Parliamentary questions

Bill Wilson

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

3 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make representations to the UK Government regarding the Council of Europe’s Charter for Regional and Minority Languages and agreement of part III undertakings for the Scots language and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: At this time we have no plans to extend Part III coverage to the Scots language. There is still some work to do to fully meet the Part II provisions and it is fitting that we complete this work before considering the requirements of the Part III pro…

1 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have (a) sat and (b) passed exams for qualifications in British Sign Language in each year since 2007.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. There are many providers who offer various levels of British Sign Language (BSL) training in a variety of settings in Scotland, and these organisations and individuals have different a…

21 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38364 by Michael Russell on 19 January 2011, whether it will provide the information that it holds regarding the funding of Scots language education in each year since 1990.

Answer · Michael Russell: There have been Scots language education initiatives since 1990, funded by Government or Scottish public bodies. The Scottish Government does not have a full list of these initiatives nor the funding attached to them. We provided Learning and Trainin…

14 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be allocated to Scots language education in 2011-12.

Answer · Michael Russell: Our commitment to national languages will remain in the financial year 2011-12, including the place of Scots within Curriculum for Excellence. We expect to continue supporting educational practitioners on Scots through our continued programme funding for Lear…

14 Dec 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to Scots language education in each year since 1990.

Answer · Michael Russell: We do not hold a full breakdown of funding for Scots language education since 1990. Today, the value of Scots is recognised within the Curriculum for Excellence guidance, which indicates teachers should promote and encourage the use of Scots in …

16 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will enhance the (a) coverage, (b) quality, (c) representativeness and (d) connectivity of protected areas as a contribution to the development of representative systems of protected areas and coherent ecological networks, as agreed by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37558 on 24 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…

16 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will (a) promote the application of the ecosystem approach that integrates protected areas into broader land or seascapes for the conservation of biological diversity and (b) facilitate sustainable use within protected areas, as agreed by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) met in Nagoya in October 2010, and agreed a new ten year Strategic Plan, alongside many other decisions. This plan contains twenty headline targets, organise…

30 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to raise awareness of the Scots language question in the 2011 census.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) has, and will continue to, engage with Scots language organisations who can provide guidance on completion of the question on the Scots language in the 2011 census. The intention is to provide context-s…

24 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage other NHS boards to adopt disability leave policies similar to that of NHS 24.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Disability Policy developed by NHS 24 is currently being piloted and the results of this pilot will be fed back to the rest of NHSScotland in due course. NHS boards have the autonomy to adopt policies which are appropriate to local need. NHSScot…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider investigating the practices identified in the Soil Association’s report, Soil Carbon and Organic Farming: A review of the evidence on the relationship between agriculture and soil carbon sequestration, and how organic farming can contribute to climate change mitig…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government welcomes the Soil Association''s report. It is a useful contribution to the debate, and evidence base, informing the implementation of our Farming for a Better Climate (FBC) action plan (<a href="http://www.farmingforabetterclimate.org…

29 Oct 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the Scots language alongside Gaelic in the summary of responsibilities of the Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution on its website.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government website does provide a short list of distinct areas which are within my portfolio. While this is not a complete list of portfolio responsibilities, I would be very happy to include Scots within this brief list of examples.

22 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of concerns expressed by members of UKinbound that the high cost of visas to visit the United Kingdom is deterring tourists, what information it has about the potential effects of the cost of visas on tourism to Scotland and, if it does not have any such information, whether it …

Answer · Jim Mather: Policy on tourist visas is currently reserved to the UK Government, specifically the Home Office and UK Border Agency. No specific research has been carried out into the impacts of visa costs on tourism to Scotland, but research was carried out by the UK Gove…

9 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that, to make an intelligent choice about our future as a nation, we should be knowledgeable about our history and culture and, if so, that libraries should play an important role in this.

Answer · Michael Russell : This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0917-01.htm">http://www.scott…

17 Jun 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of recent research findings that people materially affected by the recession were up to eight times more likely to have sought treatment for the first time for a mental health problem, what actions it will take to ensure that the current financial crisis does not develop into a …

Answer · Shona Robison : This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0625-01.htm">http://www.scot…

15 Jun 2009 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps are being taken to limit the spread of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Answer · Alex Salmond: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0618-01.htm">http://www.scot…

27 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will spend on (a) Gaelic, (b) Scots and (c) BSL over the next three years.

