Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Dec 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the antisocial or illegal use of quad bikes or similar vehicles.
4 Dec 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife, and what issues were discussed.
9 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it provides to people that it has appointed to public bodies regarding the appropriateness of appearing on the Russian news channel, RT.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Any queries by public appointees about specific communication media would be dealt with by the appointee’s public body. The Scottish government has high expectations of those who serve on the Boards of public bodies and the way in which they conduct themselv…
5 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) cautions and (b) charges have been issued in (i) Fife and (ii) the rest of Scotland, due to the inappropriate use of quad bikes or similar single-person operated vehicles in each of the last five years.
Answer · Ash Denham: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government does not hold information on either the number of cautions or charges made by police. The member may wish to write to Police Scotland directly to request this information.
5 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) Fife and (b) the rest of Scotland due to the inappropriate use of quad bikes or similar single-person operated vehicles in each of the last five years.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Antisocial Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 places a statutory requirement on local authorities to keep records of all antisocial behaviour orders and interim orders. The member may wish to write to the Chief Executive of Fife Council directly to request the…
5 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many quad bikes or similar single-person operated vehicle have been reported stolen in (a) Fife and (b) the rest of Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer · Ash Denham: The information requested on the number of quad bikes or similar single-person operated vehicles that have been stolen is not routinely collected by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government receives data from Police Scotland on the number of crimes o…
5 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many quad bikes or similar single-person operated vehicles have been seized in (a) Fife and (b) the rest of Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer · Ash Denham: The information requested on the number of quad bikes or similar single-person operated vehicles that have been seized by the police is not routinely collected by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to write to Police Scotland directly to request thi…
19 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Trading Standards Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland regarding tackling secondary ticket sales.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government fully appreciate the concerns expressed about the deliberate resale of tickets for profit, known as “touting” and recognise that some events do sell out quickly and ticket touts or online sellers take the opportunity to sell tickets at…
14 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it or its agencies have taken to review the adequacy of the Scottish component of the Special Protection Area network at sea, and what plans are in place to consult on its methodology and findings.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Government launched a consultation on 14 September which includes a Network Assessment of the adequacy of current and proposed Special Protection Areas in the marine environment. Responses to the consultation are invited by 9 November via the online …
13 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many food safety samples have been taken in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 YTD ABERDEEN CITY 875 790 684 603 644 355 ABERDEENSHIRE 509 594 373 421 485 241 ANGUS 462 451 377 415 408 253 ARGYLL AND BUTE 186 234 151 154 105 80 CLACKMANNANSHIRE 107 169 …
13 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) environmental health inspectors, (b) meat inspectors and (c) food safety officers have been employed by each local authority in each of the last five years.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Number of Local Authority Environmental Health Officers and Food Safety Officers engaged in food law enforcement activity Local Authority Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2016 Year 2017 Year 2018 Aberdeen City Council 14 12.2 12.2 14 11.6…
11 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Transport Scotland regarding the Levenmouth rail project.
5 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with its ambitions for the food and drink sector.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has pledged £7.5m funding over 2017- 2020 towards the Ambition 2030 food and drink industry strategy to support delivery of the aim to double the value of the sector to £30bn by 2030. We are also taking forward a wide range of work ac…
2 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding (a) it and (b) its agencies provides to Trading Standards Scotland (TSS); how much of this is ring-fenced for specific areas, broken down by area, and what direction and funding it has given to TSS to undertake enforcement work to tackle ticket touting.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government. Trading Standards Scotland (TSS) is a UK government funded team intended to add capacity to local authority trading standards services in Scotland. TSS is funded by the Department of Busi…
26 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the recommendations of the Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government's response to the report of the Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy was published on 10 July 2018. The report can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781788519809. The First Minister announced the £172,00…
19 Jun 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Mid Scotland and Fife are in receipt of support from the Scottish Welfare Fund.
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many international development organisations have received support from the Small Grants Programme in each of the last five years, broken down by the (i) average amount awarded and (ii) country targeted.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government launched its Small Grants programme in 2013, with the first tranche of projects beginning in 2014. A full list of the organisations awarded funding to date, the amount awarded to each organisation and the countries targeted in each of …
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many international development organisations have applied for support from the Small Grants Programme in each of the last five years, broken down by the (i) average amount applied for and (ii) country targeted.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Since the Small Grants Programme launched in 2013, 104 Scottish based organisations have applied for funding. The average amount applied for was £40,977.02 and the countries targeted were Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, M…
13 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) employees and (b) members of the public have died at a workplace in each of the last 10 years; how many of these incidents led to the workplace owner being charged for possible (i) criminal or (ii) regulatory offences, and how many subsequent (A) prosecutions and (B) convict…
Answer · James Wolffe QC: Work and workplace related health and safety is a reserved issue. The Scottish Government does not ordinarily collect the data requested. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the regulatory authority for Great Britain and, along with local authorities, i…
13 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many companies or partnerships in Scotland have been charged each year under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, and how many subsequent (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were.
Answer · James Wolffe QC: COPFS Health and Safety Division lead the investigation and prosecution of all potential cases under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. Its staff provide advice, support and (in the case of Police Scotland) direction to investigators …
13 Jun 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding what action can be taken to tackle secondary ticket sales for events.
22 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02098 by Jeane Freeman on 16 May 2018 (Official Report, c. 14), what regulations the UK Government has laid to ensure that the carers allowance supplement is not counted as income for the purposes of housing benefit or universal credit calculations.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is advised that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions intends to lay an order in the UK Parliament in advance of initial payments of Carer’s Allowance Supplement being made. This will ensure Carer’s Allowance Supplement is disre…
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many discretionary applications for blue badges have been refused by each local authority in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 59769).
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many appeals against unsuccessful applications for blue badges have been lodged with each local authority in each of the last five years, and how many of these appeals were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful, also given as a percentage.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There is no appeal mechanism against unsuccessful applications for blue badges, except in rare cases where a badge is refused on grounds of fraud. No such cases have been handled in the last five years. Instead, where applicants are concerned there may have …
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs have been employed by practices in Fife in each of the last five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Fife. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which GP practices in Fife are experiencing recruitment difficulties.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Fife. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. We know that GP recruitment and retention is an issue for some areas of Scotland including NHS Fife. That’s why the groundbreaking new GP contract for …
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) it and (b) Creative Scotland has had with the film sector in the last year regarding the promotion of locations and film infrastructure available in Scotland, including the potential studio in the Pentlands.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Scottish Government has welcomed and will continue to welcome private sector proposals for film studio infrastructure in Scotland as part of its support for the screen sector. We continue to work with our partners Scottish Enterprise and Creative Scotland to …
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP sessions have been lost in practices in Fife in each of the last five years due to failures to (a) recruit GPs and (b) cover absences.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Fife. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The groundbreaking new GP contract for Scotland – jointly designed and agreed with the British Medical Association – will help ensure that GPs are able…
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many blue badges have been issued by each local authority in each of the last five years, broken down by automatic and discretionary entitlement.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This information is published in successive editions of Scottish Transport Statistics , available at www.transport.gov.scot .
15 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) it and (b) Creative Scotland has had with the developers of the film studio in the Pentlands regarding future film work and how the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland will support the film sector and its infrastructure.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: a) Representatives of Scottish Government, Creative Scotland and Scottish Enterprise who form the Film Studio Delivery Group, met with representatives of PSL Land Ltd. and Pentland Studios on 17 May. The purpose of the meeting was to advance understanding of …