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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: S5W-19770

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 13 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the economic impact would be on Scotland of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of the Ireland.

A hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would be the likely result of a Brexit agreement that resulted in the United Kingdom being outside of the European Single Market and Customs Union. The economic implication of such a scenario would be to introduce considerable additional costs for businesses across the UK seeking to trade with the EU. In addition to this, it would also cause considerable disruption to the supply chains that currently exist between Scottish businesses in Ireland and across the EU.

Scottish Government analysis published in Scotland’s Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment, assessed the implications for Scotland’s economy if the UK exits the European Union. The analysis indicates that a hard Brexit could lead to a loss of up to 8.5% of GDP (or £12.7 billion in 2016 terms) in Scotland by 2030 – equivalent to £2,300 per individual.

Question reference: S5O-02522

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the analysis of the UK Budget, which states that the announced changes to tax overwhelmingly benefit the richest households.

Question reference: S5O-02446

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 4 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask NHS Ayrshire and Arran to review its policy on providing cataract operations.

Question reference: S5O-02323

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the completion status and final outturn costs of the William McIlvanney school campus in Kilmarnock.

Question reference: S5O-01999

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the Scottish Sentencing Council is making with guidelines on sentencing in relation to deaths caused by driving.

Question reference: S5O-01943

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Treasury’s draft audit and accountability framework and its proposals for effective scrutiny of shared services.

Question reference: S5O-01884

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 March 2018

To ask Scottish Government when it last met East Ayrshire Council and what matters were discussed.

Question reference: S5O-01929

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the provision of more direct rail services between Ayrshire and Edinburgh.

Question reference: S5O-01813

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses and monitors flood risk in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency.

Question reference: S5O-01760

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the Ayrshire economy, particularly the hospitality sector, of the UK leaving the EU.

The Scottish Government has clearly set out the implications of Brexit and the impact that leaving the single market and customs union will have on Scotland’s visitor economy.

Our rural communities, such as Ayrshire, depend on workers from the EU across a range of sectors and, of the 200,000 jobs provided by hospitality and tourism, right across Scotland, more than 21,000 of those are currently held by non-UK EU nationals.

We strongly advocate that Scotland is, and continues to be, an outward-looking, welcoming and open nation, enjoying the benefits of freedom of movement to ensure we recruit and retain the talent and skills the sector needs and to maintain our current open skies agreements and visa-free European travel.