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: S4O-01132

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to tackle water pollution.

Question reference: S4W-07280

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the draft National Marine Plan will be published.

Question reference: S4W-07048

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06594 by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2012, whether the stakeholders will include Scotland-wide organisations with an interest in rural affairs.

Yes, the Scottish Government has already sought the views of national organisations. These include the Scottish Community Alliance, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Carnegie UK, COSLA, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Development Trusts Association Scotland. This list is by no means exhaustive and we will continue to seek the views of any national organisation that has an interest in rural affairs.

Question reference: S4W-06984

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to limit commercial exploitation of Atlantic salmon in Scottish coastal waters.

Question reference: S4W-06803

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will lay before the Parliament a report on greenhouse gas emissions attributable to Scottish consumption of goods and services for 2010 and 2011, as required under Section 37 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and whether it will report annually in future.

Given the time lags in the availability of the emissions data that is required to estimate consumption-based emissions (greenhouse gas emissions by industry for Scotland as well as the countries from which we import) and the compilation of the necessary economic and environmental input-output information (domestic and abroad), we anticipate being able to report on 2010 consumption-based emissions in 2013. There is a significant cost associated with the production of an annual report and it is our current intention to report every three to four years to bring the time series up to date.

The Scottish Government will seek to minimise the delay in the reporting period wherever possible providing this does not adversely impact the quality and validity of the information.

On 1 May 2012 we published experimental data on the GHG footprint for 2009. The greenhouse gas footprint data is accessible from: Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2009 (webarchive.org.uk)

Question reference: S4W-06593

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive who attended the meeting to discuss the establishment of a rural parliament that was referred to in its news release of 25 March 2012.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive who attended the meeting to discuss the establishment of a rural parliament that was referred to in its news release of 25 March 2012.

The following question was answered on 2 May 2012 but was not published

Richard Lochhead: A preliminary meeting was held on 6 March in Perth with a range of stakeholders which included representatives from the:

Development Trusts Association Scotland

Community Energy Scotland

Community Land Scotland

Community Woodlands Association

Scottish Community Alliance

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Southern Uplands Partnership

Carnegie UK

Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise

COSLA

NFUS

Scottish Youth Parliament

Rural Policy Centre and

Scottish Government

The meeting provided an opportunity for representatives from a number of stakeholder networks to discuss the intention to create a Rural Parliament for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-06838

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a policy statement about a strategy for mixed stock fisheries.

A variety of work is currently being undertaken by Marine Scotland, including a National Demonstration Project on Fisheries Management within the River South Esk, to better inform the management of mixed stock salmon fisheries. The government is also considering responses to a range of legislative proposals based upon recommendations contained in the Mixed Stock Fisheries Working Group Report, to inform a proposed Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill.

Question reference: S4W-06599

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it plans to hold with representatives from rural parliaments elsewhere in Europe to discuss its proposed rural parliament and who will attend these.

Representatives from four European Rural Parliaments, (Sweden, The Netherlands, Estonia and Slovenia) will attend the meeting scheduled to take place on 29 May in Edinburgh. It will give participants an opportunity to learn at first hand the structures and processes involved in each parliament. It will also be an opportunity for them to pass on their experiences and discuss the issues they faced during the development of their parliaments.

Question reference: S4W-06805

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will use the information in the report on greenhouse gas emissions attributable to Scottish consumption of goods and services required under Section 37 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to inform its policy decisions relating to climate change.

Question reference: S4W-06596

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many members the proposed rural parliament will have; whether membership will be on a regional basis, and how members will be elected.

The structures and processes that will be adopted relating to the creation of the rural parliament have yet to be decided. It is envisaged however, that the rural parliament process will be one of inclusive participation rather than made up of elected representatives. It is not intended to be another layer of government or an elected body.

These issues will be discussed at a seminar scheduled to take place in Edinburgh on 29 May. The seminar will bring together, key rural stakeholders, representatives of regional and local non government organisations and individuals as well as MSP’s, representatives of European rural parliaments and Scottish Government officials.