Answer · Michael Russell: In the years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 the Scottish Government has provisionally committed the following amounts of funding: (a) Gaelic: B²rd na G idhlig - £5.4 million in each year. Gaelic edu…

12 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants it has provided to Rolls-Royce plc and what information it has on any grants provided by the UK Government in relation to the Rolls-Royce facilities at Hillington or the new base at Inchinnan and what conditions relating to employment were associated with any such grants.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has provided the following grants to Rolls-Royce: Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) The RSA grants that have been provided to Rolls-Royce in Hillington/Inchinnan and East Kilbride since the mid 1990s: Hilli…

12 May 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that “load reduction” letters announcing proposals to reduce employee numbers have been issued to Rolls-Royce plc workers at Inchinnan in Renfrewshire.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is aware that following Rolls-Royce''s announcement on 30 January, that it was entering into a 90 day period of consultation - with a view to making 145 of its Inchinnan-based staff redundant - letters were issued to around 800 Inchinn…

15 Apr 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education institutions ensure that their teacher training graduates are competent to teach Scots.

Answer · Keith Brown: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0423-01.htm">http://www.scott…

19 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive , in light of Richard Wilkinson’s research comparing inequality between societies and which shows that in the most unequal societies the detrimental effects become so great that the health and wellbeing of even the wealthiest are damaged, what value it places on the importance of continui…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government sees it as a major priority to address the interlinked problems of poverty and inequality, health inequalities and also children''s start in life which determines their future life chances to such a major extent. That is why we publish…

5 Mar 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recently published Audit of Current Scots Language Provision in Scotland and my survey of local education authorities, which identified the benefits of teaching Scots in schools, and anecdotal evidence suggesting that the expansion of such provision is constrained by a la…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0305-01.htm">http://www.scot…

26 Feb 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Scottish Environment Protection Agency maps of coastal flood risk areas should specify the sea level changes on which the flooding models are based.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0226-01.htm">http://www.scot…

12 Feb 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of a study by Scottish researchers published in The Lancet on 8 November 2008 showing that populations exposed to the greenest environments have the lowest levels of health inequality related to income deprivation, what it is doing to ensure equitable access to quality green spa…

29 Jan 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that parameters like gross domestic product cannot on their own measure sustainable growth and that parameters that take account of externalities such as happiness, wellbeing and environmental impacts should be given at least equal weight.

Answer · John Swinney: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a widely accepted international measure of economic performance and therefore an emphasis on GDP is relevant when measuring our economic performance against that of our European counterparts. The Scottish Government''s…

3 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the allegations made against the Coca-Cola company by Mark Thomas in his book, Belching Out the Devil, Global Adventures with Coca-Cola, will cause it to examine legal mechanisms whereby public bodies within its responsibility, such as NHS bodies, could prevent the sale of such pr…

Answer · Shona Robison: Our public sector settings are becoming exemplars in creating environments which promote positive mental and physical health wellbeing. Regulations covering soft drinks in the public sector are covered in schools by The Schools (Health Promotion and …

3 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its international framework, whether the Scottish Government will consider making representations in favour of modifying EU procurement law to allow public bodies within its responsibility to determine what products their contractors supply in order to avoid supporting compan…

Answer · John Swinney: Public bodies are free to decide what types of products they wish to purchase, but EU law generally requires that they avoid referring to particular manufacturers or to products of a specific make or source or to a particular process when framing the technica…

3 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its international framework, whether the Scottish Government will endeavour to ensure that the stated aim for its international activities of “bringing a sharp economic growth focus to the promotion of Scotland abroad” will not take precedence over its aim of “managing Scotla…

Answer · Linda Fabiani: Promoting Scotland as a place to live, learn and invest complements Scotland''s role as a responsible nation. The Scottish Government will continue to ensure that, through the work of Scottish Development International and the building of strong business and …

27 Nov 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that, in its international development work, it should use its influence through all channels available to it to promote democracy and human rights.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: As a responsible nation we have a duty to promote democracy and human rights where ever and when ever appropriate. The Scottish Government''s International Development Policy encourages and promotes the strengthening of civil society, equality and eq…

20 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of concerns that Laurence Connelly Snr and the authors of the report The ICL/Stockline Disaster: An Independent Report on Working Conditions Prior to the Explosion have not been invited to give evidence in the second phase of the ICL/Stockline inquiry and what action i…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The ICL Inquiry is an independent inquiry established jointly by the Scottish ministers and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under the Inquiries Act 2005, which provides that the way in which the Inquiry is conducted, including decisions about who…

29 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it estimates what proportion of GDP is attributable to spending on unnecessary health care, accident repairs, underage drinking and smoking, or the drug culture and, if so, what its estimate is and how such economic activity is excluded from its measures of sustainable economic gr…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not, through its GDP statistics, estimate the proportion of GDP that is attributable to spending on the activities listed by the member. However, the Scottish Government is aware of the importance of such issues and collects a ran…