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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-20321

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Royal Mail regarding its proposals to renationalise the company in an independent Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-20323

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any additional cost to businesses in Scotland of a separate postal service in an independent Scotland and no UK-wide universal service obligation.

On independence, stamp prices will be the same as they are at the time in the rest of the UK. A Scottish postal service in public ownership would not need to generate profits for shareholders and so should be in a better position to ensure that postal prices and deliveries meet Scotland's needs. This applies to sending post and parcels within Scotland, to the rest of the UK and to other countries.

We know that many people and businesses will continue to send post and parcels outside Scotland and it is our intention that postal charges to the rest of the UK will not be more expensive than charges to send post within Scotland.

Question reference: S4F-02016

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 April 2014

To ask the First Minister whether Police Scotland has been subject to sufficient public accountability in its first year of operation.

Question reference: S4W-20028

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much woodland is being planted by the private sector supported by Scottish Government grants in order to meet its target of 10,000 hectares of new woodland per year.

The Scottish Government is committed to planting a further 100,000 hectares of new woodland over the period from 2012-22.

From the period 2011-12 to 2012-13, 18,200 hectares of new private sector woodland were planted using forestry grants under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). This data is published by the Forestry Commission in ’Forestry Statistics’ at: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/statistics).

Current approvals under the current SRDP for woodland planting in 2013-14 and 2014-15 now total around 17,000 hectares. A further 2,000 hectares has already been identified for 2015-16. This level of private sector woodland creation will be supplemented by planting on the national forest estate.

Question reference: S4W-20027

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether Forestry Commission compensatory planting is done on a like-for-like basis, replanting the same species that was felled.

The Scottish Government’s Control of Woodland Removal policy guides compensatory planting proposals. Compensatory planting can be undertaken on appropriate sites anywhere in Scotland. Local forestry and woodland strategies will provide guidance on the type and scale of woodland appropriate in each area, therefore like for like planting cannot be guaranteed.

Compensatory planting proposals are expected to consider the economic, as well as the environmental and social values of the forest proposed for removal, so that an assessment can be made on whether the replanting proposals adequately compensate for the negative impact of woodland removal.

Question reference: S4W-20026

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make compensatory planting compulsory for landowners who remove woodland to make room for wind turbines.

Question reference: S4W-19983

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, following the passing of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, whether it considers that no teacher should be required to use materials that actively promote a particular view of marriage.

All teachers in Scotland are expected to adhere to the General Teaching Council of Scotland’s Code of Professionalism and Conduct, which sets out the key principles and values for registered teachers in Scotland. In particular, Part 5 on equality and diversity emphasises the need for teachers to be non-judgmental, and to recognise their status as role models within the school.

If any teacher, or indeed any child or young person, is asked to do something to which they fundamentally object in any aspect of the curriculum, the Scottish Government would expect there to be appropriate mechanisms for such concerns to be raised and dealt with locally. Where teachers raise religious or belief concerns about teaching aspects of relationships, sexual health and parenthood education, local authorities may wish to take account of the guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on religion or belief in the workplace:

www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/guidance-for-employers/religion-or-belief-new-guidance-february-2013/

Question reference: S4W-19985

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, following the passing of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, what its position is on whether teachers who disagree with same-sex marriage should be pressurised to promote same-sex marriage in the classroom.

Question reference: S4W-19984

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, following the passing of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, whether teachers and pupils are free to openly and clearly express any disagreement with same-sex marriage in schools.

Question reference: S4W-19986

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, following the passage of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, whether it considers that no teacher has a duty to promote or endorse a particular view of marriage nor will have under any revised guidance in the future.