Parliamentary questions
Liam McArthur
3,646 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the (a) Welsh Government and (b) Northern Ireland Executive about implementing a deposit return system for beverage containers across the UK.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government officials have had several discussions with their counterparts in the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive on a range of waste topics including deposit return. I will shortly be writing to ministers in the Welsh Government and N…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on introducing a minimum level of allowances to cover the cost of fostering a child, in line with allowances for kinship carers.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Scottish Government policy on allowances reflects the recent announcement to align kinship and foster care allowances following the legal challenge to local authorities in 2015 and the agreement to provide 10.1 million a year to support this. We have agreed w…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to introduce a minimum level of allowances to cover the cost of fostering a child.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Following our recent announcement to align kinship and foster care allowances we have agreed with COSLA to now look at the overall allowances system and will convene a group shortly. We will look closely at the desirability and feasibility of a national schem…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what negotiations it has had with the UK Government about implementing a deposit return system for beverage containers in Scotland and across the UK.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I wrote to and discussed the issue with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2015 and will shortly be writing to UK ministers to invite a further discussion of the matter.
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to carry out a cost benefit analysis of implementing and maintaining a deposit return system for beverage containers.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: In December 2015, ministers commissioned Zero Waste Scotland to explore a number of key issues associated with deposit return systems, following a feasibility study and call for evidence undertaken earlier in the year. Should ministers decide to develop propo…
21 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to encourage the reuse of beverage containers by means of a deposit return system.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: In December 2015, ministers commissioned Zero Waste Scotland to explore a number of key issues associated with deposit return systems, following a feasibility study and call for evidence undertaken earlier in the year.
20 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many schools and children in local authorities that do not receive Attainment Scotland Fund support meet the programme’s criteria.
19 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on supply teachers in each of the last five years.
Answer · Angela Constance: Supply teachers are employed by local authorities and the Scottish Government does not hold any data relating to the costs incurred.
19 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its Electricity Generation Policy Statement in light of the UK Government’s decision to reduce financial support for carbon capture and storage.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I believe carbon capture and storage technology is necessary for a successful global response to climate change. Without Peterhead, I fear we will not see the development of this crucial technology. Following the UK Government's announcement to withdraw £1 bi…
18 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support house (a) buyers and (b) builders.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: We have a strong record on housing matters across all tenures from rental to home ownership. Since 2007 we have encouraged housing supply, maintaining higher build rates in both affordable and private housing than the rest of the UK. We have exceeded our targ…
18 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish details about the future of the Help to Buy scheme.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners’ Rights, Mr Alex Neil, launched the Help to Buy (Scotland): Affordable New Build Scheme and the Help to Buy (Scotland): Smaller Developers Scheme on 21 January 2016. The scheme is now open f…
8 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reviewing whether the SQA exam timetable should be revised to accommodate Ramadan.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The SQA exam timetable this year starts on Wednesday 4 May 2016, and concludes on Friday 3 June 2016. It therefore falls outside Ramadan. The SQA consults with a representation of stakeholder groups regarding the timing of exams in order to be as sensitive a…
14 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), what additional scenarios it has modelled for measuring fuel poverty other than the notional inflationary increase in fuel prices since 2011.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Other than the notional inflationary increase in fuel prices since 2011, the Scottish Government has modelled two additional scenarios. If housing stock conditions and household incomes had changed as observed by the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), b…
14 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), whether meeting its statutory target "as far as is reasonably practicable" has always been its approach to eradicating fuel poverty and, if so, whether the underlying meaning of that ph…
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has a statutory target to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as is reasonably practicable, by November 2016. No changes have been made to that target since it was laid in Parliament in 2001, and was supported by all parties. The Scottish…
14 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), what changes to the fuel poverty target it has made in light of the external factors that have developed since 2011.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has made no changes to the fuel poverty target.
14 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-28781 by Margaret Burgess on 14 December 2015 and S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), whether it has considered a reassessment of the 2016 fuel poverty target after the 2016 UK Budget.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has no current plans to reassess the fuel poverty target.
