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-00972

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to mitigate the cumulative effect of UK Government benefit reductions in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S5O-00854

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact on the licensing of medicines in Scotland could be of the UK Government’s decision to leave the European Medical Agency.

Regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is currently reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who operate on a UK wide basis.

The MHRA advise that the UK Government is fully assessing how the decision to leave the European Union will impact on medicines regulation in the UK. The Scottish Government will continue to do all it can to protect Scotland’s interests and to ensure that whatever the future relationship between the UK and the European Medicines Agency, patient access to medicines will not be adversely impacted.

Question reference: S5T-00444

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding triggering Article 50.

Question reference: S5O-00789

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

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities to help with the regeneration of town centres.

Question reference: S5W-07061

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what transport infrastructure projects in the South Scotland region there have been since 1997 where the spend exceeded £3 million.

Trunk Roads – Improvement Schemes

Scheme	Contract Value
A75 Overtaking Opportunities (Including A75 Newton Stewart, A75 Planting End to Drumflower, A75 Barfil to Bettyknowes)	£9.2m
A68 Dalkeith Bypass	£30m
A77 Haggstone and Glen App	£18.7m
A76 Glenairlie	£4.9m
A7 Auchenrivock	£7.4m
A75 Cairntop to Barlae	£6.4m
A77 Park End to Bennane	£5.5m
A75 Hardgrove to Kinmount	£8.97m
A77 Symington to Bogend Toll	£10.6m
A75 Dunragit Bypass	£17.1m

Trunk Roads – Maintenance Schemes

Scheme Description	Total Spend
M74 Uddingston to M73 Northbound - Carriageway Reconstruction	£4m
M74 Junction 11 to Gleck & Bog Bridge NB - Reconstruction of carriageway	£5.4m
M8 - Jct 22 M77 Offslip to Clyde Tunnel Offslip - Reconstruction	£5m
A898 100 Erskine Bridge Underdeck Gantry Replacement	£4m
A898 100 Erskine Bridge East Side Runway Beam Replacement	£3.1m
M8 Kingston Bridge Bothwell Street Off Ramp Parapet Refurbishment	£4.6m
M74 Gleck & Bog to Junction 11 Southbound - Reconstruction of carriageway	£4.8m
A898 100 Erskine Bridge - Papapet Replacement Contract	£3.6m
M8 26-27 F40 Hillington Footbridge Replacement	£3.3m
A898 Erskine Br. Electrical & Lighting Refurbishment Works (High Mast replacement works)	£4m
A898 Erskine Bridge Vehicle Barrier Replacement	£11.2m

Rail

Borders Railway

£294m (2012 prices)

Glasgow to Kilmarnock Services (Dunlop Loop)

£28.5m

Question reference: S5W-07062

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of spending on completed infrastructure improvements to the (a) A75, (b) A76 and (c) A77 since 1997 in the South Scotland region.

The information relating to projects completed between 1997 and 2007 is not available.

The following table details infrastructure improvement projects on the A75, A76 and A77 which have been completed since 2007.

Scheme	Contract Value
A75 Overtaking Opportunities (Including A75 Newton Stewart, A75 Planting End to Drumflower, A75 Barfil to Bettyknowes)	£9.2m (A75 Overtaking Opportunities)
A77 Haggstone and Glen App	£18.7m
A76 Glenairlie	£4.9m
A75 Cairntop to Barlae	£6.4m
A77 Park End to Bennane	£5.5m
A75 Hardgrove to Kinmount	£8.97m
A77 Symington to Bogend Toll	£10.6m
A75 Dunragit Bypass	£17.1m

The following table shows the investment made by the Scottish Government in the ongoing maintenance on the A75, A76 and A77 since 2007

Trunk Road Maintenance - Annual Investment 2007/08 - 2015/16

Route	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	Total 07-08 – 15-16
A75	4,044,719	5,181,289	6,685,268	5,261,670	5,271,982	8,217,953	7,471,482	7,142,158	6,817,839	56,094,359
A76	3,641,793	2,787,184	4,116,188	6,952,699	3,386,832	4,446,513	2,379,291	2,928,613	2,831,220	33,470,333
A77	5,175,014	4,860,299	4,678,778	4,832,029	4,017,769	5,555,230	4,595,502	4,712,140	4,326,055	42,752,817

Question reference: S5W-07107

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 17 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what costs were incurred by its involvement in the case of R (on the application of Miller and another) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and (Agnew v HM Government and McCord's Application).

