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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: S4F-01848

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2014

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to strengthen the powers that local authorities and communities have to purchase land.

Question reference: S4W-19072

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the need for the provision of traffic warden services and whether it considers that these should be delivered by each local authority.

Question reference: S4W-19071

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18312 by Keith Brown on 25 November 2013, what funding it will provide to local authorities to help deliver parking enforcement services.

The Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland with over £10.3 billion in 2013-14. The vast majority of this funding is being provided by means of a block grant.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

Question reference: S4O-02800

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board.

Question reference: S4W-18840

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance local authorities can seek from the (a) Coal Authority and (b) Department of Energy and Climate Change when taking forward restoration projects at former opencast coal sites.

The UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Coal Authority and local authorities are represented on the Scottish Coal Industry Taskforce chaired by Mr Ewing, Energy Minister and local authorities are of course free to consult either of these bodies in the preparation of their restoration plans.

The UK Coal Authority collects royalties of £0.17 from each tonne of coal extracted under licence in the UK. In Scotland this has amounted to £15 million (since 1995).

Mr Ewing has written to the UK Energy Minister Mr Fallon to ask that this money be used to help fund the legacy of unrestored open cast coal sites in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-18839

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 20 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) local government and (b) the UK Government regarding providing support to councils to ensure that restoration projects at opencast coal sites are taken forward.

The UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Coal Authority and local authorities are represented on the cross-party Scottish Coal Industry Taskforce chaired by Mr Ewing, Energy Minister. Restoration is a principle part of the discussions of this group. Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with councils through the taskforce activity.

The UK Coal Authority collects royalties of £0.17 from each tonne of coal extracted in Scotland which amounts to circa £15 million (since 1995). Mr Ewing has written to the UK Energy Minister Mr Fallon to ask that this money be used to help fund the legacy of unrestored open cast coal sites in Scotland.

Mr Ewing, Energy Minister, set up the Restoration Bonds Working Group in October 2012 which includes all relevant council planning departments to develop alternatives to restoration bonds.

Mr Ewing launched the Scottish Mines Restorations Trust in April 2013, an independent body which exists solely to help facilitate with councils, communities and other stakeholders the development of their restoration plans.

On 5 December 2013 the Scottish Government launched its consultation ‘Opencast Coal Restoration: Effective Regulation’ which is open to all for response including local authorities. The consultation period runs until February 2014.

Question reference: S4W-18838

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide additional guidance to planning authorities on securing the restoration of opencast mining sites and, if so, whether it has discussed this with (a) planning authorities and (b) the reporters unit.

The Scottish Government’s current consultation, Opencast Coal Restoration: Effective Regulation invites views on revisions to planning policy and advice including Planning Advice Note 64: Reclamation of Surface Mineral Workings. The consultation is open until 27 February 2014. The matter has been discussed with planning authorities represented on the Scottish Coal Task Force’s Restoration Bonds Working Group. There was no specific requirement to discuss the consultation with the reporters unit. All responses to the consultation will be taken into account.

Question reference: S4W-18836

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that local authorities have access to expert advice when considering applications for opencast coal developments.

This is primarily a matter for planning authorities. However, the Scottish Government’s current consultation Opencast Coal Restoration: Effective Regulation, invites views on capacity building and skills within planning authorities. The consultation is open until 27 February 2014. The Scottish Mines Restoration Trust has also been set up to offer advice and expertise to assist councils in the facilitation of plans for site restoration.

Question reference: S4W-18837

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported comment by the Scottish Opencast Communities Alliance that local authorities should be allowed to introduce fees for monitoring and enforcing planning consents.

In 2010, a consultation on Resourcing a High Quality Planning System sought views on the introduction of fees for monitoring and enforcing planning conditions. Responses on this were mixed, and so the proposal was not included in the changes to the fees regulations in 2012. Planning fees increase in April 2013. Planning authorities customarily secure funding for opencast monitoring and compliance officers from operators through legal agreements.

Question reference: S4O-02736

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 18 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the building of new affordable housing in Edinburgh.