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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-20906

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when all three Clyde Marine Protected Areas will be designated and whether they will exclude dredgers and trawlers to protect vulnerable habitats and white fish nursery grounds.

We aim to make decisions in summer 2014 on which of the 33 possible Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) included in the 2013 consultation should be designated. The 33 possible MPAs include three in the Clyde.

The management of MPAs will be informed by the conservation objectives for each site and recommendations from our scientific advisers on how to protect the features for which the MPAs are designated. The draft management options that were published as part of the public consultation provided further information on a range of possible protection measures for the three Clyde MPA proposals. These measures are being refined and developed by Marine Scotland in discussion with marine users and other interests.

Question reference: S4O-03182

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of how much would have been saved if the PPP/PFI projects carried out during the previous administration had been funded through the non-profit distribution model.

Question reference: S4F-02033

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2014

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s assessment is of labour market conditions in Scotland.

Question reference: S4T-00648

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report by Professor Leslie Young on a currency union with the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S4O-03052

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it encourages schools to teach pupils about the Scottish Enlightenment and its impact in Scotland and beyond.

Question reference: S4W-19406

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2014
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Devolution Unit is contacting governments overseas seeking their support against Scottish independence.

The Scottish Government will continue to work within the formal structures agreed with the UK Government. The UK Government and all devolved governments work to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Supplementary Agreements on Devolution.

Section D1.3 of the Concordat on International Relations, one of four supplementary agreements to the MoU on Devolution states that the “…Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) promotes the international interests of the United Kingdom and all its constituent parts. United Kingdom Embassies, High Commissions and other Missions overseas serve the United Kingdom and all its constituent parts.”

In the context of the independence debate, the Edinburgh Agreement, signed on 15 October 2012 by the First Minister and the Prime Minister, commits both, the Scottish and UK Governments, “…through the Memorandum of Understanding between them and others, to working together on matters of mutual interest and to the principles of good communication and mutual respect.”

The Scottish Government expects the UK Government to adhere to both the spirit and letter of the Edinburgh Agreement

Question reference: S4O-02823

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scotland's farmers now receive the lowest farm payments in the EU and, if so, whether this is due to a lack of direct representation.

Question reference: S4F-01814

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2014

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Treasury announcement that it will honour all UK Government debt up to the date of the independence referendum.

Question reference: S4W-18951

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that patients are able to see their GP timeously.

The Scottish Government knows how important it is for patients to have prompt access to services when needed and that is why there is in place a national standard of 48 hour access, or advance booking, to an appropriate member of the GP practice team during core hours. That access can be either a face-to-face, or telephone consultation with a GP or nurse in the practice team.

GP contractual arrangements are generally practice based with an emphasis on patient care being provided by the whole clinical team and not just by GPs and we have also incentivised GP practices to improve access through an enhanced service arrangement to extend opening hours beyond core hours. Scottish Government has invested over £13 million annually towards this service. The most recent uptake figures show that 80% of all practices now participate in the scheme.

The Scottish Government has an on-going commitment to primary medical services and we have successfully reached a negotiated settlement with the Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) for the General Medical Services Contract in Scotland for 2014-15 that, along with delivering a commitment to continuous quality improvement in each GP practice, will have real benefits for patients including improved access.

GP time will now be freed up allowing more time to be spent with their patients and we have a commitment that all GP practices in Scotland will now undertake an annual assessment of current patient demand, assessing both met and unmet need. The results of which will be shared with patients and NHS boards, and be used as the basis for discussion to make any necessary changes/improvements.

Question reference: S4O-02766

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its education priorities will be in 2014.