Kenneth Gibson

18 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to boost the economy of North Ayrshire.

18 May 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding the safety of Trident nuclear submarines.

11 May 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current status is of the proposed Dalry bypass.

1 May 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the next meeting of the Joint Exchequer Committee will take place and what will be discussed.

20 Apr 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise educational attainment in North Ayrshire.

16 Apr 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with animal welfare organisations about electric shock collars, following the debate on motion S4M-11431, A Shocking Way to Treat Your Dog, on 8 January 2015.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government have regular meetings with animal welfare organisations to discuss a range of welfare issues, including electronic shock collars. We are aware of continuing concerns on this matter and are keeping our position under review. In particul…

16 Mar 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the implications for Scotland are of the UK Budget.

9 Mar 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the impact on rural businesses and communities will be of Royal Mail's decision to reduce collection times at 3,300 Scottish postboxes.

2 Mar 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional whole time equivalent staff are employed in NHS Ayrshire and Arran compared with 2007 and what impact this has had on patient care.

23 Feb 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage reduction in patient mortality has been in NHS Ayrshire hospitals since 2007, and how many lives are estimated to have been saved.

Answer · Shona Robison: Since 2007, there has been a 14.5% reduction in hospital standardised mortality ratios at University Hospital and a 34.2% reduction at University Hospital, Crosshouse. This compares with a national reduction of 16.3%. These excellent figures reflect the treme…

17 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide enhanced screening for (a) maple syrup urine disease, (b) homocystinuria, (c) glutaric acidemia type 1 and (d) isovaleric acidemia and, if so, when such a service will commence.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is currently considering the UK National Screening Committee recommendation on expanded newborn bloodspot screening and investigating when and how these changes could be introduced in Scotland, as well as the impact on the current Scot…

19 Jan 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to grow the North Ayrshire economy.

12 Jan 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to make lifeline ferry services to island communities more robust in winter.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Ferry travel has its own distinct challenges, particularly with high winds. The adverse weather seen over this winter has affected ferry travel to and from the Scottish mainland to many rural and island communities. The Scottish Government is committed to ma…

12 Jan 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23683 by Richard Lochhead on 9 January 2015, for what reason it plans to wait until 2016 before announcing the next steps in relation to the introduction of the compulsory microchipping of dogs.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Due to an error for which we apologise the answer to S4W-23683 was drafted in 2014 but not released until 9 January 2015. ‘Early next year’ was intended to refer to 2015.

12 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to recognise Holocaust Memorial Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 2015.

5 Jan 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the impact of employment tribunal fees prior to their proposed devolution.

15 Dec 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making toward implementing the Clyde 2020 proposals.

12 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason no date has yet been set for the introduction of compulsory microchipping of dogs and when such a decision will be taken.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is carefully considering all of the views expressed through the consultation and will seek to announce our proposed next steps early in 2016.

8 Dec 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what impact the Scottish Government anticipates the lower drink-driving limit will have on driver behaviour this festive season.

1 Dec 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement and its impact on the Scottish budget.

24 Nov 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making school inspections without giving prior notice.

10 Nov 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government considers that the devolution of health and safety legislation would lead to more prosecutions where serious injury or death has occurred.

27 Oct 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the chief economist of the Bank of England's comment that the fall in real wages since their pre-recession peak is “unprecedented since at least the mid-1800s.”

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government welcomes the continued economic recovery in Scotland, with employment now at a record high level. However, the impact of the recession is still being felt, particularly through the continued pressure on real pay growth. In fact, foreca…

22 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to make an announcement on the findings of the consultation, Promoting responsible dog ownership in Scotland: microchipping and other measures.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: An independent report of the analysis of over 2,000 responses to the consultation on Promoting responsible dog ownership in Scotland: microchipping and other measures was published on 31 October 2014. As noted in the recent oral question on this topic (S4O-0…

4 Aug 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the latest figures from the Scottish Index of Manufactured Exports, which show that there has been strong growth in Scottish-manufactured exports over the last year.

28 Jul 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to encourage more employers in North Ayrshire to offer modern apprenticeships to young women.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has exceeded its ambitious target to deliver over 25,000 modern apprenticeships (MAs) in each year of session four of the Scottish Parliament, with 77,402 new opportunities delivered over the past three years. Building on this, the Fir…

23 Jun 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to Professor Dunleavy's report, Transitioning to a new Scottish state.

16 Jun 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what opportunities the proposals in Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities could bring to Arran and Cumbrae.

22 May 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the commitment of Royal Mail to maintaining the universal service obligation given its economic impact.

12 May 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it considers a Scottish pensioners' parliament could be established.