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: S5W-10216

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to calls for Gaelic to be given UNESCO status through its inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list or the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding list.

The Scottish Government considered this matter after it was raised in the President’s address at the Royal National Mod in October 2016. The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has not, at this stage, been ratified by the UK Government. It is the UK that is the relevant member in relation to UNESCO. Therefore, all matters of UK intangible cultural heritage, such as Gaelic culture and tradition, are currently not eligible to be nominated to UNESCO for consideration for inclusion in either list. The decision on whether or not to ratify the Convention rests with the UK Government. The Scottish Government has consistently called on the UK to ratify the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Question reference: S5W-10083

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding pay negotiations between Marine Scotland and Fishery Protection Vessel crews.

Question reference: S5W-10217

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it gave Scottish Canals prior to the naming of the Queen Elizabeth II canal in Grangemouth, and what its position is on whether the Queen Elizabeth Canal may have been a more appropriate and historically accurate name in Scotland

Question reference: S5W-09950

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with National Museums Scotland regarding (a) employing a Gaelic development officer, (b) integrating Gaelic content and context in exhibitions and (c) moving toward bilingual English-Gaelic signage.

Question reference: S5W-09599

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 16 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use the apprenticeship levy to support the road haulage industry in dealing with the reported shortage of HGV/LGV drivers and, if so, how.

In direct response to the views of employers in Scotland, and reflecting on the Apprenticeship Levy consultation responses we received, all of the funds raised through the Apprenticeship Levy will be invested in skills, training and workforce development to meet the needs to employers, the workforce, young people and Scotland’s economy. This was set out in the Scottish Government’s response to the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy by the UK Government which I published in December 2016.

The Scottish Government has been working with our national skills agency, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), on the skills shortage in the haulage industry. Details of this work were provided to you in relation to question S5O-01110 on 14 June 2017.

The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the official Report can be viewed at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11005&i=100567

Question reference: S5O-01148

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Forth Valley and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5O-01110

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with Skills Development Scotland to address the reported shortage of HGV drivers.

Question reference: S5W-09302

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 1 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any health impacts of ash clouds from Longannet on communities directly south of the River Forth.

Ambient Air Quality is monitored at local authority monitoring sites around the Forth Valley, including in West Lothian and Falkirk. The air quality recorded at these sites has not exceeded the daily Air Quality Objective (AQO) for PM10 particulate matter and the annual AQO would not be breached if concentrations remained at a similar level. The current observable levels of PM10 particulate matter at these sites is considered low and would not trigger public health warnings or advice for the local population.

Testing of soil samples at the site has established that the soil composition is similar to that found elsewhere in Scotland. Health Protection Scotland advise that the risk to public health from exposure to the ash is therefore very low.

Question reference: S5W-09234

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Ineos regarding improving security at the Grangemouth refinery and petrochemical plant.

Question reference: S5O-01053

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made following community requests to have a permanent SEPA presence in Grangemouth.