Colin Beattie

11 Mar 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will strengthen the shift toward sustainable and renewable energy use in the manufacturing sector.

4 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to improve the quality and consistency of sentencing and enhance the availability of prisoner rehabilitation programmes.

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the construction costs of the Forth Replacement Crossing.

Answer · Keith Brown: The cost of the Forth Replacement Crossing project to February 2013 is £372 million. The project remains on track for a total outturn cost of £1.45 to £1.6 billion.

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have taken part in its initiatives to help first-time home buyers.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government’s Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) brings together a range of initiatives to help first time buyers access home ownership where this is affordable and sustainable for them. The schemes are the Open Market Shared Equity …

26 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to help first-time home buyers in 2013-14.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government will continue to help first time buyers through its Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) schemes. On 18 February 2013, the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities announced the …

25 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK credit rating being downgraded from AAA to AA1, whether it will continue to advocate adopting sterling in an independent Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: The recent report by the Fiscal Commission Working Group highlighted that retaining Sterling would provide a strong overarching framework for Scotland and maintain the integrated market and business links between Scotland and the rest of the UK. The decision…

29 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the potential benefits of wind farms outweigh those of established activities such as tourism.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: It is not a question of whether the benefits of one outweigh the benefits of the other. We are committed to ensuring that the renewable energy sector and the tourism industry continue to flourish side by side. Therefore, we have already committed to examining…

29 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is providing to those affected by the recent flooding in Musselburgh.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Flood protection schemes are primarily a matter for local authorities, however the Scottish Government is committed to supporting work that helps protect the people of Scotland from the effects of flooding. Most recently, I helped The Scottish Environmental …

29 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that its procurement contracts safeguard jobs in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government uses community benefit clauses in public procurement contracts to achieve our national outcome of more and better employment opportunities for people in Scotland. Since the Scottish Government published guidance on Community Benefits …

29 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional funding has been set aside for local authorities to become more involved in the Year of Natural Scotland 2013.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: No additional funding has been set aside by the Scottish Government specifically for local authorities to become more involved in the Year of Natural Scotland however partners across the country are being actively encouraged to join the celebration of the Yea…

29 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-114714 by Fergus Ewing on 6 December 2012, what progress has been made with the plans for the stakeholder event in Spring 2013.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Following my very useful meeting with stakeholders on 9 November 2012, I have arranged a further stakeholder event for 30 April 2013. Since the meeting in November I have written to payday loan companies in the UK and I am pleased that representatives from s…

29 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have benefitted from the small business bonus scheme in (a) East Lothian, (b) Midlothian and (c) Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: Official Statistics published on 24 October 2012 show that 89,087 business properties across Scotland are benefitting from the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) in 2012-13. This is an increase of almost 4,000 from the previous year. In East Lothian 1,556 an…

28 Jan 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what events it will hold to promote the Year of Natural Scotland.

14 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the updated National Flood Risk Assessment will be published.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The first ever National Flood Risk Assessment (NFRA) for Scotland was published in December 2011 and is only the first step in a new risk-based approach to managing the impacts of floods, where the focus of plans and actions to manage flooding are targeted on…

14 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of any potential water pollution as a result of unconventional gas exploration and extraction and whether it is considering commissioning further research.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Following the investigation of two seismic tremors experienced near Preese Hall, Lancashire during fracking operations in 2011, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society conducted a wide ranging and authoritative review of the scientific and tech…

14 Jan 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the results of the Bank of Scotland’s December 2012 survey of purchasing managers.

7 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy on fuel poverty, what its position is on claims by Ignacio Galan of Iberdrola that Scottish Power is the only energy utility company in the UK losing money.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is working to tackle fuel poverty and protect Scottish consumers. We are tackling fuel poverty through a range of initiatives, including working with each of the big six energy supply companies, and a range of other key interests, to m…

7 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the correlation between increased expenditure for the personal care of older people in their own homes and quality of care provision.

Answer · Alex Neil: Following the implementation of The Public Services Reform (Social Services Inspections) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2012 earlier this year the Care Inspectorate now inspect care at home services for the elderly on an annual basis.

5 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to prevent outbreaks of Norovirus in care homes.

27 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reduce or increase funds for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in 2013-14.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has agreed indicative funding with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT) of £422,977 for 2013-14. This is broadly in line with the initial £430,070 that was agreed for this year. We have also provided a further £80,000 in 2012-13 to…

24 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering creating a definition for furnished and unfurnished flats and houses for the purposes of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) (Scotland) Order 1997.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is not considering creating a definition for furnished and unfurnished homes for the purposes of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) (Scotland) Order 1997. It will continue to be for local autho…

24 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking regarding the teaching of Scottish history in schools.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The place of learning about Scotland’s history, heritage and culture has been strengthened and will continue to be promoted and supported in the context of Curriculum for Excellence. New national qualifications in history build on the success of the introduct…

24 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle homelessness.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government is committed to preventing homelessness where it can and to tackling homelessness where it cannot. We are committed to the 2012 target that all those assessed as unintentionally homeless by local authorities will be entitled to settled…

24 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help postgraduate students in Scotland with tuition fees.

Answer · Michael Russell: Under the Postgraduate Students’ Allowances Scheme the Scottish Government provides £3,400 towards the cost of tuition fees for all eligible Scottish domiciled and EU postgraduate students studying vocational one year postgraduate diplomas and the nine month …

24 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that free university education will be sustained in the long term.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is committed to provision of access to higher education based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay.

24 Sep 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the economic benefits of minimum pricing of alcohol will be evident.

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has regarding health concerns in relation to the use of aspartame as a sweetener in diet soft drinks and foodstuffs.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the provision of advice to the government on matters relating to food safety. The FSA considers aspartame can be safely consumed at current permitted levels. Despite extensive safety testing some people con…

11 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered banning the use of aspartame as a sweetener in diet soft drinks and foodstuffs.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the provision of advice to the government on matters relating to food safety. Sweeteners such as aspartame are regulated under harmonised European Union (EU) legislation on food additives and may only be use…

3 Sep 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact on the economy would be if the shovel-ready projects proposed to the UK Government were approved.

14 Aug 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on its environmental policies of the UK Government's decision to freeze support for geothermal power.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: In its response to the recent consultation on a review of bands under the England and Wales Renewables Obligation, the UK Government announced its decision re retain support for electricity generated using geothermal energy at the current level. The Scottish …