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-18484

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many times and (b) for how long on average the (i) M9/A9 and (ii) A92/A972 have been closed as a result of crime scene investigations of accidents in the last three years, and for what reason these roads cannot be reopened for managed traffic flow more quickly in such cases.

Details of trunk road closures on the M9/A9 and A92/A972 in the last 3 full calendar years are contained in the following table. Our records for 2013 are not yet complete:

2010

2011

2012

Road

Number of Closures

Average time (hrs)

Number of Closures

Average time (hrs)

Number of Closures

Average time (hrs)

M9/A9

05:01

04:20

03:35

A92/

A972

06:27

05:00

05:44

The decision by Police Scotland to close a road is never taken lightly and only occurs when the collision itself has blocked the road, or where there is a need to protect those who might already have been injured and the emergency service staff who are dealing with the incident.

The impact on local communities and the wider economy is always at the forefront of investigators' minds, but there is a need to ensure that incidents are investigated thoroughly to ensure that families of those killed or seriously injured receive the support and information that they deserve and also to ensure that any safety issues are identified and addressed.

Roads are closed in such cases to gather evidence regarding an accident and the length of any closure can vary, depending on the nature and complexity of the incident.

Question reference: S4W-18364

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 26 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority regarding introducing a learning scheme similar to that offered by the Nisai Virtual Academy in England.

Question reference: S4W-18151

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the conditions it set with regard to the removal of the temporary access tracks associated with the construction of the Beauly-Denny transmission line will be met in full; whether it will write to the local authorities affected by the line to advise them of their of responsibilities, and whether it considers that deviation from the conditions might be considered a breach of trust.

The Beauly Denny consents state that the local authorities are responsible for monitoring the conditions relating to temporary access tracks.

The local authorities are already aware of their responsibilities in this regard and there is no indication that developers are not complying the these conditions.

The Scottish Government is however aware that planning applications have been received from some landowners/occupiers seeking a separate planning permissions to retain the access tracks on their land.

When such applications are made the local authorities will be required to consult with relevant parties and take into account the environmental, landscape and visual and other impacts before making a decision on an application.

Question reference: S4W-18302

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the protection of routes of former railway lines across the country.

Question reference: S4W-18303

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the protection of routes of former railway lines.

Question reference: S4W-18301

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the protection of the route of the former railway line between Inverkeithing and Perth.

The responsibility for this matter lies with the relevant planning authorities, namely Fife Council and Perth and Kinross Council, rather than the Scottish Government.

Scottish Planning Policy clearly states that disused railway lines with a reasonable prospect of being reused as rail, tram or active travel routes should be safeguarded in development plans.

Following representations, and examination of the Perth and Kinross Council Local Development Plan, the Reporter has concluded that the Council’s development policy in respect of public access should be amended to refuse any development proposals that would have an adverse impact upon the integrity of any disused railway, unless adverse impacts are adequately addressed in the plans and suitable alternative provision is made.

However, the Scottish Government has no plans or studies currently considering re-opening the former railway line between Inverkeithing and Perth.

Question reference: S4O-02603

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority regarding the roll-out of the new national exams.

Question reference: S4W-17900

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for wind turbines above 50 MW were granted between 1 October 2011 and 1 October 2013 to developers who were not in possession of an Ofgem generating licence, including those who were exempt from the requirement.

Question reference: S4W-17909

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) electricity producers and (b) generators of wind power above 50 MW have been prosecuted for failing to have an Ofgem licence in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-17648

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 31 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support British Sign Language (BSL) in schools.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, as amended, places a duty on education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils for whom they are responsible and to tailor provision according to their individual needs.

The new model for language learning and teaching in Scottish schools – 1+2 model - has flexibility to enable local authorities and schools to agree the nature and content of language provision for the children and young people in their area. This could include, where considered appropriate, the learning of British Sign Language.