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-29453

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the availability is of (a) 2G, (b) 3G and (c) 4G mobile phone coverage in each local authority area.

Question reference: S4T-01299

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 25 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding how it could assist in accommodating 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children.

Question reference: S4W-29229

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reviewing whether the SQA exam timetable should be revised to accommodate Ramadan.

Question reference: S4O-05483

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools and children in local authorities that do not receive Attainment Scotland Fund support meet the programme’s criteria.

Question reference: S4W-28965

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 8 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), whether meeting its statutory target "as far as is reasonably practicable" has always been its approach to eradicating fuel poverty and, if so, whether the underlying meaning of that phrase has changed in light of the external factors that have developed since 2011.

Question reference: S4W-28961

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 8 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28781 by Margaret Burgess on 14 December 2015, in light of the information not being provided in the answer to S4O-04702, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm whether it is on target to eradicate fuel poverty by November 2016 and, if not, whether it will set a revised target.

Question reference: S4W-28967

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 8 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), what additional scenarios it has modelled for measuring fuel poverty other than the notional inflationary increase in fuel prices since 2011.

Other than the notional inflationary increase in fuel prices since 2011, the Scottish Government has modelled two additional scenarios.

If housing stock conditions and household incomes had changed as observed by the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), but fuel prices had remained at their 2002 levels in real terms (i.e. if they had only increased since 2002 in line with the rate of inflation), then the fuel poverty rate for 2013 would have been around 11% instead of 39%. This analysis was published in the Progress Report on the Scottish Fuel Poverty Statement 2002

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If housing stock conditions and household incomes had changed as observed by the SHCS, but fuel prices had remained at their 2002 levels in real terms (i.e. if they had only increased since 2002 in line with the rate of inflation), then the fuel poverty rate for 2014 would have been around 9.5% instead of 34.9%. This analysis was presented to the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum when they met on 16 December 2015.

Question reference: S4W-28964

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 8 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), what changes to the fuel poverty target it has made in light of the external factors that have developed since 2011.

Question reference: S4W-28963

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 8 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-28781 by Margaret Burgess on 14 December 2015 and S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), whether it has considered a reassessment of the 2016 fuel poverty target after the 2016 UK Budget.

Question reference: S4W-28962

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 8 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-28781 by Margaret Burgess on 14 December 2015 and S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), whether it has ruled out a reassessment of the 2016 fuel poverty target in light of the UK Spending Review.