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: S5W-16234

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of what expenditure items there were in excess of £500,000 in each area of (a) operating and (b) management expenditure as set out in the Scottish Enterprise Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2017.

Question reference: S5W-16346

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of the Review of the Office and Functions of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner, what action it has taken to (a) widen the commissioner’s scope to issue directions to contractors and apply penalties for non-compliance, (b) give the commissioner the power to report repeat or serious offenders to the ministers, and publicise this action and (c) introduce a considerate contractor scheme.

Question reference: S5W-15762

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the targets in its Five Year Strategy for Engagement between Scotland and the People’s Republic of China in 2012, what progress it has made on (a) Target 1.1 to double the number of Scottish companies, based on 2010 levels, supported to access Chinese markets by 2017, (b) Target 1.2 to increase direct exports to China above the Scottish Government's export target of 50% by 2017 and to exceed this for China, based on 2010 export levels, and (c) Target 1.3 to double the number of major Chinese investors with a presence in Scotland by 2017, based on 2012 levels.

Progress towards the relevant targets is as follows:

TARGET	PROGRESS	NARRATIVE
Target 1.1 : Double the number of Scottish companies (based on 2010 levels) supported to access Chinese markets by 2017	2010-11 – 176 companies assisted to market 2011-12 – 125 companies assisted to market 2012-13 – 209 companies assisted to market 2014-15 – 264 companies assisted to market 2015-16 – 250 companies assisted to market	Progress towards this target continues. Overall, there has been a 42% increase in the number of Scottish companies being supported to access the Chinese market. (Source: Scottish Development International)
Target 1.2 : Increase direct exports to China above the Scottish Government’s export target of 50% by 2017 and to exceed this for China based on 2010 export levels	Exports in 2010 - £365m Exports in 2016 - £555m	This target has been exceeded. There has been an increase of 52% in Scottish international exports to China from 2010 to 2016. (Source: Export Statistics Scotland 2016.
Target 1.3 : Double the number of major Chinese investors with a presence in Scotland by 2017 based on 2012 levels ( 5 direct inward investors ).	10 Chinese major investors with a presence in Scotland at 25 local sites and employing 2,630 staff, with a Scottish turnover at £1.068bn.	This target has been achieved. (Source: Businesses in Scotland March 2016, Scottish Government)

Question reference: S5W-16090

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14837 by Keith Brown on 21 March 2018, how many people have been part of the GlobalScot network in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S5W-15920

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made toward meeting the target in its strategy for engagement with China to double the number of teachers of Mandarin in local authority schools.

The current number of General Teaching Council for Scotland registered teachers of Chinese in local authority schools is 14. The target was 24. However, due to the expansion of the Confucius Classroom network, there are currently an additional 46 native speaking teachers of Chinese working in Scottish local authority schools. This means there is a total of 60 teachers of Mandarin in local authority schools. The Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools estimate that Mandarin learning in some form is available in approximately 400 local authority schools.

Question reference: S5W-15925

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the £500,000 College Innovation Fund pilot, and whether it will provide a breakdown of where the funding was allocated.

Question reference: S5W-15724

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work on 22 March 2018 (Official Report, c. 44), for what reasons there were delays to the timing of public utility diversions on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route building project, and who was responsible for those delays.

As I mentioned in my statement to Parliament on 22 March 2018, Aberdeen Roads Limited has full responsibility for the creation and delivery of the project programme. Work is currently underway to investigate the purported delays to the timing of public utility diversions.

Meanwhile, Transport Scotland is continuing to work with the contractor to deliver this essential project at the earliest opportunity and to identify whether sections of new road can be opened in advance of the whole of the project.

Question reference: S5W-15830

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the construction of Doune Health Centre to be completed and by what date it expects the facility to be operational.

Question reference: S5W-15725

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the geographical source of inward investment in Scotland from (a) within and (b) outwith the UK in each of the last five years, also broken down by (i) percentage, (ii) value and (iii) number of projects.

