Colin Keir

13 Mar 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the UK Government has indicated by what mechanism criminals will be repatriated to Scotland if the UK opts out of the European Arrest Warrant.

6 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the suggestion that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency may remove the Fair-a-far and Dowie's Mill weirs on the River Almond.

19 Feb 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will produce a report on traffic flow issues on the A90 and A8 in the west of Edinburgh.

Answer · Keith Brown: The A90 and A8 in the west of Edinburgh are local roads. As such, City of Edinburgh Council is responsible for their management, including the production of any traffic flow reports.

12 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent contact it has had with representatives of China and what issues were discussed.

10 Dec 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the delivery of the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has had no specific discussions with NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council regarding the delivery of the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre. The Scottish Government continues to engage with NHS Lothian regarding the develo…

4 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many alcohol-related incidents on trains have been recorded (a) in the last year and (b) since the ban on alcohol on train services between 21.00 and 10.00 was introduced.

Answer · Keith Brown: Transport Scotland does not hold these figures. The alcohol restrictions were introduced by ScotRail with a soft introduction on 20 July 2012 prior to being fully rolled out in August 2012 in response to concerns from the travelling public about anti-social b…

26 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss the impact of PPP/PFI on its budget.

29 Oct 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on improving air quality in cities.

22 Oct 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what recent progress has been made with the Forth Replacement Crossing.

1 Oct 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many criminals have been brought back to Scotland through a European Arrest Warrant.

24 Sep 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what cultural exchanges it is pursuing with non-EU European nations.

17 Sep 2012 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the Hall's of Broxburn Taskforce in relation to the company's future.

10 Sep 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the impact on business and tourism of having only one carrier between Scottish airports and Heathrow.

15 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many modern apprenticeships have been created by the Forth Replacement Crossing project.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Principal Contract will deliver an annual average of 45 vocational training positions, 21 professional body training places and 46 positions for the long term unemployed, as well as further scope to maximise Modern Apprenticeship opportunities every year.…

15 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs the work on the Forth Replacement Crossing has brought to residents of South Queensferry and Kirkliston and how many will be created on completion of the project.

Answer · Keith Brown: Across the Forth Replacement Crossing project there are currently nearly 800 site based employees. This figure does not include those employed by the 268 Scottish firms who have already benefitted from subcontracts and supply orders on the project. At its pea…

15 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what economic benefits the construction of the Forth Replacement Crossing has brought to South Queensferry and Kirkliston.

Answer · Keith Brown: Across the Forth Replacement Crossing project there are currently nearly 800 site based employees and 268 Scottish firms have already benefitted from £52 million of subcontracts and supply orders. At its peak the project will directly support 1,200 jobs and t…

13 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what issues were discussed with the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony during his visit to the Parliament.

30 May 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what social and economic impact the Scottish Futures Trust's hub programme is having on local communities.

23 May 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the increase in air passenger duty is having on the delivery of its transport policy with regard to air travel.

14 Mar 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the sale of BMI to International Airlines Group would have on Scottish air links, competition and consumer services.

7 Mar 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the environmental impact on the Forth Estuary was of the leak of contaminated water near South Queensferry on 14 November 2011 and what action has been taken to mitigate it.

27 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the proportion of small and medium-sized businesses established in the last three years that were set up by other EU nationals.

Answer · John Swinney: The official source of business start-up data is the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR). The IDBR is a database of all businesses that have registered for VAT and/or PAYE in the UK. The IDBR does not include information on the nationality of small an…

23 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the contribution of other EU nationals is to the Scottish economy.

Answer · John Swinney: The Government Economic Strategy identifies population growth as a key driver of economic growth and we are focused on creating the conditions for talented people to live, work and remain in Scotland. Migration from the European Union contributes to Scotland…

13 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many subcontracts for the Forth Crossing are currently advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland advertising portal.

Answer · Keith Brown: As of 10 February 2012 there were 88 subcontract opportunities advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland portal. The portal is regularly updated with new opportunities. Between the 10 February and the 23 February 2012 eight new opportunities were added to t…

13 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many subcontracts for the Forth Crossing have been awarded to Scottish firms by Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors.

Answer · Keith Brown: As of 15 February 2012, 123 subcontracts have been awarded to Scottish firms by the Contractors working on the Forth Replacement Crossing Project. Of these, 50 have been awarded by Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors.

13 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently employed directly on the Forth Crossing Project and how many are expected to be employed during construction.

Answer · Keith Brown: As of 10 February 2012, the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) project is directly employing 384 people on site. Information provided by the main FRC contractors indicates that at its peak, the FRC project will directly support 1,200 jobs. Neither the current …

11 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Network Rail regarding Network Rail's opposition to nominating the Forth Bridge for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Transport Scotland, Network Rail and Historic Scotland have been engaged in dialogue and discussions over recent months. These discussions have resulted in Network Rail confirming its support for the inclusion of the Forth Bridge on the Tentative List and its…

11 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in nominating the Forth Bridge for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Forth Bridge is currently on the UK Tentative List of sites for potential World Heritage nomination that was revised during 2010-2011 by the UK Government. Transport Scotland has recently convened the Forth Bridges Forum working group that comprises offi…

5 Dec 2011 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how Scotland’s trade links with China will be improved as a result of his visit.

30 Nov 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is helping small businesses to ensure that they remain at the heart of local communities in the current economic climate.