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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1310 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S4W-00816

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 what its policy is concerning peat extraction for (a) horticultural and (b) other commercial uses.

The Scottish Government issued a discussion paper in December 2010 setting out our position on the management of peatlands and other carbon-rich soils, including peat extraction. Peat extraction for horticultural or other commercial uses is subject to local authority planning controls for individual sites. Peat extraction is liable to give rise to greenhouse gas emissions, and the Scottish Government wishes to see the use of peat for horticulture reduced and eventually phased out. We plan to work with other interested parties on how this may best be achieved.

Question reference: S4W-00892

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 when it last had discussions with DFDS regarding the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service and what the nature of the discussions was.

Question reference: S4W-00895

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 how much it has awarded to DFDS and Norfolkline since May 2009 to assist in the operation of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service and how the funding was calculated.

The Scottish Government awarded Waterborne Freight Grant of €2 million (payable over three years) to Norfolkline/DFDS in May 2009. The level of grant was calculated by comparing the costs of the freight element of the ferry operation with the road alternative over the first three years of the service. There is an upper limit of grant of €2 million which was triggered in this case.

The ferry service benefited from inclusion in VisitScotland’s wider marketing and PR campaigns targeting the European market, and in addition £333,300 was jointly invested by VisitScotland in partnership with Norfolkline and DFDS in additional campaign activity specifically promoting the route.

Question reference: S4W-00819

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 what steps it is taking to protect and restore peatlands and how its policies regarding the extraction of peat for (a) horticultural, (b) other commercial and (c) domestic use contribute to this.

The Scottish Government provides funding for peatland protection and restoration measures as part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme (the SRDP). Controls over the extraction of peat for horticultural or other commercial uses are designed to minimise the further damage which peat extraction may cause to the habitat. We are supporting initiatives such as Garden for Life to promote the use of alternatives to peat in horticulture. The customary right to extract peat for domestic use is limited in that sale of the peat is not permitted; we have no plans to alter the legal position.

Question reference: S4W-00809

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 section of the A75 affected by the planned Hardgrove to Kinmount development in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 (iii) 2009 and (iv) 2010.

Question reference: S4W-00807

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 is for the (i) A75 and (ii) trunk road network.

The accident data for the period 2008-10 is provided in the following table. Transport Scotland analyses the safety performance of the trunk road network using a database of injury accidents compiled by Scotland’s police forces. This is the most reliable and consistent evidenced data available and is collated and analysed on an annual basis for each full calendar year. No data is yet available for 2011.

A75 Trunk Road: Personal Injury Accident and Three Year Accident Rate, in Comparison with the Trunk Road Network

2008 Accident Numbers

2009 Accident Numbers

2010 Accident Numbers

Three Year Total Accident Numbers

Three Year Average Accident Rate per 100 Million Vehicle km

Dual

Single

Dual

Single

Dual

Single

Dual

Single

Dual

Single

Scottish Trunk Road	499	1125	487	1101	459	946	1445	3172	7.4	19
Scottish Trunk Road (Fatal)	13	39	11	43	14	40	38	122	0.2	0.7
A75 Trunk Road	3	55	4	58	4	45	11	158	14.39	12.27
A75 Trunk Road(Fatal)	0	4	0	5	0	1	0	10	0	0.77
A75 Hardgrove to Kinmount	0	2	0	4	0	1	0	7	0	8.36
A75 Hardgrove to Kinmount (Fatal)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

The rates that have been provided are based on 2009 annual average daily traffic flows and the last three full years’ accident statistics. This is the normal practice when providing accident rates across the trunk road network to ensure consistent approach when reporting on accident rates.

The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates, for example due to late returns or corrections to earlier returns. The rates are calculated using sample annual average daily traffic flows recorded in 2009.

Question reference: S4W-00893

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 how often it has met representatives of DFDS and Norfolkline to discuss the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service following the reintroduction of services from Rosyth in May 2009.

Question reference: S4W-00897

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 its position is on the need for four sailings per week from Rosyth to Zeebrugge; whether it is taking steps to ensure the reintroduction of a fourth sailing, and, if so, what steps.

Question reference: S4W-00896

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 when the contract for the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service will next be put out to tender.

Question reference: S4O-00082

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the transport infrastructure of the south east of Scotland.