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-00171

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what type of digital mapping system it uses for making rural payments.

Question reference: S5O-00128

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to control the trade in puppies.

Question reference: S5W-01559

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how European funding supports the science, data and compliance costs for the sea fisheries sector.

The newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides a set of rules for managing European fishing fleets and for conserving fish stocks. The implementation of the CFP is directly supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund for the period 2014-20. EU fisheries management relies on data collected, managed and supplied by EU countries under the aligned Data Collection Framework Current Marine Scotland fisheries programme budgets supported by European funding are as follows:

Programme (2014-20) Scotland Allocation*

Fisheries Innovation Scotland awards £330,000

Data Collection Framework £16,718,186

Compliance/control costs £15,927,666

European funding also supports international applied science projects that has Scotland as a partner or project co-ordinator. In the current year, Marine Scotland is a partner in eight projects funded by the European Commission or Horizon 2020, with a total project value to Scotland of £0.600 million. Scottish Universities are involved in at least another three sea fisheries projects with a total value to Scotland of over £0.600 million.

*Subject to exchange rate fluctuation £/

Question reference: S5W-01562

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much money Scotland receives from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Question reference: S5W-01561

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it has supported the development of the fishing, processing and aquaculture sectors through the previous European Fisheries Fund.

Question reference: S5W-01560

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of Scottish fish and seafood exports to the EU and what percentage this is of its total food exports to the EU.

Question reference: S5W-01910

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to hasten the pace of application and approval of forestry planting.

I am determined to achieve a step change in pace and scale of new planting to ensure long-term availability of timber and to meet our climate change commitment to plant 10,000 hectares per year. Following discussions with stakeholders, I have asked Jim Mackinnon CBE, a former Scottish Government Chief Planner, to provide an analysis of the current arrangements for the consideration and approval of forestry planting proposals and to make recommendations for improvements to the process. I expect to discuss progress with the forestry sector at the summits I am planning to hold in the autumn.

Question reference: S5W-01117

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in issuing basic payments to farmers and crofters.

We have made significant progress since May. As at close on 28 June payments had been processed to over 16,400 farmers and crofters, which represents almost 91% of the estimated eligible population worth over £283m in total.

Over the last four weeks we have paid out over £85m, an increase in value of 43% compared to the position at the end of May. Over the last week alone we have injected an additional £67m into Scotland’s rural economy and over 13,500 businesses have now been sent their full and final payment. Further payments will continue be processed daily for the rest of this week to maximise the value paid by the end of June.

Question reference: S5W-01109

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-00574

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff NHS Dumfries and Galloway employs, and how this compares with September 2006.