Parliamentary questions
Patrick Harvie
1,454 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Environment, Climate and Land Reform on 27 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 31), how it plans to work with the Committee on Climate Change to continue to investigate further abatement from measures that go beyond current policies.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: We are working closely with the Committee on Climate Change, who will be providing advice on the next set of greenhouse gas emission annual targets under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act for 2028-32 by the end of March 2016. This advice, together with the co…
29 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) is taking and (b) plans to take in 2016-17 regarding the national infrastructure priority on energy efficiency.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme will integrate action on domestic and non-domestic energy efficiency and will lie at the heart of the National Infrastructure Priority. We will work closely with stakeholders over the next two years to develop the progra…
29 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with the Scottish Smart Grid Sector Strategy since its launch in 2012.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have passed your question to Dr Lena Wilson, Chief Executive, Scottish Enterprise. Scottish Enterprise will provide an answer to you directly.
26 Oct 2015 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what proportion of the labour force has a secure job that pays at least the living wage.
20 Oct 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the independent review of planning will increase community participation in such decisions.
Answer · Alex Neil: I recognise the importance of community engagement in planning and asked that this is considered as part of the review. The independent panel have asked for views and evidence on this. I look forward to receiving their recommendations in the spring.
7 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report by the investigations company, Kroll, that all but one of the limited partnerships referred to in its recent report on Moldovan bank fraud and money laundering had a registered place of business in Scotland.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to disrupting and dismantling serious organised crime, wherever it is found in Scotland. The creation, operation, regulation and dissolution of business, and money laundering are however matters reserved to the UK Governm…
7 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that the transparency of the ownership of limited partnerships is sufficient, and what its position is on whether reform is necessary to (a) enhance this and (b) ensure that these partnerships cannot be used as vehicles for money laundering.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The creation, operation, regulation and dissolution of business, and money laundering are matters reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government believes corporate transparency has an important role to avoid the misuse of companies and to support goo…
7 Oct 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many limited partnerships have been registered in each year since 2008, and what its position is on the trend.
Answer · John Swinney: Figures for limited partnerships can be found in the Companies House annual publication Companies Register Activities 2014-2015. Please see Table E2 at the link below for figures from 2010-11 to 2014-15: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/companies-regi…
28 Sep 2015 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the option of allowing mixed-sex couples to form civil partnerships.
14 Sep 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken in the last year on the currency options for Scotland, either in the current constitutional context or in the future.
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question S4W-26767, which received a holding answer on 17 August 2015, and what the reason is for the delay in providing such an answer.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-24473 on 8 October 2015. 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/parliamentaryb…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) individuals and (b) organisations it has approached for evidence on the appropriateness of unconventional oil and gas extraction.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26272 on 27 July 2015. 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…
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to gather evidence to inform its (a) public health impact assessment, (b) work to strengthen planning guidance and (c) tightening of environmental regulation as noted in its news release of 28 January 2015, Moratorium called on fracking.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4F-02949 on 17 September 2015 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10088
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to start its consultation on unconventional oil and gas extraction.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4F-02949 on 17 September 2015 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10088
10 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to gather evidence to inform its position on unconventional coal gasification.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4F-02949 on 17 September 2015 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10088
9 Sep 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the pilot library card scheme for children is being progressed, and whether the Improvement Service will administer this through the National Entitlement Card.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The ‘Every Child is a Library Member’ pilots are being administered by individual local authorities in partnership with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC). SLIC provides advice to local authorities and supports improvements in public librarie…
10 Jun 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an analysis of the responses to the consultation on the proposed amendments to the National Health Service Central Register (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and whether it plans to implement the proposed amendments.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is currently considering the points raised in the consultation responses and will publish an analysis of these responses shortly.
1 Jun 2015 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the “serious risk” of “international disrepute” if it continues to miss annual climate change targets.
26 May 2015 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether its practices comply with the Open Data Strategy published by the Scottish Government and what action it will take to address the issues that it raises.
20 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of the proposed carbon price support exemption for restoration-related coal in relation to (a) state aid and (b) competition laws.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The carbon price support exemption proposal is with the UK Government for consideration and part of that broad consideration process will include assessment of the proposal in regard to competition law and to assess any state aid implications. The Scottish Go…
20 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its definition of brownfield sites is in the context of open cast coal and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: There is no definition of ‘brownfield land’ specifically within the context of opencast coal in the Scottish Planning Policy.
20 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications for the environment of linking restoration of open cast coal sites to further extraction of coal at or adjacent to derelict open cast coal mines.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Part of the solution to the restoration of legacy opencast sites is the continuation of coaling activities which can finance restoration in a cost-effective way and progressively ‘backfill’ sites as overburden is removed and replaced. To exclude the use of ne…
20 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the risks to (a) the environment and (b) local communities of any further collapse in the open cast coal industry.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Through the opencast coal task force, the Scottish Government has fully involved local authorities, communities, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage in identifying measures to assess and reduce environmental and community risk…
11 May 2015 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government has made an assessment of the likely impact on Scotland of a £12 billion reduction in the UK welfare system.
29 Apr 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the transport recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change in its 2015 progress report.
20 Mar 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will receive the final report from the University of Stirling on the research that it commissioned on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012; whether the report will be published in full, and, if so, on what date.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Researchers at The University of Stirling are currently working on the final report from their evaluation of Section 1 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. The Scottish Government is still to receive a fin…
2 Mar 2015 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what concerns it has regarding reports that an anti-Muslim demonstration is to be called by the organisation, Pegida Scotland.
18 Feb 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the First Minister's comment that there should be “zero tolerance” on tax avoidance, what policy changes it plans to make.
11 Feb 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the privacy concerns raised by the Open Rights Group regarding the proposed amendments to the National Health Service Central Register (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
14 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Smith Commission's recommendation that onshore oil and gas licensing be devolved, what its role will be with the 14th Landward Licensing Round.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is supportive of the devolution of these energy powers to Scotland and we will work jointly with the UK Government to take forward The Smith Commission recommendations in full and as quickly as possible. However, onshore oil and gas li…