Parliamentary questions

Jean Urquhart

147 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

29 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role Police Scotland plays in community planning partnerships.

21 May 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Scottish Natural Heritage regarding the impact of greylag geese on agricultural land and the possibility of introducing a mechanism for the sale of greylag geese.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: My officials have had extensive discussions with Scottish Natural Heritage and with stakeholders represented on the National Goose Management Review Group regarding the impact of greylag geese on agricultural land and possible solutions to limiting their impa…

7 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what regular contact it has with member states of the Commonwealth of Nations.

1 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many employees of maintained schools are suspended from work for a period greater than one month.

Answer · Michael Russell: Recruitment and deployment of staff in local authority schools in Scotland are matters for local authority employers to determine and as such the Scottish Government does not collate this information.

1 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its civil servants are suspended from work for a period greater than one month.

Answer · John Swinney: There are currently no civil servants who have been suspended for a period greater than one month.

1 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many employees of each NHS board are suspended from work for a period greater than one month.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally. This is a matter for NHS Boards.

1 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for people with MS who are seeking specialist physiotherapy.

Answer · Michael Matheson: It is for individual NHS boards to determine the number of dedicated physiotherapists they require to support people with multiple sclerosis (MS) based on local priorities and clinical need. However, Healthcare Improvement Scotland has in place clinical stand…

6 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to integrate low-carbon behaviour change into the Second Report on Proposals and Policies.

26 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the National Performance Framework has made in reducing inequality.

20 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made since November 2012 on implementing the recommendations of the Languages Working Group Report.

13 Feb 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging people to purchase fresh, local produce.

18 Dec 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how schools, colleges and universities are promoting Scottish literature.

11 Dec 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent representations it has made to BBC Scotland regarding job losses in its Highlands and Islands service.

20 Nov 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the development of crofting townships.

13 Nov 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what policies it has in place to support micro-businesses in rural and remote areas with recruitment and employment.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is committed to helping businesses in all parts of Scotland to grow and recruit additional staff. For example, Scottish Enterprise account manages 422 rural companies and has supported over 100 rural businesses with organisational dev…

6 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much Housing Support Grant Shetland Islands Council (a) received in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12 and (b) will receive in 2012-13.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: Shetland Islands Council received £1,216,809 of Housing Support Grant in 2010-11, and £991,693 in 2011-12. It has been awarded £760,950 of HSG for 2012-13 and will receive this amount in monthly instalments until March 2013. This information was published in…

6 Nov 2012 · Written Question

Answer · Margaret Burgess: Shetland Islands Council will receive approximately £840,000 in lieu of Housing Support Grant. The timing of this payment, or payments, has yet to be finalised with the council.

6 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce an islands strategy and, if so, what (a) powers it is considering devolving to local authorities under this and (b) models of island autonomy in other countries it has considered.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce a specific Islands Strategy. We continue to work closely with the relevant local authorities, HIE and other key partners to build economic, social and environmental capital in our islands.

9 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority regarding the transportation of waste materials from Dounreay to Sellafield.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The transportation of nuclear material and fuel is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Government has regular discussions with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) with regards to its performance and activities in Scotland. Through these discussio…

2 Oct 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking on breaches of fish farm regulations in relation to the overuse of chemical treatments for sea lice infestations.

11 Sep 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it can give to families with children where some family members are required to leave the country due to their immigration status.

25 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to repeal the Division of Commonties Act 1695.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: There are no plans at present to repeal the Division of Commonties Act 1695. The act allows an area of commonty to be divided amongst the owners either where holding the land as commonty no longer suits the parties or to allow enclosure and cultivation of the…

25 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much land is held in commonty.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: There are no statistics available for the amount of land in Scotland held in commonty, however, it is likely to be a very small amount. One of the difficulties with identifying such land is that the title deeds will not necessarily expressly convey a proprie…

3 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a feeding programme for sea eagles to mitigate the number of livestock being taken by them.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There are currently no plans to introduce a widespread feeding programme for sea eagles, however there is provision within the current Sea Eagle Management Scheme potentially to provide carrion in certain situations.

3 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial support and (b) assistance is available to farmers and crofters whose livestock has been, or is at risk of being, killed or injured by wild animals and birds.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: (a) Apart from the Sea Eagle Management Scheme within the Rural Options of the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) there are measures available which may help eagle management indirectly, e.g. habitat management options. However, there are no direct e…

3 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S3W-39263 by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 February 2012, what livestock protection measures have been (a) introduced or (b) discussed by the sea eagle management scheme.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: (a) The Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Sea Eagle Management Scheme is primarily aimed at those farmers and crofters who are within 5km of nesting sea eagles, however it also includes provision for considering areas outwith the current breeding distribution w…

3 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S3W-39263 by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 February 2011, whether Scottish Natural Heritage is planning a further study into the predation of livestock by wild animals and birds.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Natural Heritage currently has no plans to carry out a further study on the predation of livestock by wild animals or birds.

3 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on using Scotland Rural Development Programme grants to assist crofters in accessing a mains water supply.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There are opportunities under the SRDP for crofters to access support for providing and/or maintaining a water supply to their croft for agricultural purposes. The Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme (CCAGS) offers match-funded grants towards the cos…

3 Jul 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to assist crofters who do not have access to a mains water supply.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There is a grant for owners and users of private water supplies of up to £800 per property to assist with the capital cost of improving treatment to help ensure the provision of safe drinking water. It does not cover the ongoing maintenance and operating cost…

28 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on when the Division of Commonties Act 1695 was last referred to in a court case.

Answer · John Swinney: The last case we are aware of where land was sought to be divided under the act was Macandrew v Crerar1 in 1929. In this case the land was held not to be commonty and so the act did not apply. The act and Macandrew v Crerar were cited in Fearnan Partnership…