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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-07048

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00012 by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016, what subsequent contact it has had or plans with (a) Falkirk Council and (b) Louden Castle Developments regarding its assessment of the credibility of SinoFortone.

Question reference: S5W-07033

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00024 by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016, whether it has reassessed or plans to reassess its position on SinoFortone in light of the comments regarding the company that were made by its former director, Sir Richard Heygate, and others, in a report in The Sunday Times on 5 February 2017.

Question reference: S5W-07038

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in The Independent on 15 June 2016 that “in March SinoFortone agreed a green energy and affordable housing scheme investment with the Scottish government. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon signed off the contract, which might eventually be worth £10bn”, (a) whether it has taken action to correct this, (b) what contact it has made with news media outlets regarding this and any other claims that the memorandum of understanding with SinoFortone led to investment, (c) whether it has alerted public sector organisations in the UK about the accuracy of such claims and (d) what its policy is on correcting inaccurate media reports.

Question reference: S5W-07042

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what contact details it has for SinoFortone and whether it will confirm what contact it has had with the company’s representatives in the last six months.

The Scottish Government’s last engagement with Sinofortone was on 3 September 2016 when officials facilitated a visit, organised by Sinofortone, of a government delegation from the region of Inner Mongolia interested in learning about football development. They visited Spartans FC and the Oriam National Performance Centre at Heriot Watt University. There were no discussions about potential investment.

Question reference: S5W-07044

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established any media monitoring process to assess the activities of SinoFortone in the UK and, if so, whether it assessed the company’s proposed investments in (a) Liverpool FC, (b) Anglesey, (c) Kent and (d) Port Talbot.

Scottish Government officials use a range of digital alert services to keep them up to date on organisations and companies of interest. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-00024 on 31 May 2016.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-07046

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-00024 and S5W-00028 by Keith Brown on 31 May 2016, what (a) information SinoFortone provided about its activities elsewhere in the world and (b) analysis its officials carried out of SinoFortone’s then UK activity.

Question reference: S5W-07047

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the credibility of SinoFortone, and whether it has contacted or plans to contact public sector organisations in the UK regarding this.

Question reference: S5W-07049

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment in the memorandum of understanding between the Scottish Government, China Railway No.3 Engineering Group and SinoFortone that (a) “Scottish financial institutions and other bodies may be approached with a view to obtaining their support for the program”, whether it will publish a list of those that were approached, (b) it would “support the First Minister and others in Scotland in building strong working relationships with appropriate leaders and influential decision makers in China”, whether it will publish a list of the contacts that were made and (c) it is "intended as a statement of intent and a platform to share confidential information”, whether information was shared.

The Scottish Government already has a strong working relationship with appropriate leaders and influential decision makers in China.

This information is published under Freedom of Information on 31 May 2016 and can be found at http://www.gov.scot/About/People/Directorates/BusinessDirectorate/foireleased.

There has been no further contact between the Scottish Government and financial institutions or other bodies in respect of the MoU. No confidential information was shared.

Question reference: S5O-00719

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has examined restructuring Police Scotland in order to enable it to regain the VAT exemption lost due to its centralisation, and what assessment it has made of how this would benefit services across Scotland.

Question reference: S5F-00954

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2017

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.