Parliamentary questions
John Finnie
1,255 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact that forestry grant payments made for 2020 will have on its 2021 forestry targets.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: At this time we expect forestry grants in 2020-21 to deliver 11,550 hectares of new woodland. Forestry & Land Scotland expect to be planting around 450 hectares in 2020-21 on the National forests and land. Scottish Forestry has already issued grant contracts…
12 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last assessed the capability of local authority emergency planning/resilience teams to deal with nuclear accidents or other similar emergencies.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The regulatory assessment of local authority capability in terms of nuclear response is reserved the UK Government and is carried out by the independent regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). The regulations require a review and testing of plans…
12 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Carriage of Dangerous Goods (Amendment) Regulations 2019 impacts on the transport of nuclear materials from Dounreay to (a) Sellafield, by sea and rail and (b) international destinations, by air.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Office for Nuclear Regulation, as the independent Great Britain Competent Authority for the transport of Class 7 (radioactive material) dangerous goods, has provided assurance to Scottish Government that the amended regulations should not have an anticipa…
12 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the work that it carries out with local authorities regarding emergency planning, what assessment it has made of the steps that councils have taken to inform the general public about the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The requirement for local authorities to test their response to off-site nuclear emergencies and to warn and inform the public is reserved to the UK Government. REPPIR 2019 is subject to independent oversight from the Office of Nuclear Regulation and the Hea…
12 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to inform the general public about the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The legislation governing emergency preparedness and response (EP&R) in respect of nuclear matters are reserved to the UK Government, and is covered under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR 2019). While thi…
4 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review the impact of the use of glyphosate herbicides on human health, and whether it is aware that the uses of certain such herbicides has been blocked in the United States because of the dangers that they were ruled to have.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The impact of glyphosate on human health and the environment was considered by the EU when deciding whether to approve the substance. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out detailed reviews of glyphosate and concluded that the available scienti…
4 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on reducing the use of glyphosate herbicides through its promotion of integrated pest management.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The most recent Pesticide Usage on Arable Crops survey recorded a decrease in the use of glyphosate between 2016 and 2018. Use of pesticides, including those containing glyphosate is influenced by a range of factors, such as growing and weather conditions. Th…
25 May 2020 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Specialist Leisure Group entering administration, resulting in seven hotels across Scotland ceasing to trade, what further steps it is considering to support the tourism industry.
18 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, where it is the owner of land, how it ensures that there is no conflict of interest between its roles as asset holder and asset transfer manager when a community seeks transfer of that land to community ownership.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Assets owned by the Scottish Government are held by the relevant Directorate or Non Departmental Public Body. In the case of asset transfer requests under Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 the management and transfer of these assets is t…
15 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28830 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2020, what impact not keeping information regarding vehicles travelling at excess speed on non-trunk roads has on the veracity of how it formulates its policy on speed limits and, in light of reported concerns reg…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to achieving safer road travel in Scotland for all, through the delivery of Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020. This includes various measures to encourage responsible driver behaviour and enhanced levels of speed l…
15 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28830 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2020, what impact not keeping information regarding vehicles travelling at excess speed on non-trunk roads has on the veracity of how it formulates its policy on low-emission zones and, in light of reported concer…
Answer · Michael Matheson: Traffic and air quality data on non-trunk roads has been collected by local authorities. This information underpins the production of air quality models that are used by local authorities to inform the design of low emission zones and broader aspects of air q…
15 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28830 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2020, what impact not keeping information regarding vehicles travelling at excess speed on non-trunk roads has on the veracity of how it formulates its policy on air quality and, in light of reported concerns rega…
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29112 on 29 May 2020, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .
15 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28830 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2020, what impact not keeping information regarding vehicles travelling at excess speed on non-trunk roads has on the veracity of how it formulates its policy on the effectiveness of speed camera enforcement and, …
Answer · Michael Matheson: Safety cameras are deployed through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme primarily where they have the greatest potential to reduce injury collisions, and where there is evidence of both collisions and speeding. These deployments take place across both trunk…
15 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28830 by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2020, what impact not keeping information regarding vehicles travelling at excess speed on non-trunk roads has on the veracity of how it formulates its policy on the safety of (a) active travellers, (b) ridden hor…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to achieving safer road travel in Scotland for all, through the delivery of Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020. This includes various measures to encourage responsible driver behaviour and enhanced levels of speed l…
12 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates any delays in capital works relating to motorways and trunk roads in 2020-21 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and, if so, what the projected impact is on the budget for any works in the current financial year.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Our key priority remains protecting the lives of everyone in Scotland as we continue to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. At this stage it is too early to assess the impact of the temporary closures of trunk road construction sites. However, once work is permitte…
12 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many FTE staff working for Transport Scotland were dedicated to Active Travel on (a) 1 January and (b) 11 May 2020.
