- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 18 July 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding its proposal to ask the European Commission to ease restrictions on the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
Answer
The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government at both official and Ministerial level and discusses a wide range of GM issues. The UK Government is well aware of our distinct views on GM crop cultivation.
Under the correct constitutional arrangement, in the event of any move by Scottish Government to invoke the safeguard clause, to allow temporary restriction or a ban on a GM crop, on the basis of new scientific evidence that it may harm human or animal health or the environment, the Scottish Government would have to persuade UK Government, on its behalf, to submit a safeguard action. With the UK Government’s apparently positive stance on GMOs, this may prove difficult.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 15 July 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with other EU member states regarding the UK Government's proposal to ease restrictions on the cultivation of genetically modified crops.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not had any direct discussions with other EU member states on the UK Government’s proposals as, under the current constitutional arrangements, the UK Government leads for the UK at the European Council of Ministers. However, the Scottish Government has made its distinct views on GM crop cultivation known at every opportunity and will continue to do so.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 15 July 2013
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ensure that Scotland remains a GM-free zone.
Answer
The Scottish Government will continue to take a precautionary approach to Genetically Modified Organisms. We remain opposed to the cultivation of GM crops and remain committed to protecting the integrity and image of our valuable food and drink sector and prevents any potential harm to either human or animals health or, indeed, harm to the wider environment and biodiversity.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 June 2013
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-00377 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 May 2013 (Official Report, c. 20315), what recent communications it has had with the UK Government regarding extraordinary rendition and whether Aberdeen, Inverness and Wick airports have been used by the US Central Intelligence Agency for this purpose.
Answer
As I indicated in response to Patrick Harvie’s question on 28 May, there has been no communication with the UK Government regarding extraordinary rendition flights using airports in Scotland. The Scottish Government remains strongly opposed to illegal rendition flights.
The Crown has made clear how strongly it would view the matter and the Lord Advocate indicated on 5 June 2013 that he has asked Police Scotland to consider the information provided by the Rendition Project undertaken by researchers from Kent and Kingston Universities.
The police and the Crown can act only if information is passed on, and if anyone has any evidence of lawbreaking of this sort, they should come forward with it and help justice to be done.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 7 June 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how many episodes of treatment have been carried out at the neurosurgery unit of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and how many included at least one operative procedure, in each year since 2008.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested.
It is not possible to identify all neurosurgical activity occurring in specific hospital units through centrally collected hospital admission records. It is, however, possible to identify activity occurring within the consultant specialty of neurosurgery by hospital. This information is provided in the following table.
Number of hospital stays involving the consultant specialty of Neurosurgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the number of procedures performed, Financial years 2008 to 2012
| Years | Hospital stays | No. of stays involving at least one procedure |
| 2008 | 1,243 | 1,097 |
| 2009 | 1,355 | 1,173 |
| 2010 | 1,223 | 1,094 |
| 2011 | 1,104 | 963 |
| 2012 | 1,073 | 933 |
Source: ISD Scotland.
Ref: IR2013-00898.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 May 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how much the council tax freeze has saved the average band D household in each local authority area.
Answer
Over the six year period the council tax freeze will have been in place (2008-14), the average Band D household in Scotland will have benefited from cumulative savings of almost £690. The following table sets out how much the average Band D household within each local authority area will have saved.
| Local Authority Area | Average Band D saving from the council tax freeze (£)
(2008-09 to 2012-14)* |
| Aberdeen City | 717 |
| Aberdeenshire | 693 |
| Angus | 656 |
| Argyll and Bute | 675 |
| Clackmannanshire | 697 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 632 |
| Dundee City | 735 |
| East Ayrshire | 731 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 688 |
| East Lothian | 670 |
| East Renfrewshire | 656 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 679 |
| Eilean Siar | 625 |
| Falkirk | 656 |
| Fife | 671 |
| Glasgow City | 720 |
| Highland | 693 |
| Inverclyde | 725 |
| Midlothian | 742 |
| Moray | 694 |
| North Ayrshire | 687 |
| North Lanarkshire | 682 |
| Orkney | 636 |
| Perth and Kinross | 687 |
| Renfrewshire | 702 |
| Scottish Borders | 651 |
| Shetland Islands | 649 |
| South Ayrshire | 690 |
| South Lanarkshire | 671 |
| Stirling | 706 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 712 |
| West Lothian | 693 |
Note: *Derived from CTAXBASE and CTAS statistical returns and
assume 3.0% growth in council tax each year.
Figures show effects on bills – the figures do not take account of council tax benefit.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2013
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council about cultural issues.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2013
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what the financial value is of non-EU students to Scotland’s universities.
Answer
Scottish higher education institutions received an overall income of £337 million from non-EU student course fees in 2011-12. This figure represents 11.8% of the total income of Scottish HEIs in that year (Higher Education Statistics Agency).
This income does not include other sources of income from non-EU students, such as accommodation fees or the course fees of non-EU students studying at a Scottish HEI campus located outside Scotland, for which the Scottish Government does not hold data.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for the education sector of a significant decrease in the number of non-EU students.
Answer
International students bring a variety of benefits to the education sector. A reduction in international students would impact on an important source of funding for Scotland’s Universities. Equally important however is the potential reduction in cultural diversity which enriches the intellectual environment for all students and encourages a global perspective and increased mobility among Scottish students and graduates. The international standing of our universities also reflects the ability to attract world-class researchers and staff from all parts of the international community. And finally, as international students are not eligible to take up Scottish Government funded university places, there is of course no impact on the places available to Scottish-domiciled and EU students.
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 16 April 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what impact recent changes to international student visas have had on Scotland’s universities.
Answer
The impact of the negative message that the UK Government’s student visa policies send to other countries is a significant concern for the Higher Education Sector (HEI). There is evidence that student numbers from countries which normally send high numbers of students to Scotland have decreased in recent years, which may reflect the changes to student visa rules implemented since 2010.
Higher Education Statistics Agency statistics show that the number of students from India in Scottish HEIs decreased from 3290 in 2010-11 to 2445 in 2011-12 – a reduction of 25.8%; and the number of students from Pakistan in Scottish HEIs decreased from 860 in 2010-11 to 645 in 2011-12 – a reduction of 24.9%. However, largely due to an increase in students from China, the overall non-EU student numbers at Scottish HEIs has increased from 27,880 in 2010-11 to 28,500 in
2011-12.
