Hugh Henry

10 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the revised Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework to be published in 2015 will include a requirement to respond to the reported increasing number of people growing older with HIV who also have (a) cardiovascular disease, (b) mental health disease and (c) dementia.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The refreshed Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework is still in the early stages of development and evaluation of the existing framework is ongoing. No decisions have been made on any recommendations to be included in the refreshed framework, however …

5 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many motorists Police Scotland stopped across the country on 5 December 2014 in relation to its drink driving initiative between (a) midnight and 6.00am, (b) 6.00am and 9.00am and (c) 9.00am and midday.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Police Scotland has advised that they do not collate data on breath testing of motorists at the level of detail requested. They will however publish figures on a national basis on the Monday of each week throughout the festive anti-drink drive campaign period…

5 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many motorists Police Scotland stopped in Crown Street in Glasgow during the drink driving exercise on 5 December 2014; how many were stopped while the Cabinet Secretary for Justice was present, and how many were charged with drink driving.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Police Scotland has advised that they do not collate data on breath testing of motorists at the level of detail requested. They will however publish figures on a national basis on the Monday of each week throughout the festive period. In the first week of the…

5 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a legal reason preventing it from using its budget to ensure that its contractors pay the living wage, in a similar process to that employed by Renfrewshire Council.

Answer · Marco Biagi: The Scottish Government has made it clear throughout, that any requirement as part of a public procurement process or public contract, on contractors to pay their employees a living wage set at a higher rate than the UK’s national minimum wage is unlikely to …

5 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many apprenticeships lasting a year or less have been completed in each year since 2008-09.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the information you have requested is not included in the statistical information SDS routinely publish in line with official statistics guidance. I will ask the Chief Executive of SDS t…

16 Sep 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the latest date will be for the introduction of a local income tax.

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, in light of the 1975 referendum being held on a UK-wide basis, whether the people of Scotland would be allowed to vote in whether the country should be an EU member.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-18632 on 16 December 2013. 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/parliamenta…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK and at some point joined the EU, whether Scotland's universities would be able to charge students from England.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government believes that should Scotland in the future choose independence, as a member of the EU, it would be able to maintain the current policy of charging students from the rest of the UK tuition fees to study at Scotland’s universities.

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students from England paid university tuition fees at Scotland's universities in 2013-14, and what was the total amount paid.

Answer · Michael Russell: This information is not held centrally.

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, whether it considers that a separate Scotland would receive an EU rebate and, if so, what the value of this would be.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As set out in Scotland’s Future, the Scottish Government proposes that an independent Scotland would negotiate EU membership from within the EU and approach these membership negotiations on the principle of ‘continuity of effect’. This approach ensures ‘no de…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the UK’s EU rebate is worth to Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: Estimates of Scotland’s historic share of the UK rebate, which assign a population share to Scotland, are presented in Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2012-13 which can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Economy/GERS…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its latest assessment is of the set up costs of a separate state if Scotland decides to leave the UK.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4O-03469 on 13 August 2014 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/official-report.aspx.

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, whether the oil industry would be able to offset against tax any costs it incurs in the decommissioning of oil rigs.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22492 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will cost to decommission redundant oil rigs over the next 20 years and who would be responsible for meeting these costs if Scotland decided to separate from the UK.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Chapters two and eight of Scotland’s Future provide information on Scotland’s public finances and the Scottish Government policy with respect to the future decommissioning of oil and gas facilities in the North Sea respectively.

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK and at some point joined the EU, in light of the EU requirement that all member states have a central bank, what its central bank would be.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22469 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it understands the view is of the (a) Conservative, (b) Liberal Democrat and (c) Labour Party on whether a currency union would be agreed if Scotland decided to leave the UK.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22469 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, who would have the final say on whether a currency union would pertain.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22469 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK and a currency union could not be agreed, what its preferred alternative would be.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22469 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, whether it would purchase the part of Royal Mail that has been privatised, and how much this would cost.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to pages 326 and 327 of Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decides to separate from the UK, how much it would cost to set up a separate mail service and how this would operate.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to pages 326 and 327 of Scotland’s Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/9348

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the SNP's share of the vote was at the 2011 Scottish election expressed as a percentage of the (a) turnout and (b) electorate, and whether it considers that this gives the current administration a sufficient mandate to represent all of the people who live in Scotland with respect to…

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is not responsible for publishing the results of Scottish Parliament elections. This is the responsibility of individual Returning Officers at the time of the election. The member is referred to question 543 on page 552 of Scotland’s …

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government if Scotland decides to separate from the UK and the government of the rest of the UK agrees to a currency union, whether it considers that the citizens of the rest of the UK should be given the right to endorse the currency union in a referendum.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22469 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decides to separate from the UK, whether it would set up a Scottish broadcasting service.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to pages 316–319 of Scotland's Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland.

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth said in September 2013 that "it was impossible to give a definitive answer on whether Royal Mail could be renationalised".

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government and the majority of Scottish MPs at Westminster opposed the privatisation of Royal Mail. A privatised Royal Mail threatens the quality of service and risks further increasing the price of postage. On independence, the Scottish Governme…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, whether people who lived in Scotland but paid their income tax to (a) an EU and (b) a non-EU member state would be entitled to free prescriptions.

Answer · Alex Neil: Eligibility for free prescriptions in Scotland is determined by provisions set out in the NHS (Free Prescriptions and Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, and is based on whether the patient concerned presents a Scottish NHS prescrip…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, and Scotland or the rest of the UK were not members of the EU, what entitlement would there be to medical and welfare services for Scottish citizens who (a) visited and (b) came to live in the rest of the UK.

Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22476 on 11 November 2014. 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/parliament…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, and Scotland or the rest of the UK were not members of the EU, what entitlement would there be to medical and welfare services for citizens of the rest of the UK who (a) visited and (b) came to live in Scotland.

Answer · Alex Neil: The outcome of the referendum means that Scotland will remain part of the United Kingdom. The greatest risk to access to medical services arises from the proposed referendum on EU membership, which could affect access to European healthcare arrangements for a…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, which tax authority would collect taxation from a retired person in England who is in receipt of a pension from a Scottish local authority pension fund.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22474 on 22 September 2014. 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/parliamen…

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, which tax authority would collect taxation from a retired person in Scotland who is in receipt of a pension from an English local authority pension fund.

Answer · John Swinney: As set out in Scotland’s Future – Your Guide to an Independent Scotland, the Scottish Government will build on the existing definition set out in the Scotland Act 2012 and general international protocols to establish a definition of a Scottish taxpayer based …

22 Aug 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm that, if Scotland decided to separate from the UK, it would not accept a share of UK debt unless a currency union was agreed.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-22469 on 23 September 2014. 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/parliament…