Parliamentary questions

Liam McArthur

3,646 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a legal duty for landowners to produce management plans to protect woodland.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a legal duty for landowners to produce management plans to protect woodland. However all landowners that intend to apply to the Scottish Rural Development Programme Forestry Grant Scheme for the sustainable ma…

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) what action it has taken and (b) how much it has spent in each of the last five years to protect woodland in remote and rural places, including in Orkney.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28754 on 10 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/parliamentar…

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent in each of the last five years on the protection of woodland.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: Over the past five years the Scottish Government has invested a total of nearly £61 million in the protection of woodlands in Scotland. An additional £3 million was invested as part of the tree health programme over the past two years to protect our woodlands…

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce the percentage of woodland deemed to be in an "unsatisfactory" condition.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28752 on 10 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/parliamentar…

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to end the loss of woodland, in light of a reported 14% loss of woodland in the last 40 years.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Native Woodland Survey of Scotland identified that a 14% reduction may have occurred in ancient woodland cover over a 40 year period in unenclosed upland areas. The survey also identified that the current native woodland condition is moderate overall, wit…

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much public funding it has given to universities in each of the last five years toward funding projects that are being carried out at CERN.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not provide any direct public funding to Scottish universities to carry out projects at CERN. However the Science and Technologies Facilities Council co-ordinates and manages the UK’s involvement and subscription with CERN and pro…

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-01189 by Aileen Campbell on 24 November 2015 (Official Report, c. 3), what steps it took to advise the Parliament of the decision to dissolve the Getting It Right for Every Child Programme Board.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Ministers were under no obligation to inform Parliament of any change to their arrangements to prepare for the implementation of this legislation.

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-01189 by Aileen Campbell on 24 November 2015 (Official Report, c. 3), how much was spent in developing and operating the Getting It Right for Every Child Programme Board.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The only costs incurred were administrative, as part of everyday Scottish Government expenditure on providing the support of officials to set up, organise and support meetings and in providing meeting space in government buildings.

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-01189 by Aileen Campbell on 24 November 2015 (Official Report, c. 3), what impact dissolving the Getting It Right for Every Child Programme Board will have on its named persons policy under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: There has been no impact on the implementation of the named person policy.

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-01189 by Aileen Campbell on 24 November 2015 (Official Report, c. 3), what advice led to the decision to dissolve the Getting It Right for Every Child Programme Board.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: With the passage of the Act in February 2014, the members of the board (including Police Scotland, National Parent Forum Scotland, local authorities, the NHS, Care Inspectorate and COSLA) agreed that the board should be dissolved in September 2014. The focus …

23 Nov 2015 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has abolished the Getting it Right for Every Child Programme Board.

18 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of the invasive stoat population in Orkney has been on (a) birds of prey, (b) seabirds, (c) waders and (d) other species native to the islands; what analysis it has carried out to determine what the main pathway has been for the stoats to enter; what measures it is taking…

Answer · Aileen McLeod: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has advised the Scottish Government that it is not possible to determine exactly how stoats first arrived in Orkney and that no significant impacts of invasive stoats on native wildlife in Orkney have been documented as yet. An…

9 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers its sale of student loan debt in 2013-14 to be privatisation.

Answer · Angela Constance: Following discussions initiated by the UK Government, the Scottish Government agreed to participate in the sale of ‘mortgage style' student loans in 2013, alongside the UK Government and the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland. Due to the …

9 Nov 2015 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the awarding of the Saltire Prize for marine renewables.

5 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not published its response to Meeting Scotland's Childcare Challenge: The Report of the Commission for Childcare Reform.

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…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of funding the road equivalent tariff has been since 2008, also broken down by each ferry network subsidy.

Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-25144 on 22 April 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…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

Answer · Angela Constance: Two tables have been provided below which set out 1) the maximum bursary support available for students living at home; and 2) the maximum bursary support for students living away from home for years (a) 1979, (b) 1988, (c) 1997, (d) 2007. The figure for e) t…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many deferral applications the Student Loans Company has received in each year of its operation, and what percentage this represents of all students due to make repayments.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Student Loans Company (SLC) holds details of the number of deferral applications received from academic year 2006-07 onwards. The amount of deferral applications received per academic year was: 2006-07 426,554 2007-08 329,620 2008-09 311,731 2009-10 2…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what average length of time a graduate takes to repay their student loan.

Answer · Angela Constance: Repayment of student loans owed by Scottish domiciled students is managed on behalf of the Scottish Government by the Student Loans Company (SLC). Repayment of Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) loans, offered to students from September 1998, are predicated u…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is to it of money loaned by the Student Loans Company.

Answer · Angela Constance: Costs to the Scottish Government include those associated with supporting the student loan system to operate in Scotland, and those relating to the award of loans to individual students. Taking 2015-16 as an example, £302.1 million was set aside in the Scott…

28 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support it has provided to free schools outside local authority control.

Answer · Angela Constance: There are no free schools in Scotland and consequently no financial support is provided by the Scottish Government.

28 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with residents of East Dunbartonshire about setting up a new free school outside local authority control.

Answer · Angela Constance: Scottish Ministers met residents of East Dunbartonshire in March and September 2015 to discuss their request to establish and operate a community school outwith local authority control.

28 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the setting up of free schools outside local authority control.

Answer · Angela Constance: Schools in Scotland are operated by local councils to make them accountable to the communities they serve. Whilst we continue to be interested in discussing new ideas for improving our education system, we are clear that our approach to raising standards mus…

29 Sep 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the impact of the agreement to maintain teacher numbers.

29 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the take-up of domestic Renewable Heat Incentive installations up to July 2015 was substantially higher in the Western Isles compared with Orkney and Shetland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government would like to avoid comparisons of performance of local authorities based on the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). Whilst the publicly available statistics provided by the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change …

29 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the take-up of domestic Renewable Heat Incentive installations up to July 2015 in each island local authority.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Uptake of domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) installations by local authority area is published monthly by UK Department of Energy and Climate Change. The most recent figures can be accessed from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collect…

28 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is giving to remote and island communities to reduce the cost of parcel deliveries.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-27779 on 2 November 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/parliamentar…

28 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what action has been taken to reduce the cost of parcel delivery to Scottish islands through delivery consolidation in the final miles.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is working closely with stakeholders to ensure that customers receive a better service for parcel deliveries, and in particular to consider what can be done to assist rural, remote and island communities to reduce the cost of parcel de…

28 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Government how much it has spent on promoting its Statement of principles for parcel deliveries.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-27777 on 2 November 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/parliamentar…

28 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Government what action it has taken to promote its Statement of principles for parcel deliveries.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: In February 2013 I chaired a Parcel Delivery Summit which involved a range of stakeholders and built on a previous one held in November 2012. This led to the establishment of a short-life working group to develop a Statement of principles for parcel deliverie…