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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.

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Question reference: S5W-11623

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support Scotland's universities in attracting staff from the EU after Brexit.

Staff from the rest of the EU make a substantial contribution to our universities and we value their contribution. Our universities need to compete effectively for the brightest and best researchers from around the world. We are proud that Scotland is a destination of choice for staff from overseas. International co-operation across the EU and beyond, supported by research mobility, will be vital if Scotland and the UK are to maintain and improve our science and innovation.

As outlined in Scotland’s Place in Europe, we are totally committed to ensuring this remains the case as we explore every avenue to protect our relationship with the EU so that the UK and Scotland can stay in the Single Market and retain the benefits of freedom of movement.

Question reference: S5O-01362

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making toward reaching its target of building 50,000 affordable homes before the end of the parliamentary session.

We have made excellent progress so far in reaching our ambitious target.

It is vital that we set the foundations of a strong affordable housing programme in the early years of the target to allow for the sufficient volume of building to take place. And we are doing just that.

Last year saw a level of activity in the affordable house-building sector not seen since the early 1980s, with over 10,000 affordable homes approved - an increase of nearly 30% on the year before.

The latest affordable housing supply statistics show we are maintaining that pace as affordable housing continues to be approved at a higher rate than the previous year providing us with an excellent pipeline of projects.

Given the scale and importance of the target, for the first time, we have also committed to long term resource planning assumptions amounting to over £1.75 billion over the three years to March 2021. This provides councils and housing associations across Scotland with the certainty needed to deliver our 50,000 affordable homes target.

Question reference: S5W-11386

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support staff at the Bilston Glen police call centre who are taking on extra work, including handling calls from other police forces in the UK.

The delivery of Police Scotland's contact, command and control function is an operational matter for Police Scotland with oversight from the Scottish Police Authority.

Every Police Force (and other Emergency Authority) has an established reciprocal arrangement in place to assist each other at times of high demand or exceptional need called the Public Emergency Call Service (PECS) Code of Practice. This applies only to emergency 999 calls and not those calls which are received on the 101 platform. Full details of what happens within Police Scotland service centres (call handling centres) are outlined in the Police Scotland statement issued
14 October by Nelson Telfer, ACC Service and Protection, Police Scotland, available at http://www.scotland.police.uk/whats-happening/news/2017/august/c3-message-from-acc-nelson-telfer.

Question reference: S5O-01256

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to support community policing during the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S5O-01224

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what financial and employment support it plans to give fishing communities after the UK leaves the EU.

EU funding, such as the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which includes match funding from the Scottish Government, has made a vital contribution to safeguarding jobs and ensuring the prosperity of our fishing communities.

Our communities and businesses expect and deserve clarity from the UK Government on the future arrangements that will replace these vital funding streams in the event that the UK departs from the EU. I recently wrote to Michael Gove requesting such clarity but his reply only referred vaguely to future consultations on the matter. It is imperative for the UK Government to confirm that Scotland would receive its fair share of funding in the future, at a level which properly reflects the importance of fisheries and other marine sectors in our rural economy, as well as the powers to determine how best to invest it.

Question reference: S5O-01226

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how its targets on climate change and sustainable development are supported through renewable energy projects such as the turbines in the Pentland Firth.

Question reference: S5O-01173

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on Scotland of the equalities and social security aspects of proposals in The Queen's Speech.

Question reference: S5O-01137

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many nurses from the rest of the EU have registered to work in Scotland since the EU referendum was held, in light of a recent report suggesting that there has been a 96% decline for the UK as a whole.

Question reference: S5O-01070

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent steps it has taken to promote culture and tourism in Midlothian and East Lothian.

Question reference: S5O-00989

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans for the Access to Elected Office Fund Scotland to be open to disabled people wishing to be nominated for the 2017 General Election.