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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-05235

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether e-cigarettes are now available on prescription from the NHS.

Question reference: S4O-05205

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many uniformed officers have been deployed to roles previously filled by civilian staff since Police Scotland came into existence.

Question reference: S4F-03136

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 December 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2015

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the final report of the Commission on Local Tax Reform.

Question reference: S4W-28677

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 10 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the percentage of (a) land area and (b) wild land area from which at least one wind turbine of more than 20 metres in height is visible.

Question reference: S4W-28658

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 10 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage take-up of free school meals is for pupils in primary one to three, broken down by local authority.

This government's action to provide a free school meal to every child in primary one to three has had huge take up. Our action is helping to ensure that every child in Scotland gets the best possible start while tackling inequalities and saving parents around £380 a year for each child.

The latest statistics on free school meal uptake were published on 17 June 2015 in the Scottish Government statistics publication - Summary statistics for attainment, leaver destinations and healthy living, No. 5: 2015 Edition. Table 7 in the accompanying supplementary data, provides details of the number of primary one to three pupils present and taking free school meals on the day of the survey, broken down by local authority, and can be accessed at the following address:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/MealsSD/mealspesd/mealspesd2015.

Question reference: S4W-28637

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) whole-time equivalent and (b) headcount places were available in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects at each college in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Data on students in colleges in Scotland are collected by the Scottish Funding Council. The latest available data is for 2013-14 and I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-23591 on 19 January 2015 where this data was provided. Data for 2014-15 will be available in January 2016.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-28679

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 3 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that local authority planning officers are aware of Scottish Planning Policy in relation to wild land areas and how it should be (a) applied in relation to applications for wind turbine developments and (b) considered in reports to planning committees.

Scottish Planning Policy is a material consideration within the planning process. The Scottish Government refers to Scottish Planning Policy in our routine communications with planning authorities, including through the Heads of Planning Scotland network.

Communities, developers and planning authorities should be guided by the spatial frameworks for wind farm development that are guided by Scottish Planning Policy but prepared and applied by planning authorities. The approach to wild land as set out in Scottish Planning Policy should inform relevant policies contained within local development plan. Legislation requires that decisions on individual planning applications accords with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

It is for the planning authority to decide whether direct reference to Scottish Planning Policy is required in any decision or report to committee it makes.

Further information is available in our online advice:

http://scotgovplanningarchitecture.com/2014/12/05/onshore-wind-questions-answered/

Question reference: S4W-28636

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 2 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many trees have been planted under its 2010 initiative to plant 100 million trees by 2015, broken down by (a) species and (b) acreage.

In 2010 Scottish Ministers pledged to plant 100 million trees by 2015 as part of The Climate Group’s States and Regions Alliance Billion Trees initiative. This Scottish figure of 100 million trees was based on achieving 50,000 hectares of woodland creation over that period at an average stocking of 2,000 trees per hectare.

On this basis, planting over the period 2010-15, equates to 88.6 million trees – 13,317 hectares of conifers (26.6 million trees) and 30,983 hectares of broadleaves (62.0 million trees).

Question reference: S4F-03107

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2015

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to reduce healthcare inequalities.

Question reference: S4T-01182

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many farmers will not receive the 70% emergency common agricultural policy payment in December.