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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-12709

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider supporting cloning as a means of ensuring the future of the Scottish wildcat.

Cloning of wildcats is not under active consideration at present as there are other more immediate options to conserve extant populations and if necessary, to captive breed and reintroduce wildcats.

The main threat to the Scottish wildcat is considered to be hybridisation with feral domestic cats. Hence many of the actions being considered are intended to reduce the threats to wildcats from domestic cats in the countryside, with this being undertaken through neutering and vaccination and the promotion of wildcat-friendly land management practices.

Other actions are likely to include further survey work to improve our knowledge of current Scottish wildcat populations, research on both genetics and hybridisation issues and on practical habitat management. A captive breeding programme and other measures, such as storing frozen gametes, are also currently being considered. Underpinning the range of conservation actions, will be the aim of promoting responsible domestic cat ownership in order to reduce the risk of further hybridisation in areas identified as priority habitats for wildcats.

Question reference: S4W-12710

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project will be published.

Question reference: S4W-12787

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what strategies are in place to deal with ash dieback.

Question reference: S4W-12711

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider sponsoring a follow-on programme to the Cairngorms Wildcat Project that ran from 2007 to 2012.

The Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Group (SWCAG), which is co-ordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage, and consists of a range of organisations, is currently producing a National Conservation Action Plan for the Scottish wildcat. The Action Plan, which SWCAG hope to have agreed by Spring 2013 and published shortly thereafter, will build on the experience from the Cairngorms Wildcat Project.

Question reference: S4F-01186

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2013

To ask the First Minister what strategies the Scottish Government has to combat obesity.

Question reference: S4O-01825

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind turbines will need to be erected to meet its target of providing 100% of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020.

Question reference: S4W-12573

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 February 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many students applied for, but did not obtain, college places in 2012-13, broken down by institution.

Question reference: S4W-11921

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-11036 by Michael Matheson on 22 November 2012, what information it has regarding whether additional processes were introduced by the (a) Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and (b) Commission on Human Medicines to ensure the quality, efficacy and safety of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in light of the litigation initiated between 1992 and 2003 regarding its safety.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the government agency that has responsibility for the regulation of medicinal products including vaccines in the UK. The MHRA has robust procedures in place to continually review the safety of vaccines on an on-going basis and where any new evidence is presented, the Scottish Government will consider this as a priority. Further safety information can be obtained from www.mhra.gov.uk.

Question reference: S4W-11418

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 10 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many objections were or have been received to applications for wind turbine developments under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.

The following is broken down by year of application submission and, for those still under consideration, is subject to change as further representations are received and logged.

Development

Status

Supporting Representations

Objecting Representations

2008

Black Law Extension	Consented	0	11
Doronell	Consented	608	635
Earlshaugh	Public Inquiry	8	509
Whitelee Extension	Consented	2	56

2009

Wester Dod (Aikengall II)	Ministerial Consideration	382	103
Harelaw	Public Inquiry	23	175
Kilbruar Extension	Consented	18	3
Millennium Extension	Consented	2	2
Newfield	Public Inquiry	15	54
Viking	Consented	1109	2772
Whitelee Ext Phase 2	Consented	0	0

2010

Braemore	Application	230	420
Galawhistle	Consented	0	2
Killgallioch	Application	22	66
Muaitheabhal East Extension	Consented	0	5
Rowantree	Application	4	30
Waterhead Moor	Withdrawn	0	380

2011

Allt Duine	Public Inquiry	24	139
Beinneun	Consented	1	0
Black Law Ext Phase 2	Application	0	328
Clyde Extension	Application	2	5
Druim Ba	Public Inquiry	437	342
Glenmorrie	Application	32	209
Harburnhead	Application	967	511
Kype Muir	Application	12	13
Lochluichart Extension	Consented	9	124
Mid Hill	Application	0	4
Middle Muir	Application	4	63
Sallachy	Application	72	217
Stornoway	Consented	7	11

2012

Bhlaraidh	Application	6	25
Brown Muir	Application	10	2102
Cloich Forest	Application	1	127
Dalnessie	Application	3	3
Fauch Hill	Public Inquiry	10	85
Glencassley	Application	5	27
Nathro	Application	6	211
Stronelairg	Application	6	92
Whitelee Ext Phase 3	Application	13	7

Question reference: S4W-11831

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 January 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many major service changes proposals made under the guidance, CEL 4 (2010), Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services, it has approved and (a) have been and (b) are subject to an independent scrutiny panel, broken down by proposal.