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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-23733

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review the provision of inpatient services for young people with autism and other learning disabilities.

We made a commitment in the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland: 2012-2015 to work with clinicians in Scotland to identify good models of Learning Disability Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (LD CAMHS) service delivery in use in different areas of Scotland or other parts of the UK which could become, or lead to, prototypes for future testing and evaluation.

In support of the commitment we have commissioned Glasgow University and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to undertake a project to identify good models of LD CAMHS service delivery.

Further details can be found at the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Services/Mental-Health/Strategy/Child-Adolescent-Services/C10

Question reference: S4F-02517

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2015

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government in light of the recent terrorist attacks in France.

Question reference: S4W-23594

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many loans it has provided from its £2 million loan fund to assist the film and television production sector.

Question reference: S4W-23566

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 5 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement that the UK Government will fund income-contingent loans of up to £10,000 for postgraduate students on taught masters courses from 2016-17, whether it will match per capita funding for postgraduate students in Scotland.

Prior to the UK Government’s announcement in the Autumn Statement 2014, the Scottish Government announced the formation of a working group to review support for taught postgraduate education in Scotland. The group, to be chaired by Professor Bryan MacGregor, will consider the barriers to participation in taught postgraduate study by Scottish domiciled students and identify options for how these might be overcome. The group will produce a report by summer 2015.

From academic year 2012-13, all eligible Scottish domiciled and EU postgraduate students undertaking courses on a prescribed list have been able to apply for non means-tested fee loan funding of up to £3,400. From 2015-16, eligible Scottish domiciled students on an eligible taught postgraduate course can also apply for a maintenance support loan of up to £4,500.

There are no immediate plans to change this package of support for taught postgraduate students prior to the issue and consideration of the report from the working group.

Question reference: S4W-23572

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government which sections of trunk roads have had their speed limits reduced in each year since 1999.

<>The introduction or varying of speed limits on the trunk road network is made through the promotion of Traffic Regulation Orders. Made trunk road orders from 2007, can be found on the Office of the Queen’s Printers for Scotland website at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ss i and those from 2008 can also be viewed on the Transport Scotland website at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road-and-traffic-orders. Orders made prior to 2007 can be obtained from the National Archives of Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-23571

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Transport Scotland’s recent review of the speed limits on the A85.

<>Following completion of the Speed Limit Review on the trunk road network, including the A85, Scottish Ministers are satisfied that a number of recommendations are being implemented to improve road safety. These recommendations can be accessed on Transport Scotland’s website at: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/road-safety/speed-limit-review.

The statutory process is underway for three sections of the A85 as a result of the Speed Limit Review. These draft Road Orders can be accessed at: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/road/road-and-traffic-orders/north-west-traffic-orders .

Question reference: S4O-03867

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the flooding infrastructure in Perth and Kinross.

Question reference: S4W-23468

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much out-of-authority (a) foster care, (b) residential care, (c) residential school, (d) secure care placements, (e) placements for people with complex learning difficulties and (f) other specialist placements have cost each local authority in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Costs incurred by local authorities for the out of authority placements listed in the question are not held centrally by the Scottish Government but can be obtained from each individual local authority.

However the Children’s Social Work Statistics 2012-13 report :

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubChildrenSocialWork/ChildrensSocialWorkStatistics2012-13Additional which was published on the Scottish Government website provides information on numbers of children living in each different type of placement.

Question reference: S4W-23474

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 11 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how much out-of-authority care placements supported or funded by the Scottish Government have cost in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by type of placement.

Scottish local authorities have a duty under Section 12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to provide social care services within their area, as they may consider suitable and adequate. Placements by local authorities for care outside their area would be arranged and paid for by local authorities.

Information on care placements outside each local authority area is not held centrally. This would be a matter for individual local authorities.

Question reference: S4W-23264

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 4 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many leisure facilities have been closed by each local authority in each year since 1999.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. It is a matter for local authorities as they have a statutory responsibility to determine the provision of facilities based on local need.

As the national agency for sport, sportscotland takes part in strategic discussions with local authorities about local provision and generally presumes against the loss of outdoor sports facilities except in certain defined circumstances, including where the facility to be lost will be compensated for.