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: S5W-07355

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that warns that Scotland could face substantial budget reductions following the renegotiation of the fiscal framework in 2021.

Scottish Ministers will, in re-negotiating the Fiscal Framework, seek to achieve a funding settlement which maximises the resources available to deliver Scottish Government priorities and is fair to the people of Scotland.

The Fiscal Framework is clear that the method for adjusting the block grant will be agreed as part of the review and that the method adopted will deliver results consistent with the Smith Commission's recommendations, including the principles of no detriment, taxpayer fairness and economic responsibility.

Question reference: S5O-00696

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the impact on employees in Scotland of the proposals to reduce the pensions of workers in the nuclear decommissioning estate.

Question reference: S5W-06541

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been registered with an NHS dentist in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area in each year since 2007.

The following table shows the number of people registered with an NHS dentist in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each year since 2007.

Number of registrations in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each year² since 2007.

�� NHS Board	Year²	Number of Registrations
Ayrshire and Arran	2007	214,712
Ayrshire and Arran	2008	244,344
Ayrshire and Arran	2009	266,487
Ayrshire and Arran	2010	281,845
Ayrshire and Arran	2011	296,592
Ayrshire and Arran	2012	312,394
Ayrshire and Arran	2013	323,229
Ayrshire and Arran	2014	332,877
Ayrshire and Arran	2015	338,618
Ayrshire and Arran	2016	347,118

Background notes

Source: ISD Scotland, Dental Statistics – NHS Registration and Participation publication, January 2017.
Statistics provided at a snapshot date of 30 September for each year.

Question reference: S5O-00650

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding it will provide to North Ayrshire Council in 2017-18 to improve educational attainment.

Question reference: S5O-00626

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the UK Government’s welfare reforms have had on North Ayrshire's economy.

The UK Government’s welfare changes are impacting across the whole of Scotland. By 2019-20, the cuts are expected to take £1 billion per annum out of the Scottish economy. This inevitably has a major impact on low income households and a knock on impact on local economies. The Scottish Government continues to do what it can with the resources it has to mitigate the impact of UK welfare changes, including the Scottish Welfare Fund (£38million); mitigating the Bedroom Tax (£35million); and the council tax reduction scheme (£23million).

Question reference: S5F-00801

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2017

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on the UK Government's new industrial strategy.

Question reference: S5O-00461

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its forthcoming budget will have on Ayrshire.

Question reference: S5O-00444

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 7 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the UK Government has informed local authorities that, from 1 December 2016, people who apply for, or renew, a taxi driver licence must provide proof of their right to work in the UK, even if they were born here.

The UK Government’s 2016 Immigration Act introduced a wide range of new duties including embedding checks into the licensing of taxis and private hire cars across the UK from 1 December 2016. Immigration control is reserved to Westminster despite when there is a clear impact on devolved matters.

The Scottish Government is concerned at the burdensome checks Scottish local authorities now must perform and we have made this case to the Home Office over the past year. We have also pressed them to provide guidance and support to local authorities on the new checks that they are to perform. The Home Office have taken some steps to reduce the impact on trade, and provided guidance and training for local authority staff.

Question reference: S5F-00498

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2016

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the recent survey by Nielsen that indicates that 69% of spirits sold in Scotland fall below a minimum unit price of 50p.

Question reference: S5O-00345

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact is on Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service of having to make VAT payments.