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: S5O-01473

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the National Transport Strategy and Strategic Transport Projects reviews.

Question reference: S5O-01426

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact could be on Scotland of the reported proposals in the EU withdrawal bill to abandon the principles that the polluter pays and that preventative action should be taken to avert environmental damage.

Question reference: S5O-01354

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that two-thirds of people with epilepsy have had their PIP benefits downgraded or denied, with some consequently reporting suicidal feelings.

Question reference: S5W-10983

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the European Investment Bank has effectively imposed a moratorium on new long-term loans to the UK due to the triggering of article 50, and what information it has been given on this issue.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has been an important source of funding for major non-profit distributing projects within Scotland and, since 2006, has provided more than £3 billion for direct investment, with additional investment from UK-wide programmes.

Brexit raises significant questions about the future prospects for EIB investment in projects in the UK, and presents a significant future risk for Scotland in terms of access to financing required for infrastructure projects.

The Scottish Government has raised this with the UK Government and sought urgent assurances that the commitment remains that access to EIB funding should not be affected whilst the UK is still a member of the EU.

Question reference: S5T-00691

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update following yesterday's meeting with the UK Government to discuss Brexit.

Question reference: S5O-01281

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of rural schools.

Question reference: S5W-09864

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Keith Brown on 22 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made during Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review, and when the report covering this phase will be published.

Significant progress has been recorded across the nine projects within the Review, with plans now in place to establish a new Strategic Board to drive a step-change in Scotland’s economic performance, and for the creation of an enterprise agency for the South of Scotland.

This is in addition to a range of specific new actions that will enhance our support for enterprise and innovation, harness more international opportunities and further improve our learning and skills system. Details on these outcomes from the Review will be published today.

As the Review itself comes to a close, the hard work of delivery is already underway. A number of immediate steps will be taken to drive forward the necessary changes, including the establishment of an Implementation Board that will meet for the first time next week. This Board will lay the groundwork for the new Strategic Board and Strategic Plan, and for the new performance framework that will galvanise our economic ambition.

Question reference: S5F-01429

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2017

To ask the First Minister what recent discussions have been held between the Scottish Government and the Scotland Office regarding opportunities for future intergovernmental cooperation and the new UK ministerial appointments.

Question reference: S5O-01040

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding how the interests of farmers in Scotland who receive less favoured area support will be represented in negotiations on leaving the EU.

LFASS is vital for our rural economy and remote communities throughout Scotland, providing support to over 11,000 farmers and crofters. I will robustly represent their interests, and those of the wider Scottish agriculture sector when the UK Government are willing to have genuine engagement.

Since November last year we have made repeated requests to the UK Government, in meetings and correspondence, for assurances on the LFASS budget from 2019 onwards,[along with other funding issues such as CAP convergence. However despite those repeated requests, the UK Government have still not guaranteed that LFASS will be funded in 2019. I will continue to seek these assurances as a priority, and as soon as the new Defra Secretary of State is in place, I will be pressing him or her for immediate clarification of the LFASS budget.

Question reference: S5O-00992

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what response it has received from the third sector to the comment by the Minister for Social Security that "the private sector should not be involved in assessments for Scotland’s benefits".