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-00533

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it is implementing the strategy, Tourism Scotland 2020.

Question reference: S5W-05300

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many projects Community Broadband Scotland has supported in each of the last five years.

As of 30 November 2016, Community Broadband Scotland has responded to 800 enquiries across Scotland. It is actively supporting over 100 community organisations through its three-stage project development process, and has approved grant funding - totalling over £2.5 million - to 82 of those projects, including over £400,000 for project planning. 16 of those projects are either completed or in build phase, covering over 4,200 premises.

The breakdown of project support per year is as follows:

2012-13: Nil

2013-14: 24 (includes 5 capital projects)

2014-15: 20 (includes 4 capital projects)

2015-16: 23 (includes 5 capital projects)

2016-17: 15 (includes 2 capital projects)

Question reference: S5O-00485

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that pupils with disorders on the autism spectrum have equal opportunities in school.

Question reference: S5W-04720

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 28 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the large business rates supplement has been in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by how much tax revenue this has generated.

The large business supplement to the non-domestic rate in each of the last ten years is set out in the following table, along with the estimated associated revenue.

Year

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

Large business supplement (pence)

0.4

0.3

0.4

0.7

0.8

0.9

1.1

1.3

Estimated revenue (£m)*

14.4

11.0

15.0

16.1

33.2

32.4

38.3

42.9

53.5

63.7

* Different data sources covering this period are not directly comparable. Figures from 2011-12 are audited gross revenue. Figures up to 2010-11 are net revenue estimates. Revaluation took effect on 1 April 2010.

Question reference: S5O-00396

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to lower outpatient waiting times.

Question reference: S5F-00429

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2016

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the University of Strathclyde paper, Brexit and the Scottish Financial Services Sector.

Question reference: S5W-03191

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02542 by Shona Robison on 21 September 2016, whether information regarding the provision of 24/7 palliative care and support services for people approaching the end of their lives is recorded as part of the annual (a) review process for each NHS board and (b) performance report for each Health and Social Care Partnership and, if so, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding which boards provide such a service.

Information on the provision of 24/7 palliative care and support services is not routinely reported through the NHS Board annual review process.

The current suite of indicators for health and social care, upon which Health and Social Care Partnerships will report annually, makes some provision for palliative care services (relating to Proportion of last 6 months of life spent at home or in a community setting and Expenditure on end of life care), but does not include the requirement to report on 24/7 palliative care and support specifically. Therefore details of which areas provide such services are not held centrally.

Question reference: S5O-00198

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action Skills Development Scotland is taking to tackle the reported digital skills gap.

Supported by £8.5 million of Scottish Government funding, Skills Development Scotland are working with with public sector partners and industry representatives to deliver a programme of work built around the recommendations in their Digital Skills Investment Plan.

Examples of this collaborative work include the start-up of CodeClan, an industry-led digital skills academy designed to help meet the immediate digital skills needs faced by Scottish businesses. Another key action is the Digital World marketing campaign, aimed at young people and women in particular, to raise awareness about the careers and opportunities that digital skills and qualifications can create

Question reference: S5W-02452

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards provide or commission dedicated palliative care services that are accessible to patients and their families 24/7.

Question reference: S5F-00266

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2016

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce waiting times for young people referred to mental health services in Forth Valley and across Scotland.