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-24470

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents there have been of pupils being injured at school in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S4W-24444

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) health visitors and (b) teachers will have a legal right to opt out of being designated named persons under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Health boards, local authorities and other specified organisations have a duty to implement and deliver the Getting it right for every child provisions in the Children and Young Person (Scotland) Act 2014, including the identification of named persons. They will put in place the mechanisms and local procedures to deliver the provisions in accordance with the legislative requirements. They will also determine who, in the circumstances, it should appoint as a named person, having regard to the legal requirements, the statutory guidance (draft currently out to consultation) and the particular circumstances. The consultation on the draft statutory guidance and a draft Order on the named person will close on 1 May 2015 and the analysis report will be published in mid-June 2015.

Question reference: S4W-24445

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether parents will have a legal right to withdraw their children from the provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 in relation to named persons.

Question reference: S4W-24546

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce average speed cameras on the (a) A92 and (b) A85.

Average speed cameras have a proven track record in improving road safety and have been deployed successfully in many countries. We currently have no plans to install an average speed camera system on the A92 or the A85, but we will continue to promote evidence based road safety interventions across the trunk road network. This may include the wider use of speed management, including average speed cameras, where this is justified in light of the evidence available to us at the time.

Question reference: S4O-04052

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what provisions there are for parents to access the medical records of their children.

Question reference: S4W-24345

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what support sportscotland provides toward the development of indoor bowling.

Question reference: S4W-24279

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to Tesco in light of reports that the recently announced job reductions in its retail stores were proportionally higher in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.

The Leader of Fife Council, David Ross and I wrote a joint letter to David Lewis, Tesco Chief Executive on 30 January 2015 following the announcement to close four Tesco stores in Scotland including a superstore in Kirkcaldy with 189 employees. This letter expressed both the Scottish Government’s and Fife Council’s concern that the company had decided to close these stores and the particular devastating effects this will have on Kirkcaldy, the employees affected and their families.

On 2 February 2015 a Scottish Government official and Councillor Ross had a constructive meeting with Tesco representatives. Fife Council agreed to consider their available options and put a proposal to Mr Lewis who confirmed that he was willing to look at all proposals put to him.

Question reference: S4O-04002

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Tesco regarding recent closure announcements.

Question reference: S4W-24158

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on art works in each year since 1999, broken down by directorate.

Question reference: S4W-24119

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 5 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations have had more than one individual require disclosure under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme in each year.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) disclosure requests are made by individuals. These requests are often made in connection with recruitment into paid or unpaid work for an organisation. The number of organisations involved in more than one disclosure request in each calendar year since the PVG scheme was established on 28 February 2011 is set out in the following table.

Year	Number of organisations (Rounded to the nearest 10)
2011 (from 28 February)	1,370
2012	1,620
2013	1,840
2014	1,940
2015 (to 26 January)	980