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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-24445

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether parents will have a legal right to withdraw their children from the provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 in relation to named persons.

Question reference: S4W-24546

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 25 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce average speed cameras on the (a) A92 and (b) A85.

Average speed cameras have a proven track record in improving road safety and have been deployed successfully in many countries. We currently have no plans to install an average speed camera system on the A92 or the A85, but we will continue to promote evidence based road safety interventions across the trunk road network. This may include the wider use of speed management, including average speed cameras, where this is justified in light of the evidence available to us at the time.

Question reference: S4O-04052

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what provisions there are for parents to access the medical records of their children.

Question reference: S4W-24345

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what support sportscotland provides toward the development of indoor bowling.

Question reference: S4W-24279

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to Tesco in light of reports that the recently announced job reductions in its retail stores were proportionally higher in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.

The Leader of Fife Council, David Ross and I wrote a joint letter to David Lewis, Tesco Chief Executive on 30 January 2015 following the announcement to close four Tesco stores in Scotland including a superstore in Kirkcaldy with 189 employees. This letter expressed both the Scottish Government’s and Fife Council’s concern that the company had decided to close these stores and the particular devastating effects this will have on Kirkcaldy, the employees affected and their families.

On 2 February 2015 a Scottish Government official and Councillor Ross had a constructive meeting with Tesco representatives. Fife Council agreed to consider their available options and put a proposal to Mr Lewis who confirmed that he was willing to look at all proposals put to him.

Question reference: S4O-04002

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Tesco regarding recent closure announcements.

Question reference: S4W-24158

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on art works in each year since 1999, broken down by directorate.

Question reference: S4W-24118

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 5 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have required disclosure under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups scheme in each year.

Question reference: S4W-24119

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 5 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations have had more than one individual require disclosure under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme in each year.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) disclosure requests are made by individuals. These requests are often made in connection with recruitment into paid or unpaid work for an organisation. The number of organisations involved in more than one disclosure request in each calendar year since the PVG scheme was established on 28 February 2011 is set out in the following table.

Year	Number of organisations (Rounded to the nearest 10)
2011 (from 28 February)	1,370
2012	1,620
2013	1,840
2014	1,940
2015 (to 26 January)	980

Question reference: S4W-24087

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers were first made aware that the amended projection for the cost of the new V&A building in Dundee would be £80.1 million and what discussion they have had with Dundee City Council officials on the matter.

Dundee City Council kept the Scottish Government informed, within the bounds of commercial confidentiality, of the contract negotiations. As part of this, in April 2014, the council informed the Scottish Government that the initial estimate of the price would not be met. The contract price of £80.11 million published by Dundee City Council on 16 January 2015 was shared with Scottish Government on 18 December 2014.

Year	PVG disclosures requested (Rounded to the nearest 10)
2011 (from 28 February)	151,990
2012	238,810
2013	342,460
2014	355,080
2015 (to 26 January)	17,160