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-04782

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Minister for Youth Employment will match future skills demand with the plans to spend the £30 million youth employment budget.

Question reference: S4W-04786

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be attached to its offer of £2,000 for employers who take on a young person from a disadvantaged background.

I presume this question refers to my announcement on 22 December of £1.5 million to support young people, including care leavers and young carers, access employment. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will work between now and the end of this financial year to determine the fine details of how this funding will be used. SDS will publish eligibility criteria in due course and I will ensure you are sent a link to this when it is published.

Question reference: S4W-04788

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of its £30 million budget for youth employment will be spent creating graduate jobs.

Question reference: S4W-04675

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times since May 2011 its legal directorate has referred requests for legal advice to the Lord Advocate.

Question reference: S4W-04677

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed its plans for a public inquiry on the Edinburgh tram project with the Lord Advocate.

Question reference: S4W-04676

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland on 10 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since May 2011 the Lord Advocate has given an opinion on a devolution issue.

Question reference: S4W-04527

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact there would be on businesses in Scotland if the UK Government were to introduce a so-called Tobin Tax.

The Scottish Government supports measures that enable a well functioning financial system and improves access to finance, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Clear evidence that a Tobin Tax will help achieve this goal is therefore needed before the Scottish Government backs the EU’s proposal for one.

The Scottish Government remains concerned over how a proposed Tobin Tax could affect the relocation of financial services away from Scotland to more favourable tax jurisdictions if it was not imposed on a global scale and the potential knock-on implications that this could have for businesses in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-04523

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made a submission to the UK Government’s High Pay Commission.

Question reference: S4W-04562

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04270 by Keith Brown on 9 December 2011, whether this was on a (a) 4-weekly or (b) quarterly basis and, if not, how frequently.

Question reference: S4W-04520

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the impact on devolved areas of responsibility of the UK Government’s decision to freeze the BBC license fee for six years.

The Scottish Government regards the way in which the current licence fee settlement was negotiated, behind closed doors, without any outside consultation and within 48 hours as deeply unsatisfactory.

The Scottish Government is engaging with the BBC as it develops its response to the new settlement, most recently through the “Delivering Quality First” consultation document issued by the BBC Trust. The response from the Scottish Government to this consultation will be published soon.

The Scottish Government has expressed its concern at the impact of the licence-fee settlement. In doing so, it has emphasised the importance of ensuring maintenance of the public service broadcasting ethos and protecting existing commitments to improve the diversity and quality of programming from Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits of MG ALBA and BBC Scotland working in partnership to deliver the Gaelic channel BBC ALBA. In the Scottish Government’s response to “Delivering Quality First”, it has welcomed both the priority and support which the BBC has given BBC ALBA and urged the BBC to maintain both the priority and support it provides this service.