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-14722

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the companies bidding for Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route contracts are headquartered in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Question reference: S4W-14664

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what effect the creation of the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust will have on existing planning obligations placed on coal mining companies.

Question reference: S4W-14665

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what sources of funding will exist for the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust.

The Scottish Mines Restoration Trust (SMRT) is an independent body and not part of the Scottish Government. Therefore, the funding sources are a matter for the board of SMRT.

Coal operators are responsible for the restoration of their respective open cast sites. However, we recognise that these tasks are complex, and the Trust will work with the Scottish Government and its agencies, coal operators, local councils, landowners, communities, and environmental bodies to facilitate the responsible restoration of open cast sites.

Question reference: S4W-14663

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust will engage with communities situated next to opencast coal mining sites.

The Scottish Mines Restoration Trust is an independent body and not part of the Scottish Government. We understand, however, that the Trust will ensure that a permanent community representative is appointed to their board. As each site is unique, bespoke solutions will be required and each site the Trust considers will need local knowledge, input and agreement from local community representatives as part of the working groups set up for each site.

Question reference: S4W-14666

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 16 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the liquidation of Scottish Coal will have on any applications by the company for coal extraction that are in the planning system.

Question reference: S4W-14631

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4F-00845 by Alex Salmond on 13 September 2012 (Official Report, c. 11413), on what date it will publish its estimate of the climate impact of its policy on air passenger duty.

Question reference: S4W-14583

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 13 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the finding of the report, Unburnable carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets, that between 60 and 80% of coal, oil and gas reserves of publicly listed companies are unburnable if the world is to have a chance of not exceeding a rise in global average temperature of more than 2°C.

Scotland needs a balanced energy policy. We believe that through our strong promotion of Carbon Capture and Storage and the continued potential of our onshore and offshore renewables sector, the Scottish Government is taking the necessary steps to meet our ambitious climate change targets in our continuing transition to a low carbon economy.

The committee on climate change has stated that a minimum Scottish contribution to the required global effort is broadly characterised by our meeting Scotland's statutory greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.

The draft second Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP2) clearly shows that together all of the policies and proposals described would allow us to exceed each annual target from 2013 -2027.

Question reference: S4W-14584

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government about offering rebates on energy bills in exchange for local unconventional fossil fuel extraction developments.

Question reference: S4W-14226

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether, in light of reported concerns, it will bring forward a report on the operation of offences under section 11 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 in advance of the completion of the review period.

Section 11 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 requires Scottish Ministers, after having consulted such persons as they consider appropriate, to lay a report before Parliament on the operation of the offences at Sections 1 and 6 of the Act covering the period from 1 March 2012 until 1 August 2014. The Act requires the report to be laid no later than 12 months after the end of that period and the Government will bring forward a report in time to meet those statutory requirements.

Question reference: S4O-02089

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it is reducing the health impacts of poor air quality in cities.