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-02516

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist orthoptists there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Information about the number and whole time equivalent (full-time equivalent) of specialist orthoptists employed by NHS board is published by ISD annually at 30 September. The information requested is available as follows:

Headcount, whole time equivalent and employments of AHP staff by profession, including orthoptics, broken down by band and NHS board, 2007 to 2011 can be found at:

Headcount of therapeutic staff, including qualified orthoptists, by NHS board at 30 September 1999 to 30 September 2006 can be found at:

Whole time equivalent of qualified orthoptists by NHS board at 30 September 1999 to 30 September 2006 can be found at:

Further information on how workforce data is collected and notes on interpretation is given in the “Background Information” section of the NHSS Information Series Division Workforce Statistics website .

Question reference: S4F-00166

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2011

To ask the First Minister who has responsibility for decisions regarding university mergers.

Question reference: S4O-00172

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many universities plan to charge students from the rest of the UK £9,000 per year and how many students this will affect.

Question reference: S4W-02515

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for (a) children and (b) adults to see an orthoptist has been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S4O-00189

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of introducing a funding floor for local authorities.

Question reference: S4W-02161

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available to local authorities to support the development of cycle paths.

In 2011-12, the Scottish Government made available £7.458 million in Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) grants to local authorities, who can if they wish, add to this from their own resources, if the development of cycle paths is a priority in their area. Both last year and this year, the CWSS grant offer letter asked local authorities to spend at least 36% (the national average spend on cycling) but preferably 50%, of the grant on cycling related projects.

In addition, the Scottish Government has allocated £5.167 million to Sustrans for the development of cycle and shared use paths. Local authorities are also able to bid for this funding if they are able to match it from their own resources.

Question reference: S4W-01624

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 4 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its estimate of the funding gap facing Scottish universities in light of the announcement from the Office for Fair Access that the average tuition fee in England will be greater than £8,000.

Question reference: S4W-01625

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 4 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional money it will invest in widening access initiatives in 2012-13 and each of the following three years.

Question reference: S4W-01434

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to redistribute any proportion of the monies raised by one university from students from the rest of the United Kingdom to other universities.

Question reference: S4W-01428

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in the total funding, in cash terms, available to Scottish universities will be by 2014-15.