Following the referendum in June 2016, separate cases were brought in the High Court in England & Wales (R (Miller) v. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union) and the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland (Agnew v. HM Government and McCord's Application) on the constitutional requirements for the UK to notify its intention to withdraw from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The cases addressed both the legal basis for notification, and, in Northern Ireland, the application of the Sewel Convention to any potential legislation.

Recognising the potential relevance of the cases to Scotland, the Scottish Government took an active interest in both cases. The Government instructed Counsel to attend the High Court in London in the case of Miller. The Lord Advocate submitted a written note on the scope of the Sewel Convention to the High Court in Belfast.

The initial judgment in Miller was appealed to the Supreme Court, and the Northern Irish cases were also referred to the Supreme Court. The key issues for the Supreme Court were: (i) whether an Act of the UK Parliament would be required to give notification under Article 50; and (ii) whether, under the Sewel Convention, the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly (and, by implication, the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly of Wales) was required to such an Act of the UK Parliament.

Given the significance of the case for the UK’s constitutional arrangements, and the effect on devolved competence of notification under Article 50, the Lord Advocate applied to intervene in the cases, and the Supreme Court granted his application. The Counsel General for Wales also intervened and the Attorney General for Northern Ireland appeared.

In his detailed written case, and oral submissions to the Court, the Lord Advocate contended: (i) that an Act of the UK Parliament would be required to trigger Article 50 inter alia because of the impact of withdrawal from the EU on the constitutional structures of the UK; and (ii) that the Sewel Convention applied, and was capable of being considered by the Supreme Court. The Lord Advocate was supported in the preparation and presentation of his argument by external Counsel and Scottish Government officials.

The UK Supreme Court held: (i) that an Act of the UK Parliament would be required to provide the legal basis for notification under Article 50; and (ii) that, despite the provision on the Sewel Convention in section 28(8) of the Scotland Act 1998, it remains a political convention, not a legal requirement, and it is not for the courts to give a legal ruling on its operation or scope. The Court acknowledged the important role which the Sewel Convention plays in facilitating harmonious relations between the UK Parliament and the devolved legislatures but did not express any view on its scope as a political convention, nor whether consent was required, as a matter of convention, for legislation on triggering Article 50.

Details of expenditure related to these cases is set out in the following table. The external legal fees include fees of counsel and solicitors. The Lord Advocate's expenses are not included, as Ministerial costs are routinely published by the Scottish Government.

Details:	Cost:
External legal fees*	£128,877.09
Court fee: application to intervene	£800.00
Room hire and catering at Supreme Court	£510.20
Travel, accommodation and subsistence for Scottish Government officials	£6230.84
Total:	£136,418.13

*Net cost after VAT recovery

Question reference: S5O-00625

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how the second allocation of money from the Fair Food Transformation Fund will impact on communities and organisations in South Scotland.

All four organisations from the South Scotland region that applied in the second round were successful and will receive funding for a range of activities, including establishing a Community Food Hub and café, practical cooking, budgeting and growing skills, and community meal provision for those at risk of food poverty and social isolation. This takes the total number of projects supported in South Scotland to six of the 36 successful projects across Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-00565

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the proposal by Dumfries and Galloway Council to further reduce the number of classroom assistants in the region's schools despite a reported 60% increase in the number of children assessed as needing additional support.

Question reference: S5W-05740

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Russell on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its proposals to protect Scotland’s place in Europe.

The Scottish Government has always made clear that our preferred option would be to remain in membership of the European Union. However, we acknowledge that the outcome of the EU Referendum was that England and Wales voted to leave.

The Scottish Government, following the mandate given to us by Parliament on the 28June, is today publishing a paper with regard to Scotland's Place in Europe. The paper sets out our proposals for mitigating the risks of Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will.

The document sets out three proposals for protecting Scotland’s place in Europe and mitigating the impact of Brexit.

-Firstly, to ask the UK Government to stay in the European Single Market for the UK as a whole

-Secondly, if this is not possible, to work with the UK Government to find a solution which would preserve Scotland’s membership of the European Single Market, even if the remainder of the UK chooses to leave.

-Thirdly to work with the UK Government to ensure that in light of the removal of the rights and protections provided by EU law - and whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations - that the powers of the Scottish Parliament be fundamentally revisited and enhanced to continue to protect Scotland’s interests within the UK.

Copies of the document will be provided today to the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU and the Secretary of State for Scotland as well to the other Devolved Administrations. Electronic copies are being provided to each MSP.

The Scottish Government intends to table the document for discussion at the next Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations in January 2017, and has invited the UK Government to hold that meeting in Scotland.

The Scottish Government hopes that the publication of this document will lead to detailed discussion with the UK Government as the UK prepares its negotiating position and the Article 50 letter.

The document is available via the following link Scotland’s Place in Europe