John Finnie

9 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications for the Scottish budget would be if income tax was increased in Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: As I made clear in my answer to Mark McDonald at General Questions (S4O-01479), 15 November, the Scottish rate of income tax will be introduced in April 2016. The Office for Budget Responsibility produced forecasts in March 2012 indicating that a 1p change in…

6 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what shrieval specialisms are available in the Highlands and Islands, broken down by (a) category and (b) location.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This question relates to matters that are the responsibility of the Lord President, under his powers within Part 2 of the Judiciary & Courts (Scotland) Act 2008, and for which Scottish Ministers are not accountable.

6 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has procurement contracts with firms that have recently been the subject of news stories regarding tax evasion.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on Scottish Government contracts and guidance on how to access a list of Scottish Government contractors is available on the Contracts Directory page on the Scottish Procurement website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procuremen…

6 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on whether anyone working in the public sector in Scotland has been the subject of national insurance and tax avoidance arrangements such as reported by the BBC News on 4 November 2012.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government expects those who work on public sector business to do so within the tax system. We are not aware of offshore companies employing teachers in this way in Scotland. Here supply teachers are employed by local authorities and as such shou…

5 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help NHS boards encourage greater awareness of obstructive sleep apnoea among GPs and other health professionals.

Answer · Michael Matheson: A Sleep Studies Working Group has been formed, with the aim of ensuring that people with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) are appropriately referred to specialist sleep services. The group, (consisting of NHS clinicians, managers, members of the Scott…

1 Oct 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what implications have arisen for the Scottish rail franchise as a result of the recent UK Government decision on the west coast mainline.

17 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact on employment, what approaches it has made to defence industries based in Scotland to encourage them to diversify into civilian areas of work.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scotland has a rich and diverse defence industry in Scotland, with many companies working across a broad range of other sectors, including in the growing renewables market. The Scottish Government and our agencies are working to support companies, including …

17 Sep 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements it is making to the A82 between Fort William and Inverness.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government continues to invest in the A82 trunk road. Transport Scotland is progressing a programme of maintenance and minor safety improvements on the A82 for this financial year. Works are also ongoing at Glen Gloy (where work to repair the lan…

12 Sep 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose was of the recent census of users of the A9; what the purpose of each of the questions was, and whether the resulting information will be provided to commercial organisations.

Answer · Keith Brown: The purpose of the surveys is to provide some of the information required to undertake the design of the A9 Dualling from Perth to Inverness. Question Purpose Breaks from driving To assist in decisions on the frequency and provision of lay-bys and rest ar…

12 Sep 2012 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the proposals to improve arrangements for independent monitoring of prisons will meet the obligations under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT).

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Cabinet Secretary for Justice has asked Professor Andrew Coyle, Emeritus Professor of Prison Studies in the University of London and Visiting Professor in the University of Essex, to review the Scottish Government’s proposals to improve arrangements for i…

10 Sep 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent 10-day enforcement period on the A9 Inverness-Perth road where 687 motorists were charged with speeding offences, whether it plans to repeat the exercise.

29 Aug 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what representations the Scottish Government has made to BBC Scotland following the announcement that there will be job losses at BBC Highlands and Islands and a reduction to its Gaelic news service.

17 Aug 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector pension schemes there are in Scotland and what information it has on the financial health of these schemes.

Answer · John Swinney: There are five main public sector pension schemes in Scotland for which Scottish Ministers have a responsibility. These cover the NHS, teachers, police, fire and local government. There are an additional three schemes where the responsibility is reserved. The…

6 Aug 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices have been established since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information Services Division (ISD) of National Services Scotland publishes statistics as at 1 October annually on the number of GP practices broken down by NHS board. The latest figures and historical figures can be accessed via this link http://www.isdscotl…

6 Aug 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it assists with the establishment of new GP practices.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Every NHS board has a statutory duty to provide or secure the provision of primary medical services as respects their area, to the extent that they consider necessary to meet all reasonable requirements. The Scottish Government allocated £681 million to NHS b…

27 Jun 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the benefits are of the naloxone programme.

22 Jun 2012 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its formal response to the Commission on Women Offenders.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government will publish our response to the Commission on Women Offenders’ report on 25 June. A copy has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 54067). The response focuses on the 37 clear sighted recommendations …

15 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for making false accusations of criminal behaviour against prison officers since 2003.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.

15 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been convicted for assaulting prison officers since 2003, broken down by prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not held centrally.

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sites of special scientific interest in the Highlands and Islands have been denotified in the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is provided in the following table. SSSI Denotified Area (ha) Date Denotified or Subsumed Local Authority Area Notes Ardchyline Wood 0.4 07-11-2002 Argyll and Bute Part denotification Laxford Moors 445 19-11-2009 Highla…

13 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to increase the supply of social-rented housing.

6 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding the integration of health and social care in the Highlands.

30 May 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the reform of the common agricultural policy.

17 May 2012 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how fire and rescue authorities have performed against the priorities and objectives in Fire and Rescue: Framework for Scotland 2005 and what plans there are to review these.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I have today published a report on the progress made by Scotland’s Fire and Rescue Services against the priorities set out in the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2005, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. …

9 May 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it keeps an inventory of historical artefacts from the Highlands and Islands that are held by museums outside of Scotland.

28 Mar 2012 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will receive the report on the inquiry into the Galston mine incident from HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Authorities.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: We have now received the report, and thank Mr Torrie and his team for their work. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53833) and it is being published on the Scottish Government website. Ministers instructed th…

14 Mar 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in recruiting appropriately qualified teaching staff for Gaelic medium education.

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that the integration of local authority and health services will not be used to reduce funding to the third sector.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The integration of adult health and social care will not have any negative impact on funding for the third sector. We will build on the good practice established with the Change Fund to further embed the third and independent sectors in the decision making pr…

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arbitration facilities it recommends when there is dispute between a local authority and a third sector organisation regarding the funding of services.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Local authorities are autonomous bodies which make their own decisions regarding the funding of services for which they are responsible. If there is a dispute, an organisation can contact the council through the local elected members or seek independent advic…

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it provides to local authorities regarding the provision of service level agreements to bodies assisting in the delivery of local government services.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Local authorities are autonomous bodies which make their own decisions on the delivery of services for which they are responsible. The Scottish Government does not provide specific advice on service level agreements with external providers.