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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-17398

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether jobs on so-called zero-hours contracts are eligible for support from regional selective assistance.

Only permanent positions part time (15-30 hours per week – 0.5 full time equivalent) or full time (30 hours or more per week) are eligible for regional selective assistance funding. The minimum conditions period for jobs created under aid for job creation rules are three years for small and medium-sized enterprises and five years for large businesses. These have to be certified by an independent accountant. Zero-hours contracts and/or seasonal contracts terminated before the qualifying period are not eligible for this assistance.

Question reference: S4W-17472

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what PFI contracts to build schools were approved in Fife between 1999 and 2007, what the capital cost was for each and how much will be paid over the lifetime of the contracts.

Question reference: S4O-02486

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how its economic policy protects family budgets.

Question reference: S4W-17272

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S3W-38767 by Keith Brown on 27 January 2011, whether it will provide an update on the average annual saving for a commuter since the abolition of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge.

On abolition in February 2008, the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge (FRB) for cars and light goods vehicles were £1.00 per crossing. This was for the north bound crossing only.

This meant an annual cost of tolls of £230 per annum (based on a five day working week over a 46 week working year, assuming six weeks holiday per annum). Frequent user discount vouchers were available on the FRB. If these were used then the reduced rate of £0.90 was applied and the annual cost would have been £207 per annum based on the same conditions above.

Assuming that an increase in tolls would have taken place, uprating the 2008 frequent traveller cost of £207 annually to allow for inflation would mean a bridge toll in 2013 of £233 per annum, the amount a commuter would save in 2013 if tolls had not been abolished. This is an increase of £26 or 12.6% since 2008. This uprated figure is calculated using GDP deflators from the latest National Accounts figures produced by the Office of National Statistics and HM Treasury forecasts.

Question reference: S4W-17273

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it maintains a record of the number of vehicles using the Forth Road Bridge since the abolition of bridge tolls.

On behalf of Transport Scotland, the Scottish Roads Traffic Database operates a number of automatic traffic counters at Echline. These were installed in 2004 to record traffic flows on the bridge.

The Forth Estuary Transport Authority is responsible for the management, maintenance and operation of the Forth Road Bridge. Detailed traffic statistics recording the number of vehicles using the Forth Road Bridge are available on their website:

http://www.forthroadbridge.org/the-bridgetraffic-statistics/the-bridge-traffic-statistics-2013.

Question reference: S4W-17271

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the abolition of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge on (a) jobs and (b) economic development in Fife.

The Scottish Government took the decision to abolish the tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge in the belief that it was unfair and unacceptable to continue charging. This introduced equality on all bridges in Scotland, ending an injustice whereby those crossing the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge, commuters, drivers of commercial vehicles, tourists or local residents, were singled out for road charging.

Our transport system contributes to this government’s purpose of sustainable economic growth through connecting people to jobs, education, services and recreation, and connecting businesses with customers and suppliers. The removal of tolls on the Forth Road Bridge contributes to increased mobility and equality, enabling faster and more reliable journeys, and increasing access to employment.

Question reference: S4O-02456

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what procedure local authorities should follow when taking decisions to close schools.

Question reference: S4W-17084

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 24 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its anti-poverty strategy, what information it has on the number of widowers in Scotland affected by the 1988 contributions cut-off date in social security legislation.

Question reference: S4O-02430

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to mitigate the impact of welfare reforms.

Question reference: S4W-16540

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 July 2013
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 14 August 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the replacement of Disability Living Allowance with personal independence payments will have on (a) disabled people in Scotland and (b) its poverty targets.

Using Department for Work and Pensions forecasts, the changes from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment is estimated to reduce the number of people in receipt of Personal Independence Payment by nearly 70,000 in Scotland by October 2018. Those changes to disability benefits, along with other coalition welfare cuts, will have a significant and detrimental impact on poverty in Scotland and will undermine our efforts to tackle its causes. The solution is for the Scottish Parliament to have control over welfare matters so that we can devise policies for the benefit of the Scottish people.