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: S3W-31758

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Bruce Crawford on 10 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30746 by Bruce Crawford on 28 January 2010, how many officials from the (a) Office of the Scottish Parliamentary Counsel and (b) relevant policy directorate have been employed in the drafting of the proposed Referendum Bill.

Question reference: S3W-31754

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Bruce Crawford on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers have discussed their plans for Scottish independence with (a) members and (b) officials of the European Commission.

Question reference: S3W-31755

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Bruce Crawford on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether other EU nationals living in Scotland will be allowed to vote in its proposed referendum on Scottish independence.

Question reference: S3W-31759

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Bruce Crawford on 5 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30626 by Bruce Crawford on 25 January 2010, on what date the proposed Referendum Bill will be published.

Question reference: S3W-31904

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the report, Digital Britain, by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been discussed at meetings between it and the UK Government and, if so, what the outcomes of such discussions were.

Question reference: S3W-31905

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the report, Digital Britain, by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and, if so, when.

Scottish ministers responded on 12 March 2009 to the interim Digital Britain report. That response can be found on the Scottish Government''s website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/127313/0079137.pdf.

Since the final Digital Britain report was published on 16 June 2009, Scottish ministers have responded to the following consultations which arose from that report:

Consultation on amendments to the community radio licensing regime (25 August 2009)

Consultation on sustainable, independent and impartial news in the Nations, locally and in the regions (22 September 2009)

Consultation on potential reclassification of production companies owned by Channel 3 licence holders (28 January 2010 “ this response can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/ArtsCultureSport/arts/Broadcasting)

A Consultation on a direction to Ofcom to implement the Wireless Spectrum Modernisation Programme (4 February 2010)

Implementing a landline duty: consultation on draft legislation and impacts (4 February 2010).

Scottish ministers also intend to respond to the UK Government''s Consultation on proposals for a Next Generation Fund, for which the closing date is 1 April 2010.

Scottish ministers have met UK Government Ministers twice since the publication of the final Digital Britain report to discuss issues relating to Digital Britain. Mike Russell, the then Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution met Si´n Simon MP, the then UK Government Minister for the Creative Industries, on 2 November 2009 and Jim Mather, the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism met Stephen Timms MP, UK Government Minister for Digital Britain, on 22 February 2010. The meetings covered a range of issues on which there will be ongoing dialogue between the UK Government and the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-31589

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-9386 by Fiona Hyslop on 4 February 2010, when the seminar on music tuition that it is holding with COSLA and Creative Scotland will take place and what the agenda is.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-9386 on 4 February 2010 which informed Parliament that the Scottish Government is holding a joint seminar with COSLA and Creative Scotland to take forward culture in the wide sense. This event, which is not specifically about music tuition, will be held in Glasgow on 15 March 2010. It will provide an opportunity to explore Creative Scotland''s prospective relationship with local government, and their functions relating to the contribution of culture, creativity and the creative industries to the outcomes in the national performance framework.

The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliament''s website, the official report can be viewed at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor0204-02.htm#Col23548.

Question reference: S3W-31902

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the content of Digital Inclusion: Connecting Scotland’s people remains government policy.

The 2001 digital inclusion strategy Connecting Scotland''s People “ published under the previous administration “ was reviewed in 2006 before being superseded by the 2007 Digital Inclusion in Partnership strategy, also produced under the previous administration. We are currently reviewing our digital inclusion policy to ensure alignment with the Scottish Government''s purpose and objectives and in light of recent policy initiatives in UK and Europe.

Question reference: S3W-31903

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken work to update Digital Inclusion: Connecting Scotland’s people since 2006.

Question reference: S3W-31906

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has undertaken to achieve the aims and objectives set out in Digital Inclusion: Connecting Scotland’s people.