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: S4O-01102

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review local government taxation.

Question reference: S4O-01066

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it determines the validity of submissions and letters of support or objection when considering planning applications.

Question reference: S4W-06918

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed by (i) public and (ii) private sector ferry services in each year since 2002.

Question reference: S4W-06920

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received legal advice from the European Commission on the tendering process for ferry services and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Question reference: S4W-06921

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the benefits to (a) taxpayers and (b) passengers of ferry services that are provided by the (i) public and (ii) private sector.

The Scottish Ferries Review took account of all ferry services within Scotland, both public and private sector. Our analysis involved a considerable amount of data collection and analysis, including a household survey. This allowed us to consider: what each community needs its ferry service for; what level of service is currently provided; what a model service would look like to meet the needs identified; and what options were available to address any under-provision. Our assessments took account of recent STAG appraisals carried out on our behalf or by other publicly funded bodies. Following our assessments the Draft Ferries Plan set out proposals for each community and feedback was requested by 30 March. We will carry out some further detailed appraisal, which will include consideration of the economic impact, of each proposal, prior to the publication of the Final Ferries Plan later in 2012.

Question reference: S4W-06922

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with representatives from private ferry operators regarding (a) its draft ferries' plan and (b) the future ferry procurement.

Question reference: S4W-06919

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the European Commission on the requirement to tender for ferry services and whether it will publish the (a) outcomes agreed and (b) minutes taken at these.

The European Commission’s position on the tendering of ferry services is set out in its Communication on the interpretation of the European Union’s maritime cabotage regulation (Council Regulation 3577/92):

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:52003DC0595:EN:HTML.

The requirement to tender for subsidised ferry services in Scotland was set out in the publication Clyde and Hebrides Lifeline Ferry Services – Scottish Executive’s Consideration of the Requirement to Tender (12 September 2005) available on the Scottish Government’s website. This included, at Annex F, specific advice from the European Commission on the requirement to tender provided in correspondence between the then Ministers and Commissioner in 2004 and 2005:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/09/09104007/40085.

On 14 September 2005, the Scottish Parliament adopted a motion in the name of Tavish Scott MSP, supported by Margaret Curran MSP, which ended by acknowledging that “the tendering of the Clyde and Hebrides lifeline ferry services is required to protect these vital services.” The full text of the motion is available on the Scottish Parliament’s website:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28862.aspx?r=4599&mode=pdf.

This requirement was reiterated by the Commission in its Decision of
28 October 2009, published on 15 December 2009 that concluded its in-depth State Aid investigation of Scottish ferry services. The Commission found that subsidies were compliant with EU rules, including the requirement to tender; the exception was the Gourock-Dunoon service which has now been tendered in line with the Commission’s specific requirements for that route. The Commission’s Decision is available on its website:

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/coal/state_aid/doc/decisions/2008/2008_0016_uk_c.pdf.

Question reference: S4O-00986

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will complete its consideration of the Scottish Law Commission's 2009 Report on Succession and take forward any resulting action.

Question reference: S4W-06784

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements the Scottish Futures Trust places on applications for new school build contracts.

The Scottish Future's Trust (SFT) does not receive applications for new school build contracts. Responsibility for developing and maintaining Scotland’s School Estate rests with local authorities.

However, the SFT work in partnership with local authorities in delivering the Scotland’s Schools for the Future programme to ensure the programme goals of providing good quality, well designed, sustainable schools at a competitive price are met.

Question reference: S4W-06669

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether acoustic testing is carried out on all new school buildings before they open.

Responsibility for the design, construction and maintenance of schools rests with local authorities. It would be for them to consider whether acoustic testing is carried out on all new school buildings. However, our guidance School Design: Optimising the Internal Environment, building Our Future, Scotland’s School Estate recognises that acoustic testing is beneficial to most schemes and local authorities are encouraged to specify such testing as part of the design requirement.