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-14636

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth last reported to the Cabinet on local taxation.

Question reference: S4W-14690

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13398 by John Swinney on 11 March 2013, if it is unable to produce a fair local tax based on ability to pay whether it will consider a revaluation of council tax bands.

Question reference: S4O-02119

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how the works associated with the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme will impact on services from Croy railway station.

Question reference: S4O-02006

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that people have access to regular and reliable local bus services.

Question reference: S4O-01980

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of its consultation on the Maintenance of Land on Private Housing Estates, which closed on the 11^th June 2011.

Question reference: S4O-01833

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the waiting list figures, and accompanying analysis, for Cumbernauld College will be published.

Question reference: S4W-12270

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) mean and (b) median wage is for police (i) officers and (ii) civilian support staff.

Question reference: S4W-12243

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 is compliant with the (a) European Convention on Human Rights and (b) Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and, if so, what evidence it has to support this.

The Scottish Government’s view is that the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 complies with the European Convention on Human Rights. The statements from the Presiding Officer and the then Minister for Justice provide evidence of this. They are available on the Scottish Parliament’s website at page 26 of the Explanatory Notes for the then Bill:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S2_Bills/Family%20Law%20(Scotland)%20Bill/b36s2-introd-en.pdf.

The Government does not believe there is any conflict between the 2006 Act and the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, but it is not appropriate to suggest that the 2006 Act requires to be ‘compliant’ with the 1995 Act. Both Acts are primary legislation about a devolved matter and both are relevant statutes in the area of family law. The 2006 Act amended the 1995 Act. A key principle underlying both Acts is that the welfare of the child is paramount.

Question reference: S4O-01698

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the waiting list figures for Cumbernauld College will be published.

As I explained to Drew Smith on 16 January 2013 (Official Report c.), an update has been placed in SPICE today (Bib. number 54653). The audit looked a sample of seven colleges including Cumbernauld College.

Even at this interim stage it is clear that, in a very large number of cases, those who appear on so-called “waiting lists” are not in fact waiting to enter the course at all, either because they have taken up another course, failed to gain the entrance qualification, moved into employment or chosen some other option.

Question reference: S4W-11769

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-08924 by Kenny MacAskill on 20 August 2012, on what date it will report the findings of the consultation that closed on 6 June 2011.