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-12261

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government on which legislation it has consulted (a) the Queen and (b) Prince Charles in each year since 1999 and what bills were then (i) altered, (ii) dropped and (iii) not given consent.

Question reference: S4O-01682

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 January 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the impact on educational attainment of exposure to lead in childhood.

Question reference: S4W-11771

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-08874 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 August 2012, whether it considers that, following the legalisation of same-sex marriage, denial of the option of civil partnership to mixed-sex couples would not constitute discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

We do not intend to introduce civil partnership for opposite sex couples. Reasons are given in paragraphs 4.20 and 4.21 of the consultation on the draft Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill:

We do not consider this represents unlawful discrimination. Marriage will continue to be open to opposite sex couples. This is in line with Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights which provides that “men and women of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family, according to the national laws governing the exercise of this right”.

Question reference: S4W-11770

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-08874 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 August 2012, what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S4F-01048

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2012

To ask the First Minister what impact the autumn budget statement will have on Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-11230

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it will produce a cost estimate for the proposed high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

A cost estimate will be developed as part of the programme of work referred to in my answer to question S4W-11226 on 28 November 2012. This will report in 2014. The estimate of the cost of construction will be determined by route appraisal and final design decisions.

However, I have made clear that we must challenge the per kilometre cost assumptions of delivery of high speed rail elsewhere in the UK. A first stage development of high speed rail in Scotland will only be required to accommodate standard UK gauge trains and this will avoid the need for expensive station redevelopment and build planned for elsewhere in Britain.

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-11227

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether its planning exercise for a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh will be conducted by Transport Scotland or by external consultants.

Question reference: S4W-11226

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on the results of its planning exercise for a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-11229

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether any future high-speed rail route between Scotland and London should split at the Carstairs Junction and serve both Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Question reference: S4W-11228

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether its planning exercise for a high-speed rail link between Glasgow and Edinburgh will consider all possible route options and, if not, what specific options will be considered.