Parliamentary questions

Willie Rennie

1,353 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

16 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00855 by Humza Yousaf on 19 July 2021, whether it will provide equivalent information on (a)(i) amber- and (ii) yellow-coded calls and (b) the total number of calls responded to over the same period.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Please find the requested information set out in the following table. Purple/Red/Amber/Yellow Incidents Attended, 01-01-2017 - 31/05/2021 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Purple Incidents Attended 8,677 9,591 13,547 15,091 6,987 >8 Minutes 2,…

29 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has sought Queen's consent in each year since 2007, broken down by the (a) title of the legislation and (b) date on which consent was (i) sought and (ii) obtained.

Answer · George Adam: refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02027 on ? 26 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committe…

29 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which pieces of legislation have been amended as a result of exchanges prompted by Rule 9.11 of the Standing Orders in each year since 2007, and, for each of these, whether it will publish (a) the details of any concerns raised by any party representing the Crown and (b) its response.

Answer · George Adam: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02027 on ? 26 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…

29 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) provide details of what interests would determine whether it seeks Queen's consent under Rule 9.11 of the Standing Orders and (b) publish any guidance on this matter that it has (i) produced and (ii) received from representatives of the Crown.

Answer · George Adam: The Parliament’s Standing Orders are required, in accordance with the Scotland Act 1998, to set out that should provisions within a Bill require the Queen’s consent if the Bill were an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament, the Bill requires Crown consent. Thi…

29 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to routinely publishing (a) details of when it has (i) sought and (ii) obtained Queen's consent and (b) associated correspondence in advance of the passage of legislation.

Answer · George Adam: The Scotland Act 1998 requires the Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament to include provision that if a Bill in the Scottish Parliament contains provisions which would, if it were a Bill in the UK Parliament, require the consent of the Queen, Crown conse…

23 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales on 23 April 2021 to overturn the convictions of sub-postmasters and postmistresses convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting on the basis of flawed evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon system, what steps are be…

Answer · Dorothy Bain: On 23 April 2021 the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) for England and Wales issued a judgement in Josephine Hamilton & Others v Post Office Limited [2021] EWCA Crim 577 relating to cases referred to it by the Criminal Cases Review Commission for England, W…

17 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32985 by Joe FitzPatrick on 23 November 2020, whether it will provide an update on the figures to date.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Further to the information highlighted by Mr Fitzpatrick in answer S5W-32985, please see the updated figures below as requested: Purple and Red Incidents Attended, 01-01-2017-31-05-2021 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Purple Incidents Attended 8,67…

16 Jun 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding allocations earmarked for new and existing teaching posts will be made permanent, to enable local authorities to award a greater number of permanent contracts.

10 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the levels of fishing for sandeels inside the Turbot Bank nature conservation marine protected area (MPA), in each year since it was designated as a MPA in 2014.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Marine Scotland monitors fishing activity and sandeel abundance off our east coast, including the Turbot Bank nature conservation marine protected area (MPA). The last research survey in December 2020 found high numbers of sandeels within this MPA. Marine Sco…

10 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to safeguard sandeels in the North Sea.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Given the importance of sandeels to the wider ecosystem and the subsequent benefit in aiding long-term sustainability and resilience, it remains an overarching Scottish Government position, which is reflected in Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy, not t…

10 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers fishing for sandeels in Scottish waters to be compatible with the protection of seabird populations, and with achieving Good Environmental Status.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Due to their importance in North Sea food webs, sandeel abundance should be maintained high enough to provide food for predators. The initial assessment of Good Environmental Status for seabirds found evidence of the impacts of sandeel fishing in the 1990s wh…

7 Jun 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, in light of the growth in short-term teaching contracts, how many of the 3,500 teaching and classroom assistant posts that the Scottish Government has committed to creating will be given permanent contracts.

27 May 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to reports of Danish and Swedish boats intensively fishing for sand eels just off the Firth of Forth.

24 May 2021 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the reported security flaw in the vaccination status letter has been resolved, and whether it will provide an update on the provision and use of vaccine passports for both international and domestic purposes.

24 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to return funds to Jamaica held by the Dick Bequest Trust, which were reportedly made in slave trading.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: We recognise Scotland’s part in historic injustices like the transatlantic slave trade and Empire. We are determined to acknowledge and learn from our past and the role Scotland played. We must also focus on making sure we deliver positive outcomes for the mi…

21 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 11 February 2021 from the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy to the Finance and Constitution Committee, whether it will provide an update on the progress since that date of (a) Project Silver, (b) Project Corpach and (c) Project Loch; how many additional jo…

Answer · Ivan McKee: The GFG Alliance continues to invest in and progress its expansion plans for its Fort Williams operations and has published details on the ALVANCE Aluminium website https://alvancealuminiumgroup.com/news/expansion-plans-fort-william/ . The GFG Alliance’s n…

21 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what due diligence it undertook prior to agreeing (a) the initial Lochaber Contingent Liability with the GFG Alliance and (b) the revised business plan.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government supported by its external legal and commercial advisors carried out appropriate due diligence in relation to GFG plans. The Lochaber contingent liability was approved by the Finance and Constitution Committee, which had cross party rep…

21 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the milestone payment scheduled for March 2021 was delivered by the GRG Alliance to the Scottish Government-controlled project account, as reported to the Finance and Constitution Committee by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy in a letter of 11 February 2021; how much t…

Answer · Ivan McKee: Milestone payments are inter-company payments related to planned investment at the Lochaber smelter and are not payments due to the Scottish Government. No payments due from GFG Alliance companies to the Scottish Government are outstanding. For reasons of com…

21 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will immediately conduct a review of its agreements, documentation and contacts with the GFG Alliance in light of reports that the Serious Fraud Office has initiated an investigation into the GFG Alliance.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is aware of the Serious Fraud Office investigation but does not comment on matters which are subject to a live criminal investigation.

21 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 11 February 2021 from the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy to the Finance and Constitution Committee, whether it will provide a breakdown of the commercial fees (a) received and (b) it expects to receive in future, and the dates and value of these fees.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government receives a commercial fee for the contingency liability which the Finance and Constitution Committee approved in 2016. The level of the guarantee fee and the fee arrangements are commercially confidential.

18 Mar 2021 · First Minister's Question