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-16186

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 28 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any illegal activity carried out in Scotland by the Special Demonstration Squad or the National Domestic Extremism Unit and, if so, whether it will institute an inquiry into those activities.

Question reference: S4W-16219

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated to golf's (a) Open Championship and (b) Scottish Open this year.

Question reference: S4W-16432

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 12 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent allegations regarding G4S's delivery of UK Government contracts, whether it considers that contracts awarded to this company by the Scottish Government (a) are being adequately monitored and (b) represent best value.

The Scottish Government contract with G4S to provide electronic monitoring services in Scotland is entirely separate from the Ministry of Justice contract with G4S. Regular audits by the Scottish Government against clear contractual delivery targets mean that we can ensure that billing from G4S matches the service delivered. The current Scottish contract was awarded following open competition. That open competition included an assessment to determine which bidder represented best value, taking into account both price and service elements.

Question reference: S4W-16039

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Lockerbie air disaster.

Question reference: S4W-15198

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides funding to any company involved in the research, development or manufacture of arms in Scotland and, if so, what companies and how much.

<>I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15197 on 16 July 2013, we do not maintain details of companies based in Scotland that are specifically involved in research into development of or manufacturing of armaments.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-15197

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 July 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it maintains details of companies based in Scotland that are involved in research into, development or manufacture of armaments.

Question reference: S4W-15583

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what factors it considered prior to approving the recently reported land swap between Forestry Commission Scotland and Anders Holch Povlsen.

Question reference: S4W-15582

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether an independent assessment was carried out prior to the recently reported land swap between Forestry Commission Scotland and Anders Holch Povlsen.

All land involved in this land swap was independently valued. However, decisions on individual land purchase, sales and exchanges are for Forestry Commission Scotland, working within established procedures (such as those set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual) and the Scottish Government’s forestry policies and all processes and procedures are subject to annual audit.

The factors taken into account by Forestry Commission Scotland in considering this land swap were the key strategic targets for the National Forest Estate including those for timber production, new woodland creation, public access and conservation/biodiversity. Each component of the land swap was individually assessed and then reviewed for its wider public benefits.

Question reference: S4W-15532

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2013
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-15192 by Richard Lochhead on 6 June 2013, what steps the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has taken to engage with communities and local authorities in Scotland.

Further to the answer to question S4W-15192, engagement with communities and local authorities on the subject of movements of nuclear materials by rail from Dounreay is a matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

In July 2011, the NDA published a joint Credible and Preferred Options paper on the management of the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) breeder material at Dounreay. The NDA responses to stakeholder comments on the options were published in November 2011, when the decision to transfer the DFR breeder material to Sellafield by rail was announced.

In July 2012, the NDA wrote to every local authority in Scotland offering briefing on the proposals to transport nuclear material from Dounreay to Sellafield.

The NDA also regularly attends the Dounreay Stakeholder Group where they engage with community representatives about the NDA’s activities in relation to Dounreay.

The NDA consults on its business plan activities on an annual basis.

Question reference: S4O-02298

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has with universities when they are replacing senior posts, such as principals.