14 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-28781 by Margaret Burgess on 14 December 2015 and S4O-04702 by Alex Neil on 28 October 2015 (Official Report, c. 19), whether it has ruled out a reassessment of the 2016 fuel poverty target in light of the UK Spending Review.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government has no current plans to reassess the fuel poverty target.
14 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28781 by Margaret Burgess on 14 December 2015, in light of the information not being provided in the answer to S4O-04702, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm whether it is on target to eradicate fuel poverty by Nov…
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government is committed to meeting its statutory target of eradicating fuel poverty, as far as is reasonably practicable, by November 2016 and it has no current plans to revise that target. The Scottish Government is doing everything it can to t…
14 Dec 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the number of beds needed in the proposed new Balfour hospital in Orkney.
10 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not provided a substantive response to question S4W-28321, which received a holding answer on 20 November 2015, and when it will provide such a response.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28946 on 23 December 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/parliamen…
10 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the holding answer to question S4W-28321 by Aileen Campbell on 20 November 2015, for what reason it has been unable to provide the written response to the Commission for Childcare Reform’s report, given that it stated in its news release on 4 November 2015, New group to help …
Answer · Aileen Campbell: A written response to the Commission for Childcare Reform's final report was published on the Scottish Government website on 23 December 2015.
8 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it has kept the Parliament informed of developments regarding the Scottish European Green Energy Centre since its launch in 2009.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: SEGEC regularly reports to the Scottish Government and its development agencies. Throughout its existence SEGEC has reported regularly on its work streams and progress to the SEGEC advisory group, consisting of representatives from Scottish Government, Scotti…
8 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the budget has been for the Scottish European Green Energy Centre in each year since its launch in 2009.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government’s budget for supporting SEGEC is £350k per year. This has been contributed each financial year since 2009-10 with four payments to SEGEC as an independent organisation and then three payments to date to Scottish Enterprise as the host …
8 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the main achievements of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre have been since its launch in 2009.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: SEGEC has delivered 167.86 million in European funding since mid-2009, leveraging an additional 431.72 million of investment, primarily from the private sector. In total, SEGEC has supported over 75 projects seeking EU funding, helping Scottish partners to un…
8 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC) has been active since 2009. It was initially set up as a part-public, part-private time-limited initiative part funded through EU structural funds but also by the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise (SE),…
3 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has modelled the impact of increasing the student loan repayment threshold on the cost of the resource accounting and budgeting charge for providing student loans and what opportunity there is to do so in the current non-cash departmental expenditure limit.
Answer · Angela Constance: As part of our consideration of increasing the student loan repayment threshold, the impact upon the resource accounting and budgeting (RAB) charge has been modelled. As any increase in the repayment threshold would impact on the RAB charge and would require…
3 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) resource accounting cost and (b) budgeting charge is for providing student loans, also expressed as a percentage of initial loan outlay.
Answer · Angela Constance: Taking 2014-15 as an example, the cost of the resource and accounting budget charge for providing student loans in that academic year was £149.4 million. This cost was equal to 29% of the total sum of student loan advances of £515.3 million for academic year…
3 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much non-cash departmental expenditure limit it required to cover the cost of providing loans to Scottish-domiciled students in each of the last four years, and how much the Treasury provided toward meeting this.
Answer · Angela Constance: The figures are provided in the following table: Year Final expenditure as in Scottish Government accounts Final budget as published in spring budget revision* 2014-15 £149.4 million £181.6 million 2013-14 £126.9 million £183 million 2012-13 £215.6…
1 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on target to meet its statutory requirement under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to eradicate fuel poverty by November 2016 and, if not, whether it will set a revised target.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: I refer the member to the answer to question S4O-04702 taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2015. A transcript is available on the Parliament’s website, and the search facility for the Official Report can be found here: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliam…
30 Nov 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the introduction of a national woodlands plan to ringfence money to protect woodland.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a ‘national woodlands plan’ to ringfence money to protect woodland. However it recognises the importance of woodland protection and has allocated funds under the Forestry Grant Scheme. Information on the optio…