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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-22198

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made or will make of the reasons why a significant proportion of disability living allowance recipients who have been re-assessed for personal independence payment have reportedly had their benefit disallowed or decreased.

The Scottish Government has undertaken extensive research during the process of designing our replacement for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), including with various stakeholders, Experience Panels, and the Disability and Carers Benefits Expert Advisory Group. This along with the consistently high success rate of individuals appealing their PIP decision, with 73% being overturned between October and December 2018, has informed our view that the current decision making process is flawed.

Question reference: S5W-22196

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers constitutes "other circumstances" in which a face-to-face assessment for disability assistance for working age people is required.

Question reference: S5W-22200

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it will assist recipients of each form of disability assistance in reporting any increase in support needs.

Question reference: S5W-22179

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21874 by Rosanna Cunningham on 12 March 2019, on what date it expects the (a) Joint Nature Conservation Committee report to be published and (b) the UK report to be submitted to the European Commission, and, if the UK report is not submitted to the commission because of Brexit, whether it will independently publish the Scottish National Heritage contribution to it.

The Scottish Government expects the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) to submit the UK report to the European Commission at the end of April 2019. Following this, it is anticipated that the report will be published by the JNCC in September 2019.

We do not anticipate that the prospect of the UK exiting the European Union will prevent the submission of the JNCC report to the European Commission. However, in the event that it is not submitted, we will consider with the JNCC and the other UK administrations whether the UK report could be published. We would also consider with Scottish Natural Heritage whether their contribution to the UK report would be published.

Question reference: S5F-03204

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5O-03066

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what input disabled people, disabled persons' organisations and other stakeholders will have into the design of the assessment descriptors for disability assistance for working-age people.

Question reference: S5W-21874

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 12 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment (a) it and (b) Scottish Natural Heritage has produced regarding the conservation status of mountain hares, and whether it will publish this.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of the conservation status of mountain hares.

Under Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive), the UK is required to report every six years on whether species of EU interest are being maintained at favourable conservation status.

The next report is due to be submitted in 2019 and will cover the period 2013 – 2018. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has provided the Joint Nature Conservation Committee with an assessment of the conservation status of mountain hares in Scotland to contribute to the UK report. The report will be published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in the summer.

The SNH assessment is based on all available data, including published papers and data available from long-term recording schemes.

Question reference: S5W-21873

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 12 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reported to the European Commission on the conservation status of mountain hares; when this report will be published, and on what data it was based.

The Scottish Government does not report directly to the European Commission on the conservation status of mountain hares as reporting is achieved at a UK level.

Under Directive 92/43/EEC (the Habitats Directive), the UK is required to report every six years on whether species of EU interest are being maintained at favourable conservation status.

Scottish Natural Heritage is responsible for reporting on the conservation status of mountain hares in Scotland to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, who prepare the UK report. The most recent report submitted to the European Commission was in 2013 and covered the period 2007 – 2012.

Question reference: S5F-03118

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2019

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-21364

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on enhancing consumer protection by the regulation of trades in which safety is a key issue.