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-01371

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 26 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with VisitScotland regarding reported plans to close a number of tourist information centres.

VisitScotland’s new, two–year strategy, announced on 12^th October, will see a significant increase in the number of ways that our visitors will be able to access information on places to visit and stay, with a mix of industry partners and digital products sitting alongside 26 key VisitScotland iCentres in busy locations. This follows a 58% reduction in footfall to VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland in the past decade.

Although the deployment of VisitScotland resources is an operational issue for VisitScotland and their Board, the Scottish Government maintains regular contact with the organisation and understand that VisitScotland are actively working with the industry. Visit Scotland has already established 1,500 new local partnerships right across Scotland to ensure that information provision is available, and in the innovative and adaptable formats that we know visitors are looking for.

Question reference: S5W-11574

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many permanent staff members Scottish Development International has employed at each of its trade and investment hubs in each of the last five years, also broken down by how many were new starts each year.

The Scottish Government led Innovation and Investment hubs involve a range of partners including Scottish Development International (SDI). SDI have confirmed 5 appointments since the hubs were announced with the remainder following on as the hubs become operational. Of those confirmed 2 have been new starts; one at Dublin and the other at Berlin, the 3 others were existing staff who transitioned across to the hubs.

Question reference: S5W-11571

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress that it is making in establishing a south of Scotland enterprise agency, and what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the proposed agency.

Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review confirmed that we would establish a new public body to support the South of Scotland. Programme for Government published on 5 September confirmed that legislation establishing the body will be introduced into Parliament in 2018. With Parliamentary support, the agency will be up and running by the beginning of financial year 2020. On
13 September 2017, I confirmed that we would establish an interim South of Scotland Economic Partnership by the end of this year. This will bring together organisations to support economic growth in the South of Scotland and will involve public and private partners to ensure that the area sees benefits as soon as is possible.

Throughout the Review and the current implementation phase, we have been engaging closely with local authorities to help shape the proposals for the new agency and the interim arrangements and I look forward to that engagement continuing.

Question reference: S5W-11570

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement in its Programme for Government, when Scottish Development International expects to complete the appointment of the trade envoys for each of its trade and investment hubs.

The process to appoint a number of trade envoys is well underway and we expect to confirm these appointments within the next few weeks. The envoys will be appointed by the Scottish Ministers. They are not directly related to innovation and investment hubs, which are being developed separately, although both will contribute to further developing Scotland’s exporting intelligence and expertise and will work together where appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-11648

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments of a representative of the Royal Statistical Society to the Economy Jobs and Fair Work Committee (Official Report, c.9), whether any of its (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers are given five-days advance notice of publication of official statistics.

A timetable of official statistics releases is publicly available on the Scottish government website. In addition legislation permits ministers, officials and special advisers to be granted “pre-release” access to official statistics when it is necessary to enable them to comment publicly on statistics based on a correct understanding of them. Pre-release access in Scotland follows the rules and principles set out in the Pre-release Access to Official Statistics (Scotland) Order 2008, as pre-release access continues across other parts of the UK following equivalent orders. The current maximum period of pre-release access in Scotland is 5 days, but for key economic statistics it is only provided 24 hours prior to publication. It is the responsibility of the Chief Statistician to decide who gets pre-release access to Scottish Government statistics.

Question reference: S5W-11763

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, on what dates the most recent meetings were held between the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work or relevant ministers and their counterparts in the UK Government; what was discussed, and what the dates are of the next meetings.

I met with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Barclay MP, in Edinburgh on 6th October 2017. We discussed a range of issues including the Green Investment Bank, support for Scotland’s oil and gas sector, City Region deals, and Scotland’s financial services sector.

The Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy, Paul Wheelhouse MSP met with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark MP, the Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Claire Perry MP and the Chair of UK Steel Jon Bolton at the UK Steel Council in London on 7 September 2017. They discussed the proposed steel sector deal.

The Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security & Equalities, the Minister for Social Security and the Minister for Employability and Training met the Rt Hon David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland in Edinburgh on Thursday 14th September 2017 at the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare. The Rt Hon David Gauke MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions joined the meeting by video conference. The minutes of the meeting will be published in due course.

No future meetings are scheduled at this time.

Question reference: S5W-11569

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement in its Programme for Government, what progress it is making in establishing a trade hub in Paris; when the hub will be operational, and on what date it first consulted Scottish Development International regarding the proposal.

Question reference: S5W-11453

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the steps it is taking to develop a programme to address 4G mobile coverage so-called not spots.

We are carrying out work to prepare for the filling of mobile notspots, despite policy on mobile coverage being a reserved issue. The lack of a coherent UK-wide approach has meant we have had to act in this area. On 7 August we launched a consultation on the first phase of our 4G Infill Programme, an integral part of our Mobile Action Plan published last summer. The 4G Infill Programme aims to deliver mobile infrastructure and services to known ‘notspots’. We are analysing results from the consultation with an intention to enter procurement by the end of this year.

Question reference: S5W-11430

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 3 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution on 12 September 2017 (Official Report, c.49), when it will make an announcement regarding its response to the Barclay review's recommendation regarding reforming the relief available to sports clubs.

Question reference: S5W-11304

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 29 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is for the Scottish Development International (a) London, (b) Berlin, (c) Paris, (d) Brazil, (e) Denmark and (f) Dusseldorf hub.

The Scottish Government innovation and investment hubs in London and Dublin are supported from a budget of £4m for 2017-18 which also supports the expansion of SDI staff footprint in Europe. Proposed hubs in Berlin and Paris will also be supported from this budget.

Brazil, Denmark and Dusseldorf are not hubs but are part of the SDI presence internationally. SDI do not ring-fence budgets for each of their locations separately but rather flex their budget across their portfolio in response to market demands.