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-14739

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it took the political affiliation of the founder of the Scottish Asian Women’s Association into consideration when deciding to provide funding to it.

Question reference: S4W-14737

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it has learned from providing over £200,000 in funding to the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, which has been wound up.

Funding allocated to the Scottish Islamic Foundation resulted in a series of events in March and April 2010 to help tackle Islamaphobia by celebrating Muslim culture, challenging stereotypes and promoting community cohesion. A proportion of the total allocated funding was withheld and recalled as the Scottish Islamic Foundation was unable to deliver all of its agreed outcomes. This was done in accordance with standard procedures, which the Scottish Government continues to follow.

Question reference: S4O-02126

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to understand and deal with the increase in the number of schoolchildren with additional support needs.

Question reference: S4W-14477

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to rural communities that wish to take control of their local petrol station.

The Scottish Land Fund is an initiative being delivered in partnership between BIG Lottery Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It is a £6 million, 3-year commitment aimed at giving local people in rural communities the tools and resources to successfully fulfil their aspirations of owning their own land and land assets. Grants will be made to rural communities (settlements with a population of less than 10,000).

Highlands and Islands Enterprise would also consider rural petrol stations in a similar manner to any other community asset acquisition project.

Question reference: S4W-14476

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many petrol stations have closed since 2007, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S4W-14479

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many grants (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise have given to rural petrol stations since 2008.

Question reference: S4W-14478

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many petrol stations that received funding from the Rural Petrol Station Grant Scheme between 1998 and 2008 are still open, also broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S4F-01339

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2013

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to increase the uptake of foreign languages in secondary schools.

Question reference: S4W-14361

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on increasing and speeding up rail connections between Aberdeen, Inverness, Dundee, Stirling, Perth and the central belt, as indicated in the SNP 2011 manifesto.

The winter 2012 timetable which came into effect on 9 December 2012 delivered a number of service enhancements to several stations on the Aberdeen-Fife-Edinburgh corridor. These included additional calls at Aberdeen, Portlethen, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Perth and Edinburgh. In addition, the timetable also delivered journey time reductions of up to 18 minutes on some services between Inverness and the Central Belt as part of the Highland Main Line project.

Transport Scotland is continuing to work closely with Network Rail to deliver phase one of the Aberdeen to Inverness Rail Improvements Project between 2014 and 2019. Phase one is expected to deliver new stations at Dalcross and Kintore and extra services into each city.

The Highland Main Line, Aberdeen to Inverness and the Aberdeen to Central Belt Rail Improvements Projects are listed in the Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, which was republished earlier this year and states that these important projects will be completed in phases between 2014 and 2030.

Question reference: S4W-14359

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on delivering the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to reduce train journey times between Edinburgh and Inverness by 45 minutes.

The long-term goal of the project, which is due to be completed by 2025, seeks to achieve a journey time of 2 hours 45 minutes between Inverness and the Central Belt with an average journey time of 3 hours and an hourly service. The aim is that these measures will encourage a modal shift for both passengers and freight.

The first phase of the Highland Main Line improvements has been completed delivering 2 extra trains each way per day from December 2011 and journey time improvements of up to 18 minutes from December 2012. Network Rail are expected to deliver a report on proposals for phase 2 by summer 2013.