Ben Macpherson

9 Nov 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Edinburgh City Region Deal.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is fully committed to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and we have been working closely with the city region partners for the past year to understand their ambitions and how their proposals can significantly impro…

3 Nov 2016 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take as a result of the responses to two recent consultations on Stop and Search.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Analysis of the responses to two recent consultations on Stop and Search has been published today at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/Recent. One consultation was on a draft Code of Practice and the other was on police powers to search children for alcohol. O…

2 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to consult on proposals to expand the provisions in the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to include housing associations.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Consultation on proposals to extend the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to housing associations will commence in due course.

2 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the average Housing Association Grant (HAG) subsidy levels approved for housing association new development tender approval activity in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the last five years, broken down by type of tenure.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table sets out the average grant subsidy levels approved for housing association developments in Edinburgh and Glasgow over the last five years, broken down by tenure. The line for Mid-Market Rent covers all ‘other rented’ schemes. These units w…

2 Nov 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to mark the 70th anniversary of the Edinburgh festivals.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Enhancement of the Expo Fund for the Edinburgh Festivals is a Scottish Government manifesto commitment. The Scottish Draft Budget 2017-18 will be published on 15 December. Decisions on specific budget allocations will not be available before that date. The …

31 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its response to Lord Gill's recommendations in the Scottish Civil Courts Review for a multi-party action procedure.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The First Minister announced in the Scottish Government's Programme for Government, in September 2016, that the Expenses and Funding of Civil Litigation Bill will be introduced in this Parliamentary year. The Bill will include provisions to allow for the intr…

19 Oct 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to establish a permanent trade representation in Berlin.

28 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Truvada, the medicine used for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or 'PrEP', has been granted a marketing authorisation by the European Commission for its use in the European Union. The next step is for the manufacturer Gilead Sciences International, to make a sub…

21 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment it is making, and plans to make, in school infrastructure in Edinburgh Northern and Leith.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is currently providing significant investment of £62.5 million to the City of Edinburgh Council through the Government's Schools for the Future programme. The City Council is the third largest beneficiary from the programme, to replace…

30 Aug 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage employers to pay the living wage and provide secure employment.

28 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have arrived in Scotland through the Syrian Resettlement Programme.

Answer · Angela Constance:  As of 31 July 2016, Scotland has received over 900 people through the Syrian Resettlement Programme since October 2015.The most recent official statistics, published by the Home Office on 26 May 2016, showed that, of the 1,602 people accepted by the UK under…

20 Jun 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage tourism in the Edinburgh Northern and Leith constituency.

7 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to support people with body-focussed repetitive behaviours.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The government expects NHS boards to respond to the clinical needs of their population and of presenting individuals. To assist in providing effective, evidence-based treatments, the Scottish Government provides funding to NHS Education for Scotland to host t…

1 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the reforms under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 to remove no-fault evictions will come into force.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government will consult later in 2016 on the detail of how the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 is brought into force. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, it expects the Act’s provisions - including those removing no-fault …

1 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the inquiry into the closure of 17 schools across Edinburgh that were built under the PPP1 project.

Answer · John Swinney: This is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council. However, details of the inquiry's proposed remit and timetable were published by the council on 8 June 2016 for consideration by its Corporate Policy and Strategy Committee on 14 June 2016.