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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-28262

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve cyber security in the public infrastructure.

The growth of the internet or online technologies has transformed the way we spend our leisure time and do business. It has also transformed how our public services, essential and national infrastructure operates.

Many countries, including the UK, have put in place cyber security strategies aimed at reducing the vulnerabilities we are increasingly faced with. To build on this important foundation, the Scottish Government (SG) made a commitment in the 2015 Programme for Government to publish “Safe, Secure and Prosperous: A Cyber Resilience Strategy for Scotland”, which sets out the actions we need to take to make Scotland a cyber-resilient place to live, work and do business in. The strategy will be launched at the National Economic Forum in November 2015. Its strategic outcomes are:

Our people are informed and prepared to make the most of digital technologies safely;

Our businesses and organisations recognise the risks in the digital world and are well prepared to manage them;

We have confidence in and trust our digital public services;

We have a growing and renowned cyber resilience research community;

We have a global reputation for being a secure place to live and learn, and to set up and invest in business;

We have an innovative cyber security, goods and services industry that helps meet global demand.

Officials have been working collaboratively across the public sector to develop high level actions that are required to deliver the key strategic outcome of “We have confidence in and trust our digital public services”. Such activity is helping to create a unified approach across the sector to support cyber resilience as part of the drive to develop digital public services. SG has also developed a cyber incident management plan to enable us to effectively co-ordinate the government’s response to a significant cyber attack impacting on Scotland.

Question reference: S4F-03053

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

To ask the First Minister what the impact would be on the Scottish Government’s budget if the provisional agreement by the Treasury and the UK Government’s environment, local government and transport departments to reduce their budgets by 30% over the next four years is carried out.

Question reference: S4O-04761

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the spread of sewage sludge.

Question reference: S4O-04727

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4O-04589

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what input its Agriculture, Food and Rural Communities Directorate has into the work of Community Broadband Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-04572

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to address the reported increasing number of deaths due to alcohol misuse.

Question reference: S4O-04506

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has agreed the details of the Scottish Attainment Challenge, including funding, with each of the local authorities that were initially selected to participate.

As Mr Gibson will be aware, the Scottish Attainment Challenge will focus resources on closing the gap in attainment between children in the most and least deprived communities in seven local authority areas initially. It is designed to apply a relentless focus to existing activity, which last weeks’ statistics show is contributing to a record proportion of young people across Scotland being in a positive follow up destination. Each of the seven areas are currently developing their improvement plans and funding allocations will be announced in due course.

Question reference: S4O-04481

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on jobs, investment and services of the additional £107 million reduction in the Scottish Budget recently announced by the Chancellor.

Question reference: S4F-02823

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2015

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Queen's Speech.

Question reference: S4O-04367

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2015

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