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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: S5O-02714

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the in-work conditionality aspect of universal credit.

Question reference: S5T-01362

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Prime Minister’s reported position that the proposed Brexit deal ensures that the UK will be an independent coastal state with full control over its waters.

Question reference: S5O-02625

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the UK Government has consulted with it regarding the draft agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

Question reference: S5W-19782

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many crisis grant (a) applications and (b) awards there have been in the last quarter, broken down by local authority; what the average grant was, and how many applications were due to delays in benefits payments.

Crisis grant statistics for the latest quarter, broken down by local authority, are available in "Scottish Welfare Fund statistics: update to 30 June 2018", published at https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/swf.

Figures for applications are presented in Table 3, awards and average award value in Table 15, and reasons for applications including 'Other - delay in payment of benefits' in Table 7.

Question reference: S5W-19781

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for crisis grants in the last 12 months were due to delays in benefits payments.

Question reference: S5W-19233

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many unannounced site visits there have been by the Fish Health Inspectorate to fish farms in (a) the Western Isles and (b) Scotland in the last year.

Question reference: S5O-02503

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in securing work for the Arnish fabrication yard on the Isle of Lewis.

Question reference: S5W-18863

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports of high levels of wild and farmed salmon mortalities in Loch Roag, Isle of Lewis.

A report was received from the Outer Hebrides Fisheries Trust on 30 July regarding mortalities in wild salmon in the Blackwater River, Lewis. An inspector attended on the 2 August and investigative samples were taken. A report detailing the results of the testing has been issued to the Outer Hebrides Fisheries Trust.

All of the stocked fish farm sites in Loch Roag were inspected on the 7, 8 and 13 August following reports of elevated sea lice numbers. A second inspection, in conjunction with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, was carried on a fish farm in Loch Roag on 5 September following reports of welfare concerns. Four advisory letters have been issued to the operator in line with the Scottish Government’s sea lice compliance policy; https://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00522428.pdf

Question reference: S5F-02618

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2018

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will use the Social Metrics Commission’s new framework for tackling poverty.

Question reference: S5W-18166

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to investigate options for increasing the capacity on the Stornoway-Ullapool ferry route in the summer months.

Capacity in peak periods is one of the challenges for our ferry services, particularly given the very welcome increase in passenger numbers which has followed the successful introduction of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET).

Additional passenger and car capacity has been provided to the Stornoway-Ullapool service in the form of the deployment of the MV Loch Seaforth and the Isle of Lewis and Isle of Harris communities will benefit from the additional capacity provided through the new major vessel under construction when she enters service in 2020.

Looking further ahead, a strategic transport appraisal commissioned from Peter Brett Associates is considering the long-term options for ferry services to, from and within the Western Isles, including the important Stornoway-Ullapool service. This appraisal started in early 2018 and is due to completed in early 2019.

The outcome of the strategic transport appraisal will be subject to detailed review, with full consideration of all options and consultation with communities and stakeholders prior to any future investment decision being undertaken for the Stornoway-Ullapool route.