer recess. At that point, I was appointed Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment. Since then, I have been considering all the issues, and I have met a number of key organisations and individuals. I hope to be in a position to announce the Scottish Government’s response to the consultation soon.

Question reference: S5W-18707

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is provided to local authorities to resettle and provide translation/interpreter services to Syrian refugees; how this is calculated; whether this is ring-fenced, and how much has been allocated to Scottish Borders Council in each year that funding has been provided.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Government. This includes the design, operation and funding of UK refugee resettlement programmes.

The Home Office provides funding to local authorities receiving refugees under the Syrian Resettlement Programme and has set minimum requirements for their participation. However, Local Authorities are free to determine best use of funding to support refugees in their area.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the calculation of funding or on the allocation of funding by the Home Office to Scottish Borders Council.

Question reference: S5W-18603

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government on 4 September 2018 in relation to Finn’s Law (Official Report, c.20), when it plans to introduce the legislation.

Proposal’s for a Scottish “Finn’s Law” will be consulted on shortly as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to amend the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) 2006 Act. The consultation will consider our proposal to increase the maximum penalty to five years’ imprisonment for the worst types of animal cruelty, including attacks on police dogs. This will include the Programme for Government proposal in relation to a “Finn’s law.”

Question reference: S5W-18597

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister’s statement on the Programme for Government on 4 September 2018 regarding the establishment of an animal welfare commission (Official Report, c.20), what plans it has to make a statement to Parliament on this matter.