Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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: S4W-24391

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to decroft by owner-occupier crofters have been made in each year since 2007, and how many were approved.

Question reference: S4W-24394

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made toward its target to establish 100,000 hectares of new woodland by 2022.

The Scottish Government recognises that this is an ambitious target that will require efforts to address the barriers which are preventing new planting and to increase the demand for planting grants.

The Scottish Rural Development Plan 2015-2020 includes new forestry proposals, which should encourage more woodland creation applications. Programme approval from the European Commission is expected in 2015, however the new Forestry Grant Scheme will open for applications from mid-March 2015.

The following table shows the amount of new planting since 2012:

New planting (ha)	Conifer	Broadleaved	Total
2012-13	1,700	5,300	7,000
2013-14	2,000	6,300	8,300
Total	3,700	11,600	15,300

When the new scheme opens in March 2015, Forestry Commission Scotland expect to approve an additional 1,500 hectares of planting for 2015-2016 planting season giving a forecast figure of new planting in 2015-2016 of 7,000 hectares.

Question reference: S4W-24388

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the effectiveness of air quality management areas.

As part of their local air quality management responsibilities under the Environment Act 1995 and associated regulations and guidance, all local authorities are required to submit an annual report to the Scottish Government summarising their work on air quality during the previous year. Where an air quality management area is in place, this report should also describe progress with implementing the measures in the air quality action plan.

These reports are formally appraised by the government and feedback is provided to each authority, especially focusing on aspects where it is considered that insufficient progress is being made.

All reports are publically available on the Scottish air quality website: In addition, many local authorities make the reports available on their own websites.

Question reference: S4W-24319

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government which key stakeholders it plans to meet in advance of the launch of its public consultation on unconventional gas production.

Question reference: S4W-24317

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23976 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2015, whether it will provide a breakdown of the capital allocations to the National Performing Companies by the (a) asset benefiting from the funding, (b) value of the funding and (c) year of expenditure.

From the figures set out in the answer to S4W-23976, Scottish Ballet’s expenditure was all on the Tramway building, Scottish Opera’s expenditure was all in relation to the Theatre Royal project and the Royal Scottish National Opera expenditure was all on the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

The National Theatre’s expenditure up to 2011-12 was all on their existing building at Civic House. In 2012-13 and thereafter, capital funding was spent on the planned new headquarters at Speirs Lock.

Question reference: S4W-24318

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism on 28 January 2015 (Official Report, c.17), how it will examine the climate consequences of unconventional gas production during the current moratorium.

Question reference: S4W-24315

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23976 by Fiona Hyslop on 22 January 2015, whether capital funding provided to the National Performing Companies is ringfenced to assets owned by those organisations, or whether it can be used for assets owned by third parties and, if so, to what extent.

Question reference: S4W-24386

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what legal action can be taken if there is a breach of the Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24387 on 17 February 2015.

The Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010 transpose into domestic legislation the requirements of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and clean air for Europe.

Any legal action taken for breaches of the directive is by the European Commission against individual EU member states. The UK is currently the subject of formal infraction proceedings relating to non-compliance with the nitrogen dioxide limit values. The vast majority of other EU member states are subject to similar action.

The UK Government, in partnership with the devolved administrations, has formally responded to the commission’s infraction letter outlining the actions being taken to ensure compliance as soon as possible. We are currently awaiting the commission’s response.

We are also updating the action plans referred to in the answer to S4W-24387, which outline the national and local policies being implemented in relation to air quality.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:.

Question reference: S4W-24072

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to assess the impact on (a) investment in flood prevention, (b) investment in national parks, (c) support for farming and food production and promotion, (d) natural heritage and biodiversity, (e) rural communities and (f) its ambition to meet its climate change targets of a £4 billion reduction in its budget if the Barnett formula is abandoned.

Question reference: S4W-23977

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what capital funding it will allocate to each of the National Performing Companies in 2015-16.

In 2015-16, £1.2 million in capital funding has been allocated to the National Theatre of Scotland towards the cost of its new headquarters. In addition the Draft Budget 2015-16 provides for £2 million in financial transactions (loans) for this project.

No capital grant is currently planned for the other four National Performing Companies in 2015-16. In 2014-15 we completed our capital funding commitment for major projects undertaken by Scottish Opera (Theatre Royal Glasgow) and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Glasgow Royal Concert Hall).