Christine Grahame

26 Mar 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the role of food banks.

20 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the economic impact of the Borders Railway has been in each year since its opening.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The full economic impact of the Borders Railway will be assessed at the Stage 2 Evaluation, which typically takes place 5 years on from project completion (in line with our Rail Evaluation Guidance ). To date, a Stage 1 evaluation was carried out after yea…

7 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00925 by Fergus Ewing on 6 February 2018 (Official Report, c. 7), in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "the export of live animals from Scotland is done for other reasons—breeding and production. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) …

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government understands that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs collect information from Customs declaration forms to estimate the value of live animal exports from Scotland. This figure includes all live animal exports to countries outside the UK.

7 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its announcement regarding banning the use of electric shock collars on dogs, what its position is on the (a) view that it cannot do so on the basis that it may be subject to judicial review and (b) judgement in the action between The Queen on the application of Petsafe Ltd a…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Any new legislation, particularly that which bans the use of a product, may be challengeable by judicial review. As such, any secondary legislation under section 26 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 is not barred to us. It would not be app…

7 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-00925 by Fergus Ewing on 6 February 2018 (Official Report, c. 7), in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "the export of live animals from Scotland is done for other reasons—breeding and production. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs has ind…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information supplied by the Animal and Plant Health Agency lists 48,883 animals as having been exported for slaughter, breeding and production from Scotland to Northern Ireland and countries outside the UK for 2017. Information is not held for 2015 and 2016. …

5 Feb 2018 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it does not support a ban on the export of live animals.

29 Jan 2018 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on concerns regarding the occurrence of stop-skipping by ScotRail.

17 Jan 2018 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many Cross-Party Groups there are, and whether consideration will be given to an audit of the number of MSPs attending each meeting.

Answer · Andy Wightman : As of 22 January 2018 there are 95 approved Cross-Party Groups. Cross-Party Groups are regulated by Section 6 of the Code of Conduct which falls within the remit of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee. 11-13 months after a Group’s ini…

3 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the increase in the number of people attending A&E over the winter months, particularly regarding orthopaedic treatments, what data is collected on the cause of visits, and whether they relate to falling or slipping on icy pavements.

Answer · Shona Robison: During the week ending 17 December 2017 the weekly A&E statistics show that more than 29,000 people attended Scotland’s emergency departments. That was the highest since weekly reporting began in 2015. It was 12% higher than the previous week, and 15% higher …

11 Dec 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government understands by the term "Regulatory Alignment", and what this means for commerce between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

6 Dec 2017 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide information on accessing and engaging with the Parliament in Japanese.

Answer · Liam McArthur (on behalf of the SPCB): The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has a language policy in response to the linguistic diversity that exists in Scotland, and this policy can be found on our website. Our priority is to meet the needs of Scottish residents who require some …

15 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland’s call centre at Bilston Glen has been required to deal with calls from police forces elsewhere in the UK due to them being unable to cope with demand; if so, which police forces, and how many such calls there have been in the last six months.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The delivery of Police Scotland's contact, command and control function is an operational matter for Police Scotland with oversight from the Scottish Police Authority. Every Police Force (and other Emergency Authority) has an established reciprocal arrangeme…

15 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much public funding was spent in response to the legal action taken by the Scotch Whisky Association on minimum unit pricing of alcohol.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The legal and court action outlays incurred by the Scottish Government in relation to the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 total £495,640.

6 Nov 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government can put in place to curtail tax avoidance.

30 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provided details of each NHS PPP/PFI contract, including where it acts as a rental agent for the third party for GP and dental practice premises.

Answer · Shona Robison: The following link provide project details which include the actual/estimated annual unitary payment charges paid/to be paid by public sector procuring bodies in Scotland to private sector consortiums for services agreed over the length of NPD, hub and PPP/PF…

13 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement a ban on the export of live animals for consumption after the UK leaves the EU.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to the welfare of all animals during transport, whether within the UK, or for export purposes. Animals should only be exported in line with strict welfare standards, ensuring freedom from harm and sufficient rest and nouri…

13 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many live animals were exported to Europe for consumption in each of the last five years, broken down by breed.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government does not routinely collect the information requested.

21 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09661 by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 June 2017, in light of it holding no information on the location of snares or animals caught, how it assesses whether the legislation is being properly implemented, and whether it will introduce a register of licen…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As set out in Section 11E of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment Act 2011), snaring operators must keep records of all the individual snares they have set, including the location of the snare, the date it …

21 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of (a) pigs, (b) sheep and (c) (i) beef and (ii) dairy cows in Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Statistics on the number of farm livestock in Scotland are published each year and are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre or on the Scottish Government website using the following link http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/10/4348/0

21 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of horses in Scotland.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Government is not required to hold data on the number of horses in Scotland. The June 2016 Agricultural Census reported 34,394 non-agricultural horses and 1,325 horses used for agricultural or horticultural use. This figure is likely to be an underes…

21 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what legislation is in place to support and protect equine welfare.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government considers that the provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 are sufficient to ensure that action can be taken if the welfare of horses is not being met. The provisions of Part 2 of the Act apply to all people res…

13 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, with reference to section 11E of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (As amended), what information it holds on (a) the location of snares and (b) which animals were caught, and whether such information is in the public domain.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: In reference to Section 11E of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(as amended), the Scottish Government does not hold any information on (a) the location of snares, and (b) which animals were caught. This information is not in the public domain.

3 May 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed improvements to the Sheriffhall Roundabout will make any provision for cyclists.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Suitable provision for all users, including cyclists, is an important part of the proposed improvements to Sheriffhall Roundabout and this will be developed in further detail as we progress the development and assessment of the preferred option, in consultati…

29 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in its forthcoming planning legislation to make it a condition of planning consents for some developments for a proportion of very sheltered social housing to be constructed as part of these.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We have no current plans to amend the requirements for developer contributions for affordable and specialist housing, the provisions for which are set out in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP 2014) and Planning Advice Note 2/2010: Affordable Housing and Housing L…

29 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to permit the compulsory purchase of vacant commercial premises in town centres for the purpose of redeveloping them for social housing.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Local authorities have powers to compulsorily purchase land or property under a number of Acts of Parliament. These include powers under sections nine and ten of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 for, or in connection with, the provision of housing. We committ…

29 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to require an assessment of services, such as schools, public transport and medical facilities, to take place as a condition of planning consents for housing developments.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: It is for individual planning authorities, in the first instance, to consider whether conditions should be attached to a permission in accordance with national guidance in Circular 4/1998. Developers should mitigate the impact of their development and Local A…

20 Mar 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what forward planning is in place to meet the demographic challenges of an ageing population.

27 Feb 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government will take to ensure that there is appropriate social housing to meet the requirements of disabled, vulnerable and frail older people.

22 Feb 2017 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, in light of exhibition places being oversubscribed, whether it will consider having a third exhibition space in the Garden Lobby area.

17 Feb 2017 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many cross party groups (a) have been approved and (b) are currently seeking approval.

Answer · Andy Wightman: As at 23 February 2017, 84 cross party groups have been approved. No proposed groups are currently seeking approval.