Parliamentary questions
Drew Smith
636 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Jul 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) importance it places on and (b) support it provides to the meat (i) production and (ii) processing industries.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish red meat production and processing sector plays an important role in the wider food and drinks industry, and in the fabric of our rural communities. Since the start of the current support programme in 2007 Scottish meat processors have received i…
5 Jul 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the food and drink industries.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government works with a range of public and private sector partners to support the food and drink industries through our National Food and Drink Policy. “Recipe for Success” sets out the holistic approach we are adopting to support this successfu…
5 Jul 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the convention to debate the integration of some services with post offices referred to by the Minister for Local Government and Planning on 2 February 2012 (Official Report, c. 6070) has taken place and, if so, what the outcome was.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The proposed convention is due to take place in the autumn.
27 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that postgraduate students are able to access the funding necessary for their studies.
20 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of students receiving funding from the Students Awards Agency for Scotland claims the (a) minimum and (b) maximum (i) student living costs and (ii) Young Students’ Bursary.
Answer · Michael Russell: The level of living cost support for students depends on a variety of circumstances, such as the type of course, whether the student is independent from their parents, whether the student is living at home or elsewhere, location of study, household and studen…
19 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the chief executive of Scottish Water and what issues were discussed.
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many households in each local authority area have no access to the internet from home, broken down by gender, and how many are single person households.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Household Survey reports that in the two-year period 2009-10, 67% of households in Scotland had access to the internet from their home (i.e. had taken up internet services). The corresponding percentages for local authority areas are shown in the…
12 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people are in receipt of housing benefit in each local authority area, broken down by gender, and how this compares with the figures for the two previous years for which the data are available.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions publishes monthly statistics on the number of housing benefit recipients in each local authority area. The most recently published statistics for February 2012 are available at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_c…
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of GDP is spent on culture.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This information is not held centrally.
28 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to legislate in relation to corporate homicide.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Previous proposals to legislate on corporate homicide in Scotland have been considered to be outwith the competence of the Scottish Parliament. The UK Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which came into force in April 2008, created a new o…
28 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to conduct a review of legislation pertaining to corporate homicide.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The act has not long been in force and still to be tested in the court. The priority at this time is to ensure the legislation is used effectively and the Scottish Government has no plans to conduct a review. If the legislation were found to be wanting in the…
28 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions have taken place in Scotland under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Since the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force, no prosecutions have taken place in Scotland. The Act has not long been in force and still to be tested in the court. Where there is sufficient credible and reliable evidence to…
23 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a copy of its response to the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on changes to the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Cabinet Secretary for Justice wrote to the Secretary of State for Justice at the end of the consultation on proposed changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The Scottish Government is content to place a copy of that letter in SPICe (Bib. num…
23 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it will have in approving changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is made by the Secretary of State for Justice under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995. The UK Government retains the power to legislate for Scotland in this matter under section 88 of the Scotland Act 1998 a…
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any community pharmacies that operate in conjunction with or contain a post office counter.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not routinely collect this information. However, I understand there may be at least one example of where a post office and community pharmacy operate from shared premises. In addition, I understand that some NHS boards with remote…
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what use it makes of post office counters for the delivery of devolved services.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of post offices to communities in Scotland. We are keen to work with Post Office Ltd to see if further services can be delivered through local post offices, particularly in the context of the implications of i…
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) local authorities and (b) other public sector bodies provide a post office counter service alongside another public service access point.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Royal Mail about the application of the universal service obligation in an independent Scotland.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-07337 on 12 June 2012. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusi…
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether (a) mail and (b) telephone calls between an independent Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom would be subject to international postal or call charges.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-07337 on 12 June 2012. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusi…
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an independent Scotland would seek to join the (a) International Postal Union and (b) International Telecommunications Union.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has a clear commitment to postal and telecommunications services and to the maintenance of universal service obligations. It is our intention to publish a White Paper in 2013 which will, based on dialogue with the sectors and consumers…
21 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of (a) mail and (b) packages and parcels (i) it and (ii) its agencies send via (A) Royal Mail and (B) private sector contractors.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold the information in the form requested. Information is held about the mail items processed though Royal Mail at 7 of the SG’s main buildings: Victoria Quay, St Andrews House and Saughton House in Edinburgh, Atlantic Quay,…
18 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been employed in each (a) directorate, (b) agency, (c) non-ministerial department and (d) NDPB for which it is responsible in each year since 2007, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) age and (iii) grade.
Answer · John Swinney: Numbers of Scottish Government employees at 31 March each year, broken down by gender, age, grade and other characteristics are published annually by Office of National Statistics (ONS) as Official Statistics as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Sur…
10 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has been allocated from the £3.2 million allocated by the UK Government to the devolved administrations for 2012-13 to fund the not-for-profit free advice sector and how it will distribute this amount; how much it expects to be allocated from the £3.2 million allocated in 2013…
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government received Barnett consequentials in financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15 (£1.679 million in both years) in respect of support for free advice services as part of the £3.2 million allocated in 2013-14 and 2014-15 by the UK Government to t…
10 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4F-00548 by the First Minister on 15 March 2012 (Official Report, c. 7362), when it will announce its position on same-sex marriage.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We are currently completing the analysis of the consultation responses. We will respond to the consultation after the analysis has been completed.
9 May 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it promotes arts and culture in partnership with local authorities.
30 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on (a) how many and (b) what occasions since 2007 it has requested that one of the National Performing Companies provide free tickets for any of its productions; who has received such free tickets; what the sale value of the tickets was, and what guidance exists on the proper use of any s…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is being collated. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53983).
30 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider taking action to promote take-up of (a) housing and (b) council tax benefit as part of its anti-poverty strategy.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We recognise the importance of providing welfare rights advice to promote such matters. Local authorities, in line with the principles of Achieving our Potential, are ideally placed to assess local needs for advice services and put in place appropriate provis…
30 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the Barnett consequentials that it will receive as a result of the UK budget increases in funding for advice services will be spent on advice services in Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: Barnett consequentials accrue to Scotland as a whole and it is for Scottish ministers to decide collectively how they should be deployed in light of the overall financial position and strategic priorities. Whilst funding for local advice services in Scotland…
30 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) the Money Advice Service, (b) COSLA and (c) others regarding the tendering process to be used by the Money Advice Service in autumn 2012 for the provision of a new face-to-face debt advice service; where the service will be located, and what transition…
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has not held any discussions with the Money Advice Service, COSLA or any others about the tendering process for a new face-to-face debt advice service. However, there have been meetings considering the transitional arrangements for 201…
30 Apr 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06150 by Kenny MacAskill on 22 March 2012, whether it plans to start collating such information.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: No. We are not aware of any instances of territorial police forces or other agencies collating or releasing information with regard to employment blacklists.