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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: S5O-01626

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much Scotland's food and drink exports were worth in the first nine months of 2017, and what proportion of these were to the EU.

Question reference: S5T-00755

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to Burntisland Fabrications to secure jobs in Fife and Lewis.

Question reference: S5W-12290

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the impact that prolonged gas flaring can have on the environment and, in light of the recently-reported prolonged flaring caused by a gas leak at the Mossmorran petrochemical plant, whether it has asked the operator, ExxonMobil Chemical, to carry out an environmental impact assessment of such operations at its plant.

Question reference: S5W-12285

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 7 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ExxonMobil Chemical regarding the recently-reported prolonged flaring caused by a gas leak at the Mossmorran petrochemical plant, and what action it has taken and plans to take to ensure that the operator has robust contingencies in place so that (a) such incidents do not pose a risk to people living and working in the vicinity of the plant and (b) any disruption to communities arising from unplanned incidents is minimised.

With respect to environmental legislation, ExxonMobil Chemical Ltd at Mossmorran in Fife is regulated under the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (PPC) by SEPA. Its staff have been liaising directly with the company during the recent controlled shutdown and restarting of the process. Both of these activities can be associated with flaring and are necessary for safe operation of the site.

SEPA has been contacted by members of the public and elected representatives who have expressed their concern at the light, noise, vibration and potential health impacts as well as asking what was being done to investigate and monitor the situation. Updates were provided by both the company and SEPA during this event. For SEPA, this has included responding to individuals in the local community.

It is a requirement under PPC that an incident report is provided to SEPA by the company. When received, this will be reviewed by SEPA who will identify actions to reduce the need to flare and to minimise the impacts on the environment and local people.

Question reference: S5O-01363

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages people to claim the benefits that they are entitled to.

This year we have invested £300,000 in Scotland wide campaigns to encourage people to claim the financial support they are due.

These campaigns included national and local TV, radio, press, and bus advertising as well as social media. We established two free national telephone helplines to provide information on how people can claim the assistance that they are entitled to.

We have taken up Mr Rowley's suggestion and with him have had the first roundtable discussion with local authorities to co-ordinate our joint work.

And we are working with a range of organisations to ensure that we have a joined up approach to promoting benefit take-up. For example we worked with Young Scot, Carers Trust and Carers Scotland when we targeted young adult carers; and currently we are working with Citizens Advice Scotland in encouraging older people to claim the benefits that they are entitled to.

Question reference: S5O-01147

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes cervical screening awareness.

Question reference: S5O-01080

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have paid in VAT that they have not been able to claim back.

Question reference: S5O-01044

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage new plantings in forestry.

Question reference: S5O-00582

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the funding uplift will be for NHS Fife in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5O-00172

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages investment in and the development of energy storage systems, and what further support it will offer over the next five years.