Answer · Michael Matheson: On 1 January 2020 Transport Scotland had 8.4 FTE staff dedicated to active travel. On the 11 May 2020 there were 9 FTE staff dedicated to active travel.
8 May 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require NHS boards to investigate the background to an employee being certified unfit for work due to work-related stress.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We are clear that the welfare of staff is critically important and we expect all health Boards in NHSScotland to meet the standards set out in the national Attendance Policy (https://workforce.nhs.scot/policies/attendance-policy-overview/attendance-policy/ )…
3 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has put in place for people who are accruing additional costs for (a) telephone and broadband services and (b) gas and electricity as a result of working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: All telecommunications legislation and regulation is reserved to the UK Government and we continue to work closely with them to ensure that our interests are represented and are engaging directly with industry stakeholders during this most challenging period …
3 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to businesses regarding health and safety requirements for employees who are working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Occupational health and safety is a reserved issue. Employers have the same health and safety responsibilities for home workers as for any other workers. The Health and Safety Executive has published guidance for home working on its website: https://www.hse…
3 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it has put in place to improve broadband connectivity in rural and island communities to support the increased number of people working from home due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Government Ministers and officials are in regular contact with telecoms operators who inform us that their networks are coping with the additional traffic seen as a result of COVID-19 social distancing measures. The increased number of people working…
10 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the Crown Estate Scotland’s (a) budget and (b) in-house staffing level is for ScotWind Leasing (i) in 2019-20 and (ii) for 2020-21.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Crown Estate Scotland advise that they do not record the sub-allocation of staff time specifically to ScotWind Leasing but it forms a significant part of the work undertaken by the Energy & Infrastructure team which is made up of 8 members of staff. That team…
10 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date ScotWind Leasing will be launched.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Crown Estate Scotland have stated that they intend to launch ScotWind Leasing in Spring 2020.
10 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many North Sea oil and gas (a) top side, (b) subsea infrastructure and (c) specialist vessel decommissioning projects are scheduled to start in each year from 2020 to 2023, and what support it is providing to Scotland's (i) ports and (ii) companies in securing future contracts for of…
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of North Sea decommissioning projects scheduled from 2020 to 2023. Information on decommissioning programmes is available from the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRE…
10 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many North Sea oil and gas (a) top sides, (b) subsea infrastructure and (c) specialist vessel decommissioning projects have been carried out in Scotland's port facilities since January 2017.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The decision about where to decommission topsides, other infrastructure and specialist vessels is a commercial one for asset owners. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of North Sea decommissioning projects carried out in Scotland’s port …
10 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) duration and (b) value is of the Crown Estate Scotland contract with Arup for a team of specialist reviewers to assist in (i) preparing evaluation systems and processes and (ii) evaluating applications to the ScotWind Leasing round.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Crown Estate Scotland advise that their contract with Arup covers preparing for and evaluating applications. The contract value will vary depending on the number of applications which are received, but on the basis of Crown Estate Scotland’s present planning …
12 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had from the UK Government on how it will protect Scotland’s crofters in upcoming trade deal talks with the EU.
22 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many seats ScotRail planned to provide on its services in 2019, and how many of these it did not provide, broken down by route.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A reduction from ScotRail’s planned seat delivery may be caused either by a cancellation, or by a train running with fewer than the planned number of carriages. Details of cancellations may be found at Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 6130…
21 Jan 2020 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for improving rail infrastructure in the Highlands.
7 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met groups that promote secular education and what was discussed.
Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Government officials and Ministers meet with a wide range of organisations with a role or interest in education issues. This can make it difficult to be completely sure as to the most recent meeting with any single organisation. Following a search of…
6 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21129 by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2019, whether it will provide the same information regarding ScotRail Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) audits in 2019.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Transport Scotland team of six Inspectors audit all 355 ScotRail Stations, now including Robroyston, and a minimum of 190-210 trains at least once every four weekly cycle. The member will wish to be aware that information on SQUIRE audits, passes and fails d…