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-00950

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Keith Brown on 9 June 2016 (Official Report, c. 4), when Network Rail is expected to complete its feasibility study into rail improvements, including the “double tracking at key pinch points”, which it committed itself to in its news release of 28 January 2016, £254 million boost to Aberdeen, at the same time as the Aberdeen City Region Deal; when ministers will receive the findings of the study, and on what date these will be published.

Question reference: S5W-00951

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Keith Brown on 9 June 2016 (Official Report, c. 4), whether it will publish the scope of the feasibility study into rail improvements, including the “double tracking at key pinch points”, which it committed itself to in its news release of 28 January 2016, £254 million boost to Aberdeen, at the same time as the Aberdeen City Region Deal.

Question reference: S5W-00994

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many apprenticeships in the oil and gas sector have been lost since December 2014.

Question reference: S5W-00993

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 8 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many apprentices in the oil and gas sector who lost their jobs (a) have found a new position through the Adopt an Apprentice scheme, (b) have found a new position through other means and (c) have not found a new apprenticeship.

Question reference: S5W-00952

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Keith Brown on 9 June 2016 (Official Report, c. 4), whether the “double tracking at key pinch points”, which it committed itself to in its news release of 28 January 2016, £254 million boost to Aberdeen, at the same time as the Aberdeen City Region Deal. is specifically included as a requirement in the feasibility study into rail improvements.

The additional £254 million investment includes £200 million for rail improvements and the remit of the development works for that rail investment made by the Scottish Government, alongside the Aberdeen city region deal, will explore all engineering options to best support the delivery of improved passenger services to and from Aberdeen.

The development and feasibility works will assess numerous factors, including constructability, topography and environmental challenges, access requirements and disruption before providing recommendations. This inevitably includes consideration of potential double and additional tracking both along and adjacent to the existing single track sections between Montrose and Usan. Full delivery is expected over the course of the 10-year city deal period, with specification of initial requirements to be set out in the Scottish Government’s High Level Output Specification for Control Period 6 (period 2019 to 2024), which is due to be published by Summer 2017.

Question reference: S5O-00074

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when a decision on the location of the Scottish benefits agency will be announced.

Question reference: S5W-00718

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new scheme to support oil and gas workers to retrain as teachers, announced by John Swinney on 13 June 2016, is in addition to the University of Aberdeen's Postgraduate Diploma in Education intake target, and whether there will be any net increase in the number of people taking this course in Aberdeen as a result of the scheme.

Question reference: S5W-00720

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether the funding for the new scheme to support oil and gas workers to retrain as teachers announced by John Swinney on 13 June 2016 will come from the £12 million Transition Training Fund and, if not, how the scheme will be funded.

Question reference: S5W-00719

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, with regard to the announcement by John Swinney on 13 June 2016 of a new scheme to support oil and gas workers to retrain as teachers, how many places are being made available on this scheme and at what cost to the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5W-00753

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when Network Rail will finish conducting its feasibility study into improvements on the rail line between Aberdeen and the central belt, as stated by Keith Brown on 9 June 2016 (Official Report, c. 4), and when the Scottish Government will receive that feasibility study.