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-22371

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received from the (a) Marine Scotland Science Advisory Board, (b) Scottish Natural Heritage Scientific Advisory Committee and (c) Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland regarding the assessment methods used by Marine Scotland to consider the implications of offshore wind energy projects on seabirds.

Question reference: S4O-03515

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources it is providing to address delayed discharges.

Question reference: S4W-22381

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 12 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-03456 by Alex Neil on 14 August 2014 (Official Report, c. 33462) whether it will set out the cost to the each NHS board of supporting older patients waiting to be discharged from hospital.

Question reference: S4W-22380

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 12 September 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4T-00765 (Official Report, c. 33247) and S4O-03456 (Official Report, c. 33462) by Alex Neil on 12 and 14 August 2014 respectively, whether it will allocate £100 million or £125 million in additional resources over the next two years to additional priorities in the community or hospital sector and whether it will provide a breakdown of the spend by (a) year and (b) sector.

We are working closely with our NHS and local authority partners to reduce the levels of delayed discharges across Scotland. Since April 2007 we have reduced the level of delays over four weeks by over 60%. However, tackling delays is not just about money, and some partnerships are facing real challenges, particularly around workforce recruitment and retention. We have therefore recently convened a task force to drive forward improvements and innovative change at a local and national level.

We have also provided additional support to partnerships facing the most significant pressures from delayed discharges. This funding will enable them to accelerate progress towards sustainable change, drive down delays and release hospital capacity over the long term.

Furthermore, our plans to integrate adult health and social care will ensure that health and social care is provided in the right place, at the right time, making the best use of available money, facilities and people.

Question reference: S4W-22326

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 August 2014
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 15 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what impact analysis it has carried out on the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc.) (Scotland) Act 2012; what additional (a) revenues have been generated and (b) costs have been incurred by local authorities, and how many (i) houses, (ii) shops and (iii) business properties have been brought back into use.

It is too early to determine the impacts to housing as a result of the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc.) (Scotland) Act 2012. This is due to only a single council applying the discretionary power (to charge increased levels of council tax for certain long-term empty homes) for the first full year of operation in 2013-14. 12 councils are applying the power in 2014-15 and the effect in terms of number of properties affected and revenue raised will be picked up in the local government finance returns to the Scottish Government.

With regards to how many (ii) shops and (iii) business properties have been brought back into use, we have undertaken to conduct post-legislative scrutiny of the empty property relief policy in 2015.

Question reference: S4O-03456

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support older people who live alone.

Question reference: S4W-21995

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with other UK authorities to ensure that the development of offshore wind energy results in maximum generation of renewable energy for least environmental impact.

The Scottish Government is working collaboratively with other UK administrations taking a marine planning approach to ensure that the potential of offshore wind energy is realised in a sustainable manner.

The UK Marine Policy Statement, adopted by all UK administrations, provides the framework for preparing marine plans and taking decisions affecting the marine environment. The Scottish Government is developing its own national marine plan, which has been subject to wide consultation and will require both Scottish and UK ministerial clearance.

In addition, the UK Marine Science Strategy co-developed by the UK and devolved administrations sets out the general direction for marine science across the UK from 2010 to 2025. This strategy has inspired joint scientific partnership projects to assess the interaction of renewable energies and the marine environment.

The Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Partnership is a UK initiative that brings regulators and industry together to look at the impacts and consenting challenges of offshore renewables. This is complemented by other UK working groups that are looking at other relevant factors such as the Offshore Regulators Strategic Environmental Group and the Offshore Renewables Licensing Group.

Question reference: S4W-21994

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20591 by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2014, how the potential in-combination impact of the offshore windfarms proposed at Dogger Bank and in the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay on the Forth Islands Special Protection Area is being considered.

Question reference: S4F-02207

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 June 2014

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government would introduce a local income tax in the event of independence.

Question reference: S4O-03327

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address waiting time challenges in NHS Lothian.