Kenneth Gibson

20 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact on the Scottish economy will be of UK Government proposals to add VAT to the cost of repairing and maintaining listed buildings.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I am very concerned by the proposal to remove the VAT relief on approved alterations to listed buildings and I have written to the Treasury urging them to withdraw from this deeply regrettable proposal. The proposal will add 20% to the cost of alterations to …

18 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to (a) raise awareness and (b) encourage the teaching of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08003 on 28 June 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…

18 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the Scottish Enlightenment is taught in schools.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Enlightenment provides an excellent way to inspire and engage young people in aspects of history, philosophy, science and other areas of the curriculum. A dedicated Scottish Enlightenment resource was developed by Education Scotland in partnershi…

9 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle depressive illness.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has a range of actions in place to support people experiencing depression, including: improved access to psychological therapies, with a HEAT target to deliver faster access to mental health services by delivering 18 weeks’ referral to…

9 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to Quarriers' recent survey of people with epilepsy that claimed that 55% of respondents believed that discrimination toward them was widespread.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland a place where everyone is treated fairly, has the chance to live their lives without prejudice or discrimination and achieve their full potential, in all aspects of their lives. There has been good prog…

9 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-07532 by John Swinney on 8 June 2012, whether it will provide the GDP information in sterling.

Answer · John Swinney: The GDP per capita estimates provided in the answer to question S4W-07532 are expressed as a Purchasing Power Standard. The PPS is produced by Eurostat and takes into account differences in national price levels in order to allow for meaningful comparisons of…

6 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what message the Scottish Government has for the public and competitors from Scotland for the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.

28 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive where Scotland would rank on the table, Regional GDP per capita in the EU27 in 2009, published by eurostat on 13 March 2012, had account been taken of Scotland's economic share of the UK's national air-space, territorial waters and the continental shelf lying in international waters over …

Answer · John Swinney: An illustrative estimate of Scottish GDP with a geographic share of Extra Regio output (GDP), suggests that Scotland would have been ranked 5th in terms of GDP per capita against the 27 EU countries in 2009. This estimate has been produced using data from Eu…

27 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many permanent unpromoted teaching posts were advertised by North Ayrshire Council in the (a) primary and (b) secondary sectors in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

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

16 May 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what degrees it considers will be in greatest demand by employers by 2020 and how will it encourage more people to study for them.

15 May 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what impact the continuing uncertainty in the eurozone is having on the Scottish economy.

9 May 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the most significant improvements have been to patient care in the Ayrshire and Arran NHS board area since 2007.

5 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much relief has been given to small businesses in North Ayrshire under the small business bonus scheme in each year since its inception.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: In the four years since its introduction by this government, the Small Business Bonus Scheme has reduced business rates taxation in total over the period by £11.1 million for North Ayrshire businesses. Currently around 2,425 premises in North Ayrshire pay ze…

2 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to improve aftercare for stroke patients.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Stroke has been a clinical priority for the Scottish Government for over 15 years. We’re working with NHS boards and the voluntary sector to ensure people who have had a stroke get access to the care and support they need to help them return to independent l…

2 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its (a) position is on and (b) plans are to develop research into the link between epigenetic changes and the development of breast cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are well-established environmental and genetic risk factors for breast cancer, and it is likely that a proportion of breast cancer risk is explained by their interaction. The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Government has responsibilit…

2 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the incidence of skin cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has led the way in the UK by being the first country to introduce legislation for sunbed use. The Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 (Sunbed) Regulations 2009 were brought into force on 1 December 2009. The Act bans operators from …

2 May 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are to reduce the incidence of cannabis farming.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government takes the issue of illegal drugs and the damage caused to communities and individuals extremely seriously and is committed to tackling the problem at all levels. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is committed to gat…

25 Apr 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it next plans to meet North Ayrshire Council and what will be discussed.

18 Apr 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with North Ayrshire Council regarding the proposed changes to council tax benefit by the UK Government.

28 Mar 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in its response to the BBC Trust consultation, Delivering Quality First, it raised the issue of the share of licence fee income that is spent on Scottish programming.

5 Mar 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the implications are of the findings in the Scottish Government's recently published State of the Economy report.

22 Feb 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to raise the Antarctic and Scotland's role there with the UK Government as part of any future discussions on devolution or an independence settlement.

21 Dec 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the House of Lords having an influence in determining the franchise for the proposed independence referendum.

6 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional tax will be raised in Scotland by the UK Treasury through increases in public sector pensions for which the Scottish Government has responsibility.

Answer · John Swinney: The proposed increases to employee pension contributions for 2012-13 for the NHS, Teachers, Police and Firefighters schemes are estimated to raise £102 million in additional pension contributions. Pensions in payment for the five public sector schemes for wh…

16 Nov 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are to roll out family nurse partnerships.

14 Nov 2011 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether overseas companies are continuing to invest in Scotland.

13 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03748 by Michael Russell on 10 November 2011, what the capital cost of James Watt College's contract was and how much of it (a) has been paid and (b) is due to be paid in each remaining year.

Answer · Michael Russell: The capital value of the James Watt College PFI project at contract signature in March 1999 was £8.6 million. The amount paid under the PFI contract to date is £15.6 million. The estimated balance to be paid over the remainder of the PFI contract is £33.6 mil…

9 Nov 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it acknowledges the level of opposition to the proposed coal-fired power station at Hunterston.

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much PFI/PPP debt has accrued to each college and how much remains outstanding.

Answer · Michael Russell: There were previously three colleges with PFI contracts. Two of these, at West Lothian College and Stirling Further Education Centre (now part of Forth Valley College), have been terminated. The only remaining contract is with North Ayrshire College (now part…

27 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police stations have been closed in each year from 1999 to 2007, broken down by police authority.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.