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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4W-20585

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a response to requests from stakeholders for clarity in relation to its policy on wild land in the proposed National Planning Framework 3.

At the 18 March 2014 parliamentary debate on the Proposed National Planning Framework 3, it was confirmed that Scottish Planning Policy is the appropriate place to deal with wild land with a reference to the issue in the finalised National Planning Framework.

The finalised National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy to be published in June 2014, will clarify our position on wild land.

Question reference: S4W-20587

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require carbon assessments to be carried out prior to consideration of proposals to develop on peatlands.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) is currently under review, but the draft SPP, published for consultation in April 2013, proposed that where peat and other carbon rich soils are present, planning applicants should assess the likely effects of development on carbon dioxide emissions (paragraph 134). The finalised SPP is due for publication in June 2014.

Scottish Ministers already require a carbon assessment to be undertaken for wind farm proposals on peatland where these applications are with Scottish Ministers for determination.

Question reference: S4W-20584

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it will report to the Parliament the findings of the expert advice that it has sought on the proposed National Planning Framework 3.

Question reference: S4W-20586

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide guidance on unconventional gas extraction and hydraulic fracturing.

Proposals for unconventional gas extraction in Scotland will be studied on their merits. Each proposal will be considered through the normal planning process and the appropriate regulatory regimes including the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency’s guidance on the regulation of shale gas and coal bed methane published December 2012.

There are no proposals which involve the use of hydraulic fracturing techniques in Scotland at this time. The Scottish Government will follow a rigorous, evidence-based approach in the development and deployment of this technology.

Question reference: S4F-02071

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2014

To ask the First Minister, in light of the reported 162% increase since 2004 in the cost of providing free personal care, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that local authority social work budgets can meet demand.

Question reference: S4O-03154

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the NHS Lothian board.

Question reference: S4F-02015

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2014

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the Audit Commission report, An overview of local government in Scotland 2014.

Question reference: S4O-03033

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution it considers that housing can make to tackling poverty.

Question reference: S4W-19841

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 10 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on delivering the recommendations in A Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland: 2013 Update.

Building standards officials are in the process of investigating the fifteen additional recommendations made in the 2013 update of the original 2007 Sullivan Report.

In announcing deferment of the next set of energy standards in building regulations until October 2015, I have already acted upon the first recommendation made by the panel under the ‘Eventual and Staged Standards’ topic.

At this time, the focus of officials and the construction industry has turned to the development of an ‘action plan’ in support of the 2015 standards, referred to in the fifth recommendation under the ‘Eventual and Staged Standards’ topic.

Question reference: S4W-19839

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill will make it easier for local authorities to engage local SMEs as installers for the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland initiative.

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 3 October 2013 will establish a national legislative framework for sustainable public procurement that supports Scotland’s economic growth through improved procurement practice. It will help tackle unnecessary inconsistencies for suppliers doing business with the public sector and will help ensure that doing business with the public sector can be simple, transparent and more accessible to suppliers, especially SMEs.

Funding for the area based element of our Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland (HEEPS) is distributed to local authorities. It is for them to determine the most suitable means of procuring the work. However, as part of the criteria for accessing HEEPS funding we are clear that projects should support the local economy as much as possible. Councils are requested to provide details on how their proposed schemes support local economic activity, small businesses and provide opportunities for apprenticeships. This information is considered as part of our assessment of requests for HEEPS funding.