Details are as follows:

	2012-13			2013-14			2014-15
Country	Number of projects	Number of jobs*	Percentage	Number of projects	Number of jobs*	Percentage	Number of projects	Number of jobs*	Percentage
Australia	4	50	4.9	2	112	2.3	3	15	3.2
Belgium				1	29	1.1	1	14	1
Bermuda				1	35	1.1
British Virgin Isles							1	10	1
Canada	1	10	1.2	7	372	8.3	2	152	2.1
China	4	395	4.9	2	75	2.3	1	2	1
Denmark				1	60	1.1
England	17	766	20.9	25	2400	29.7	27	4677.5	29.6
France	3	965	3.7	1	621	1.1	5	122	5.4
Germany	7	427	8.6	2	38	2.3	5	190	5.4
Greece	1	1	1.2
India	4	137	4.9	1	80	1.1	2	28	2.1
Ireland				1	70	1.1	2	68	2.1
Isle of Man							1	20	1
Italy	2	81	2.4	4	489	4.7	1	102	1
Japan	2	95	2.4	4	265	4.7	1	17	1
Kuwait			1	155	1.1
Luxembourg							1	42	1
Malaysia	1	12	1.2
New Zealand							1	35	1
Norway	1	500	1.2				4	109	4.3
Oman							1	84	1
Poland	1	300	1.2
Singapore				1	20	1.1	1	17	1
South Africa				1	44	1.1
South Korea	1	1349	1.2				1	275	1
Sweden	2	67	2.4				1	20	1
Switzerland	1	122	1.2	1	469	1.1	1	3	1
Taiwan	1	22	1.2
The Netherlands	2	311	2.4	2	41	2.3	1	67	1
Turkey							1	485	1
USA	26	1529	32	24	2070.5	30.9	26	3104	28.5
Total	81	7139		84	7445.5		91	9658.5

	2015-16			2016-17
Country	Number of projects	Number of jobs*	Percentage	Number of projects	Number of jobs*	Percentage
Australia	1	21	1		150.5	2.1
Bahamas				1	16	0.7
Belgium	1	62	1
Canada	5	515	5.2	3	29	2.1
China	1	10	1	3	30	2.1
Cyprus				2	47	1.4
Czech Republic	1	51	1
Denmark	2	9	2	1	30	0.7
El Salvador	1	4	1
England	24	1444	25	32	1769	23
France	2	45	2	7	436	5
Germany	3	704	3.1	6	651	4.3
Hong Kong	1	32	1
Iceland	1	3	1
India	2	228	2	2	390	1.4
Ireland	1	20	1	5	465	3.5
Isle of Man				1	4	0.7
Israel	1	8	1
Italy	1	37	1
Japan	2	62	2	3	42.5	2.1
Jersey	2	269	2
Luxembourg				1	2	0.7
Malaysia				1	37	0.7
Malta				1	28	0.7
New Zealand				1	98	0.7
Northern Ireland	1	32	1	1	7	0.7
Norway	2	9	2	11	505	7.9
Philippines				1	100
Portugal	1	22	1		0.7
Russia				1	4	0.7
Singapore	1	15	1	1	1	0.7
South Korea	1	204	1	2	47	1.4
Spain				2	70	1.4
Sweden	2	190	2	2	77	1.4
Switzerland	1	4	1	4	142	2.8
The Netherlands	2	51	2	2	15	1.4
Turkey				1	17	0.7
United Arab Emirates				1	17	0.7
USA	32	2919	33.3	37	2688	26.6
Wales	1	120	1
Total	96	7090		139	7884

*Note: Scottish Development International measures the value of inward investment in terms of the number of jobs created for the Scottish economy.

Question reference: S5W-15819

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15325 by Derek Mackay on 28 March 2018, whether it will provide a breakdown of the origins of the £30.4 million dispersed by the Scottish Growth Scheme and how much of this was in the form of (a) equity and (b) loans and guarantees.