Parliamentary questions
Alison Johnstone
905 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what statutory obligations there are for (a) it and (b) its bodies in relation to delivering sustainable (i) development and (ii) economic growth.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As set out in the Government Economic Strategy (GES), the Scottish Government’s Purpose is to focus government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable econom…
13 May 2013 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of its transport budget is spent on infrastructure to increase walking and cycling rates.
7 May 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what training is provided to sheriffs regarding sentencing in cases when pedestrians or cyclists are killed by cars.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Lord President under the terms of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008. The Judicial Institute for Scotland was formed on 1 January 2013 to replace the Judicial Studies Committee and has the day-to-day r…
1 May 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make statutory a universal entitlement to services from health visitors.
29 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is applying the precautionary principle in relation to the licensing of plant protection products containing neonicotinoids.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: In my announcement on 28 April 2013 I supported proposals to restrict neonicotinoid use in Europe, whilst highlighting the need for further research to give us the clarity we need on this difficult issue.
22 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the value was of contracts awarded through Public Contracts Scotland to (a) medium-, (b) small- and (c) micro-sized Scotland-based companies in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is not possible to calculate the value of contracts awarded to Scottish-based medium, small and micro-sized companies through Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), because many of the contracts awarded are multi-supplier contracts or framework arrangements. It …
22 Apr 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total value was of contracts awarded through Public Contracts Scotland in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: At the time of publication of the award notice by public bodies, using Public Contracts Scotland only an estimated value, or range of values, is provided by the contracting authority. Additionally, there is no legal requirement for public bodies to publish aw…
28 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to persuade children to choose nutritious foods during school lunch breaks.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The “Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008” (the Regs) set high standards that all food and drink provided in schools must meet. This ensures that pupils are offered healthy, balanced and nutritious food during lun…
27 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has sought since 2011 about the potential impact on child health of caffeinated energy drinks.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Food Standards Agency has not sought specific advice since 2011 about the potential impact on child health of caffeinated energy drinks. Previous scientific advice was that there is no evidence of a direct, long term link between caffeine consumption and …
27 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) manufacturers and (b) retailers about the potential impact on child health of caffeinated energy drinks.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is not aware of a direct, long term link between caffeine consumption and altered behaviour in children or adverse long term effects, it has not specifically engaged with manufacturers or retailers on this topic. However, th…
27 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to restrict sales of caffeinated energy drinks to children.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has no plans to restrict the sales of caffeinated energy drinks to children. The FSA is not aware of any evidence of a direct long term link between caffeine consumption and altered behaviour to support legislation in this area…
27 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on fish stocks being fed meals derived from pork and poultry products.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Aquaculture is a key food production sector for Scotland. The Scottish Government is supportive of industry’s use of sustainable sources of raw materials in fish feed which optimise fish welfare and maintains the high quality of its products. The farmed salmo…
19 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to meet the guiding principle, Respect for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, set out in its document, Working with China.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to engaging with the Chinese Government on the issue of human rights as part of our overall engagement. Throughout the course of bilateral contact, Ministers and officials take the opportunity to raise human rights issues,…
19 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote film making in Scotland.
14 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13368 by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 March 2013, when it will award the procurement contracts relating to its Step Change 2015 programme.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government’s Step Change 2015 Programme is being taken forward through two procurement exercises, one covering the Highlands and Islands, which is led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and the other covering the rest of Scotland, led by …
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the second tranche of regulations implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government put in place new domestic legislation, the Welfare of Animals at time of killing (Scotland) Regulation 2012, to implement and enforce 1099/2009 from 1 January 2013, when the EU legislation came into effect. The domestic legislation cu…
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent assessment is of the incidence of dothistroma needle blight in the national forest estate.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Monitoring for the presence of Dothistroma needle blight has taken place annually on the national forest estate since 2006. Following completion of the 2012 survey the presence of Dothistroma on pine species has now been confirmed on 12,600 hectares of woodl…
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) where and (b) when trials of fungicide application to combat dothistroma needle blight will be held.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Seven potential sites for the aerial application of fungicide on the national forest estate have been identified, three in the North Highland Forest District and four in the Moray and Aberdeenshire Forest District. Approvals for the aerial application are cur…
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish action plans for dealing with (a) chalara ash dieback, (b) dothistroma needle blight and (c) larch ramorum.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government will publish its own, finalised Chalara action plan once the GB Chalara management plan is confirmed; this is expected at the end of March 2013. Finalised action plans for Dothistroma Needle Blight and Phytophthora ramorum on larch wi…
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been awarded to the University of St Andrews to develop a cetacean-friendly seal scarer and when the scarer will be commercially available.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government provided £94,000 to the Sea Mammal Research Unit at University of St. Andrews to support initial research into a range of possible new options for seal deterrence using sound. The research project yielded some promising results amidst …
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the guidance that it has issued since 2007 on public spending has led to increased (a) social and (b) community benefits.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Social Issues in Public Procurement guidance, October 2007, was followed up in February 2008 by publication of a detailed report and guidance on the use of community benefit clauses in public procurement. These clauses are now being used in a variety of p…
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises benefit from public spending at (a) national and (b) local level.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: We are working with the Scottish business community to standardise the public procurement process and reduce bureaucracy to make it easier for Small and Medium Enterprises to access public sector contracts. At a local level the Scottish Government has issued…
6 Mar 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many seals were shot under licence in the fourth reporting period in 2012.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: This information can be found on the Scottish Government web-site at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/Licensing/SealLicensing The figures show that overall 5% fewer seals were shot under licence in 2012 than in 2011. Information on seal licences i…
27 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages supermarket owners to participate in local licensing forums.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Section 10 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 places responsibility on the relevant local council to appoint the membership of each local licensing forum. The relevant council must ensure, so far as possible, that the membership of the forum is representati…
27 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what process the Accountant in Bankruptcy uses when discharging bankruptcies to ensure that excessive hours are not charged for work.
Answer · John Swinney: For those cases where the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) is trustee the remuneration claimed is determined in accordance with the Bankruptcy Fees etc. (Scotland) Regulations 2012. Where a private trustee is in place, a breakdown of the hours incurred and a s…
27 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the number of personal bankruptcy cases (a) discharged by the Accountant in Bankruptcy and (b) in which the Accountant in Bankruptcy restricted the hours charged for work by trustees in the same year in the latest year for which information is available
Answer · John Swinney: Between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012, the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) discharged 12,106 personal bankruptcy cases. For the same time period, AiB restricted the hours charged for work by trustees in 19 cases. When considering trustee accounts, AiB will di…
27 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the review of the European Environmental Impact Assessment Directive maintains a high level of protection for the environment in Scotland.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the continuous development of more efficient and effective EIA practice in Scotland. Officials across the Scottish Government recently hosted a series of seminars aimed at better understanding the European Co…
27 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the revised Scottish planning policy will provide improved (a) statutory guidance on sustainable development (b) protection for peatlands and (c) protection for Scotland's natural and cultural heritage.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the Scottish Planning Policy. From October to January officials carried out a process of pre-draft engagement, seeking stakeholders’ views on the priorities for change in the policy. These responses are being ana…
27 Feb 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will (a) continue to support the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence through outdoor learning and (b) implement the recommendations of the Learning for Sustainability report.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Learning for Sustainability further strengthens the place of outdoor learning and sends a clear message about the value and importance of a holistic, whole school approach that encompasses sustainable development, global citizenship and outdoor learning. All…
27 Feb 2013 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what recent discussions it has had with its catering contractor regarding the traceability of its meat supply chain.