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-02364

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the introduction of the European Commission's electronic identification system, whether sheep farmers will have to keep paper records of their flock.

Question reference: S4W-01398

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how the forthcoming national strategy on housing for older people will seek to increase the supply of retirement accommodation across all tenures.

The national strategy on housing for older people will set the policy direction for housing and housing-related support for older people in Scotland, to enable them to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. It will identify five main outcomes that should be achieved for older people’s housing. One of these is that investment in new housing provision of all types and tenures should meet the future needs of older people.

Local authorities will continue to set out their needs for housing and support in Local Housing Strategies, taking account of local policies and priorities, to inform future investment in housing and related services in their areas.

Question reference: S4W-00999

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 allow health practices to dispense drugs to patients who reside within 2.5 miles of a local pharmacy and, if not, whether it plans to amend these regulations to allow them to do so.

Paragraph 44 (2) of the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 provides that a Health Board may authorise or require a GP practice to dispense to its registered patients if, by reason of:-

(a) distance;

(b) inadequacy of means of communication; or

patients will have serious difficulty in obtaining prescribed medicines from a pharmacist.

The interpretation of the Regulations is a matter for each NHS Board, taking into account the circumstances of each case. The Scottish Government has no plans to seek to amend these provisions.

Question reference: S4W-00810

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39155 by Keith Brown on 11 February 2011, when work will commence on the (a) Hardgrove to Kinmount and (b) Dunragit Bypass A75 improvements.

Question reference: S4W-00773

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what (a) horticultural and (b) other commercial peat extraction sites are operational.

Question reference: S4W-00772

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 27 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what planning consents have been issued for (a) horticultural or (b) other commercial peat extraction in the last five years.

Question reference: S4W-00808

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) average and (b) fatal accident rate was for the A75 in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008, (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010.

Question reference: S4W-00898

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to restore a passenger element to the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service.

Question reference: S4W-00894

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with any organisations regarding the replacement of DFDS as the operator of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service in the last 12 months.

Question reference: S4W-00817

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 24 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will revise its policy on the extraction of peat for (a) horticultural and (b) other commercial uses in the light of the UK Government’s recent commitment to reduce the use of peat in horticulture to zero by 2030.