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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-09377

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09158 by Jeane Freeman on 22 May 2017, how many staff currently administer assessments for Atos Healthcare in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-09384

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the Scottish Energy Advisory Board has met since 2015, and whether it will publish the minutes.

The Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) met on 16 February 2015, and the minutes are available at the following link: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/resources/working-groups/energy-advisory-board/Minutes/Minutes16-Feb-15

SEAB also met on 1 March 2016 to discuss the development of the draft Scottish Energy Strategy. There was very clear consensus in that meeting over the priorities of a new Energy Strategy for Scotland. This was reported in the then Minister for Energy’s speech to Parliament on 15 March 2016. The draft Energy Strategy was published on 24 January 2017 and proposed that SEAB will be re-focused on the new themes of the strategy. The consultation has now closed and SEAB will convene again shortly to discuss the development of the final Energy Strategy.

The minutes of the 1 March 2016 meeting will be agreed and published following that meeting, in accordance with past practice.

A specially convened meeting of a cohort of SEAB was also held on 16 February 2017 to discuss National Grid’s progress in assessing Scotland’s security of energy supply. This is part of an on-going piece of work which has not yet reached its conclusion. The next meeting of the SEAB will take place during June 2017.

Question reference: S5W-09383

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05868 by Annabelle Ewing on 10 January 2017, whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making in facilitating the transfer of the administrative responsibilities.

Question reference: S5W-09367

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and (b) trade unions regarding the establishment of an employee gain sharing scheme, as required by the franchise agreement with Abellio, and what the reason is for the reported delay in establishing this.

Question reference: S5W-09368

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) dividend and (b) other payments ScotRail has made to its parent company, Abellio, since April 2015.

Question reference: S5O-01074

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what issues were discussed during its recent meeting with the Ambassador of Israel to the UK.

Question reference: S5W-09160

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of its (a) meetings, (b) discussions and (c) correspondence with Ineos in the last two years.

It is not the policy of the Scottish Government to publish details of its discussions and correspondence with stakeholders. However, details of Ministerial meetings with all external stakeholders are regularly updated and is available on the Scottish Government website through the following link. https://beta.gov.scot/publications/?term=Ministerial&publicationTypes=transparency_data

Information has also been published under Freedom of Information and can be found: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/resources/Publications/EnergyFoI/FoI-16-01214

Question reference: S5W-09162

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given in the last five years to taking the operations of the Grangemouth refinery into public ownership.

Scotland’s oil and gas sector continues to offer major economic opportunities. It is estimated that, with the right fiscal, regulatory and market environment, as many as 20 billion barrels of recoverable oil remain under the North Sea and wider UKCS basin and the industry supports almost 125,000 Scottish jobs.

The Scottish Government is supportive of investment which is consistent with our economic strategy, is beneficial for the Scottish oil and gas sector, and good for the Grangemouth petrochemical plant and refinery and its workforce.

Question reference: S5O-01064

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the retirement age for prison officers, and what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding this.

Question reference: S5W-09161

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Ineos improves its operation regarding environmental performance.

Delivery and enforcement of environmental regulations is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA engages with regulated bodies through inspections, monitoring and wider engagement to ensure that environmental requirements are complied with; and where not, that appropriate remedial and enforcement action is undertaken in-line with the SEPA enforcement policy.