Parliamentary questions
Iain Gray
713 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the European Commission regarding an opt-out from pensions regulations for an independent Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16616 on 2 September 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…
7 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reported comment by the First Minister in The Sunday Post on 4 August 2013 that “the way to deal with [European pensions regulations] is to get a derogation so nobody is forced into a more accelerated settlement of the pension deficit”, what form of derogation it would se…
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16616 on 2 September 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/parliamentar…
7 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the reported comment by the First Minister in The Sunday Post on 4 August 2013 that “the way to deal with [European pensions regulations] is to get a derogation so nobody is forced into a more accelerated settlement of the pension deficit” reflects a change in the Scottish Govern…
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16616 on 2 September 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…
7 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date the paper on pensions that the First Minister referred to in his interview with The Sunday Post on 4 August 2013 will be published, and what its scope will be.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16620 on 2 September 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…
7 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any of the methodologies applied in Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2012-13 will differ from previous editions and, if so, which.
Answer · John Swinney: The methodologies used to produce Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland are peer reviewed, subject to consultation, and are widely accepted to be the best methods currently available. As with all such estimation methods they are subject to on-going refi…
7 Aug 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2012-13 will be published.
Answer · John Swinney: Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland 2012-13 has been pre-announced for publication in March 2014. This information is available on the Scottish Government website “Forthcoming Publication” page. The exact date will be added at least one month in advan…
17 Jun 2013 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what further support it will provide to help the regeneration of small-to-medium sized town centres.
10 Jun 2013 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on delivering the new Haddington hospital.
30 May 2013 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many staff employed by its contractors in the Parliament are on zero-hour contracts.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: Our catering contractor employs eight individuals on zero-hour contracts. These are all students except for one person for whom it is an additional job. Most of the students are studying hospitality and this group of eight support evening events only on an ad…
13 May 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many more 16 to 24-year-olds are employed on zero-hour contracts than in 2007.
3 May 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the measures outlined in the proposed Bus Regulation (Scotland) Bill.
22 Apr 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities about action to reduce carbon emissions from transport.
18 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Buses for Scotland, Progress Through Partnership Forum will next meet; what will be discussed, and who will be invited to attend.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Buses for Scotland Progress Through Partnership Forum last met on 11 March 2008 and no further meetings are planned. The Bus Stakeholder Group was established in April 2012 as a consultative body to take forward bus policy development and implementation …
18 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Buses for Scotland, Progress Through Partnership Forum last met; what was discussed, and who attended.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Buses for Scotland Progress Through Partnership Forum last met on 11 March 2008. The meeting was chaired by Stewart Stevenson MSP, the then Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change. The meeting discussed Bus Route Development Grant, partn…
18 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on each action listed in Annex B of Buses for Scotland, Progress Through Partnership.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has delivered on nearly all of the commitments listed in Annex B of Buses for Scotland Progress Through Partnership, principally through the development and publication of suite of guidance including Park & Ride for Buses, Bus Punctual…
25 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to replace the services and data formerly provided by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Vehicle Operator Services Agency no longer provides on-street monitoring of bus services but, as part of visits to operators, ensures that effective punctuality processes are in place. Transport Scotland officials are in discussions with Bus Users UK abo…
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the bus industry and what was discussed.
Answer · Keith Brown: Officials last met representatives of the bus industry at the Bus Stakeholders Group on 28 February 2013, where discussions ranged widely over topics such as economic conditions, regulation and funding of the sector.
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages economic growth through its transport policies.
Answer · Keith Brown: The key role of transport is as a facilitator of economic activity in other sectors, carrying people and freight around the country and beyond. Investing in Scotland's transport infrastructure enhances productivity, encourages more efficient labour markets an…
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve bus services in rural areas.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government altered the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) in April 2012 to provide additional support for rural services. Support to bus services is now based on the distance they travel, favouring the longer services more typical of rural areas.…
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to support public transport in the last five years, broken down by transport mode.
Answer · Keith Brown: Figures showing support for public transport can be found in table 10.1 (page 215) of the publication Scottish Transport Statistics 2012, which can be found in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (SPICe) (Bib number 54732).
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have used public transport in the last five years, broken down by transport mode.
Answer · Keith Brown: Figures showing the number of passengers using bus and rail transport can be found in the summary table S1 (page 27) and ferries table 9.12 (page 197) of the publication Scottish Transport Statistics 2012, which can be found in the Parliament’s Reference Cent…
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to encourage people to drive less and (a) use public transport, (b) cycle and (c) walk more often.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to encouraging more people to use public transport and active travel for everyday journeys; and we have invested over £8.3 billion in public and active travel projects since 2007. In order to encourage further train use, …
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what programmes it supports to encourage increased bus usage.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government promotes increased bus patronage in various ways. We contributed to an accessible bus network through the £50 million annual Bus Services Operators Grant and the general revenue grant to local authorities, both of which are designed to…
19 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to conduct a passenger transport survey on bus travel and, if so, when.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government already collects survey information on bus travel through the Scottish Household Survey, a continuous survey based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. The Survey covers: The extent that respondents…
21 Jan 2013 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether local planning decisions should be made by local councillors.
14 Jan 2013 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the workforce of Montgomery Litho Ltd following its liquidation.
7 Jan 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent advice the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning has given to local authorities regarding charging for instrumental music tuition.
19 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how onshore gas extraction fits into its energy strategy.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scotland’s energy needs are set out in our Draft Energy Generation Policy Statement – which sets out the pathway to a low carbon generation mix in Scotland, supported by a diverse portfolio of energy sources to reflect the breadth of Scotland’s energy resourc…
17 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss joint working on plant health strategies.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Minister for Environment and Climate Change participated in two recent COBR meetings on Chalara and he also wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about plant health on 5 November 2012. Scottish Government officials have …
10 Dec 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the promotion of (a) Gaelic, (b) the Scots language and (c) other indigenous languages in each year from 2007-08, broken down by category of expenditure.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the promotion of (a) Gaelic, (b) the Scots language and (c) other indigenous languages in each year from 2007-08, broken down by category of expenditure. (S4W…