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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: S4O-04271

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 April 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise educational attainment in North Ayrshire.

Question reference: S4F-02673

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2015

To ask the First Minister what the implications for Scotland are of the UK Budget.

Question reference: S4F-02654

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2015

To ask the First Minister what the impact on rural businesses and communities will be of Royal Mail's decision to reduce collection times at 3,300 Scottish postboxes.

Question reference: S4O-04115

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional whole time equivalent staff are employed in NHS Ayrshire and Arran compared with 2007 and what impact this has had on patient care.

Question reference: S4O-04081

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage reduction in patient mortality has been in NHS Ayrshire hospitals since 2007, and how many lives are estimated to have been saved.

Since 2007, there has been a 14.5% reduction in hospital standardised mortality ratios at University Hospital and a 34.2% reduction at University Hospital, Crosshouse. This compares with a national reduction of 16.3%. These excellent figures reflect the tremendous efforts of staff at both hospital with regard to patient safety and the work of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme. These data indicate that nationally, 15,000 lives have been saved since data collection commenced.

Question reference: S4W-24480

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide enhanced screening for (a) maple syrup urine disease, (b) homocystinuria, (c) glutaric acidemia type 1 and (d) isovaleric acidemia and, if so, when such a service will commence.

Question reference: S4W-23987

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23683 by Richard Lochhead on 9 January 2015, for what reason it plans to wait until 2016 before announcing the next steps in relation to the introduction of the compulsory microchipping of dogs.

Question reference: S4O-03963

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to grow the North Ayrshire economy.

Question reference: S4W-23989

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 21 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to make lifeline ferry services to island communities more robust in winter.

Ferry travel has its own distinct challenges, particularly with high winds. The adverse weather seen over this winter has affected ferry travel to and from the Scottish mainland to many rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining and improving lifeline ferry services that play a key role in supporting the economic, social and cultural development of island and remote mainland communities.

The Scottish Government has invested heavily in vessel and infrastructure projects to enhance services and improve adverse weather resilience.

The following table illustrates major investment recently made, and planned to be made, to support lifeline ferry services, many of which will make lifeline ferry services to island communities more robust in winter.

Project	Description	Costs	Year
Tobermory	Strengthening of harbour infrastructure	£350k	2013-14
Ullapool	Replacement of linkspan, extension of the ferry berthing pier and terminal building upgrading for passenger access system	£17 million	2014-15
Stornoway	Pier, terminal and harbour access works	£9.6 million	2014-15
Tarbert Loch Fyne	Berth extension and slipway	£950k	2014-15
Kennacraig	New causeway, new marshalling areas fendering revetment	£4 million	2014-15
Brodick	A new pier, linkspan, passenger access system, a new terminal building and other shoreside works	£18 million	2015-16
		£49.55 million
Vessels	Description	Costs	Year
MV Loch Seaforth	Stornoway – Ullapool service	£42 million	2014-15
MV Hallaig	Tarbert – Portavadie service	£11 million	2013-14
MV Lochinvar	Skye – Raasay service	£11 million	2014-15
3rd Hybrid	Route to be confirmed	£12.8 million	2015-16
2 x 100m vessels	Procurement of two new vessels for initial deployment on Uig-Lochmaddy-Tarbert & Ardrossan-Brodick services	£90 million	2016-17
		£166.8 million
Total		£215.35 million

Question reference: S4O-03925

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to recognise Holocaust Memorial Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 2015.