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

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Question reference: S5O-02704

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of freight is conveyed by rail.

Question reference: S5W-20231

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government who will be responsible for monitoring the use of the £9.75 million funding to the Port of Cromarty Firth from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Government, and what criteria will be used to gauge the success of the investment.

Question reference: S5W-20236

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which emergency service is responsible for the uplifting of human remains and body parts at the scene of a road traffic collision.

Police Service of Scotland has a duty to attend and investigate road traffic collisions.

It is therefore their responsibility for the removal of human remains from the scene of a fatal road traffic collision.

All investigations of this type are carried out as per the Road Traffic Collisions Standard Operating Procedures and the Road Deaths Investigation Manual with close liaison between Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question reference: S5W-20228

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on public transport providers producing information on their tickets that gives the traveller details of their particular journey’s CO2 emissions per kilometre compared with other modes of transport, as is the case in other countries, including Italy and France, and whether it will consider making this a condition for future public sector transport franchise bids.

The Scottish government is committed to reducing CO2 from transport, as witnessed by the activities set out in the Climate Change plan and our ambitious PfG commitment to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars by 2032. Given the wide diversity in how passengers currently buy and receive tickets and a continued move to smart ticketing, we have no plans to require information on CO2 emissions to be published on transport tickets at this time. We will, however, continue to explore options to promote sustainable travel choices.

Question reference: S5W-20233

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of all meetings between ministers and the Port of Cromarty Firth regarding the £9.75 million award announced on 26 November 2018.

Question reference: S5W-20232

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the comments by Fergus Ewing in the press release from Morrison Media dated 26 November 2018 and titled "Port of Cromarty Firth invests £30 million in a new Energy and Cruise Hub for the Highlands" represent the Scottish Government's position.

Question reference: S5W-20227

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19717 by Mairi Gougeon on 27 November 2018, whether there are any recorded instances of public authorities putting priority marine features within marine protection areas at significant risk through their decision-making, broken down by (a) authority, (b) date and (c) incident.

Question reference: S5W-20238

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it or its agencies compiled an economic impact assessment regarding the funding associated with the production of feed for the (a) aquaculture industry and (b) Marine Harvest Feed Plant at Kyleakin and, if so, whether it will publish this.

It is for the planning authority to interpret and implement relevant planning legislation and guidance as it deems appropriate given the circumstances in each case and to ensure that the provisions of the planning system are applied properly.

In reaching a decision on the planning application the planning authority is expected to have regard to all material factors, including representations submitted to them. As part of this process an economic impact was assessed by the local authority. All papers relevant to this application are readily available on the Highland Council website.

Question reference: S5W-20235

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to assess the human rights implications of the divergence between the periods when a conviction becomes spent and therefore exempt from disclosure, and the provisions of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, which sanction the indefinite retention of biometric data.

In its response to the report of the Independent Advisory Group on the Use of Biometric Data in Scotland (https://www2.gov.scot/About/Review/biometric-data/sgresponse ), the Scottish Government undertook to review current legislation on the retention of biometric data in the light of the developing evidence base and any relevant legal judgments, including in the European Court of Human Rights. The timing of such a review is likely to be linked to the appointment of an independent Biometrics Commissioner for Scotland, should the Scottish Parliament support such an appointment, through the forthcoming Biometric Data Bill.

Question reference: S5W-20237

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) it and (b) each of its agencies has awarded to Marine Harvest for the Kyleakin Feed Plant.