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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-27732

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to complete major capacity and speed improvements to the Highland Main Line before 2025.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to delivering journey time improvements and greater connectivity for both passenger and freight services operating between Inverness and the Central Belt. That commitment is being delivered in phases. From December 2011 two extra services were introduced each way per day, and journey time improvements of up to 18 minutes were delivered on some services from December 2012.

Phase two of the project will deliver further journey time improvements averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Perth and Inverness, extended to either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and increased opportunities for freight by March 2019. In addition, the introduction of high speed trains on the route in December 2018 will provide more seating capacity and better on board passenger facilities.

Future phases will aim to deliver further journey time savings by 2025 to ensure that rail is competitive with road travel.

Question reference: S4W-27539

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government who has been awarded funding from the extra £20 million announced to help tackle violence against women.

Awards from the additional £20 million resource have been made to Police Scotland (in connection with the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse); Rape Crisis Scotland, Women’s Aid through the Edinburgh Domestic Abuse Courts Service, to ASSIST, to the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and to the Violence Reduction Unit.

Working with the courts and Crown Office, the additional funds are ensuring that cases involving domestic abuse and sexual offences are being heard more quickly, reducing inconvenience and distress for victims. The funds are also supporting specialist advocacy and support services for victims, including in rural and island locations, as well as training professionals to help identify the signs of abuse and initiatives in schools to address the attitudes and behaviours in our society that give rise to abuse.

The work of the justice expert group will inform further funding decisions in line with the violence against women and girls work stream priorities, within the context of the Equally Safe Strategy.

Question reference: S4W-27538

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what changes it has made to the funding arrangements from 2016 for the (a) Equality Fund, (b) Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, (c) Children's Services Women's Aid Fund and (d) Rape Crisis Specific Fund.

Question reference: S4W-27536

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on creating the four violence against women strategy working groups; when each of these groups has met; who chairs each group; who the members are; when they will report on progress, and when they will report their recommendations to the violence against women joint strategic board.

Question reference: S4W-27534

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what developments there have been regarding Equally Safe: Scotland's Strategy for Preventing and Eradicating Violence against Women and Girls since March 2015.

Since March 2015, we have been taking forward a range of commitments in Equally Safe. These include record levels of investment to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls: £11.8 million in 2015-16, and a further £20 million from the Justice portfolio over 2015-18. As announced in the recent Programme for Government, we are developing legislative proposals to tackle abusive behaviour and sexual harm, and plan to consult on a specific offence around coercive control in November 2015. With Police Scotland, we have completed a pilot Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme and taken the decision to roll the scheme out nationally later in 2015. We are consulting on a draft National Action Plan to end female genital mutilation. These, and a number of other measures, will continue to be progressed as part of the government’s strong commitment to preventing and eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls.

Question reference: S4W-27535

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the violence against women joint strategic board has met; who chairs the board; who the members are, and when it will report its recommendations.

The Violence against Women and Girls Joint Strategic Board will hold its first meeting in November 2015. The board will be co-chaired by myself and Councillor Harry McGuigan in his capacity as Convention of Scottish Local Authorities lead for Health and Wellbeing. The membership is in the process of being finalised, and we will announce this soon. The role of the board is to oversee progress, approve work stream membership and terms of reference, identify emerging issues and ratify the action plans developed through the work streams.

Question reference: S4O-04642

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Futures Trust about the completion of the new Elgin High School.

Question reference: S4W-27537

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government to whom the (a) Equality Fund, (b) Violence Against Women and Girls Fund, (c) Children's Services Women's Aid Fund and (d) Rape Crisis Specific Fund awarded funding for 2015-16.

Question reference: S4O-04602

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote emergency life support training in schools.

Question reference: S4F-02941

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2015

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with women's groups following reports that the UK Government plans to devolve abortion law.