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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-03743

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government which body would be held liable for any damage to health from air pollution from a project that a local planning committee refused planning permission for but that went ahead following an appeal by the Scottish Ministers’ reporter.

The Glasgow and Clyde Valley Strategic Development Plan identifies that aggregates minerals are a significant natural resource and are essential to sustainable economic growth and development of the city region. However the Scottish Government recognises that the operation of quarries can give rise to land use and environmental issues which require to be mitigated and controlled through the planning system.

Operators of sites such as these need to demonstrate that both dust and particle emissions from the site are adequately controlled and are within acceptable limits. In this instance, the DPEA reporter's decision was issued subject to 43 planning conditions. Those planning conditions include the necessary implementation of mitigation measures to prevent dust creation at source, control times of operations, control noise, blasting and restoration of the site and mitigate potential impacts in respect of dust, odour and noise. Those conditions also make it clear to the operator what is expected of them while allowing the outcomes to be monitored by the relevant planning authority. Other sources of dust (and odour) such as rock crushing and the asphalt plant would be regulated by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), who did not object to the proposed development, under separate legislation and monitored by SEPA to meet EU standards of operation whilst setting out conditions the operators must meet.

Question reference: S5W-03742

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of objections from over 700 people and the decision of the local planning authority, what its position is on reviewing the decision of its reporter to uphold the appeal to extend the excavation area at Hillend Quarry, Caldercruix.

In keeping with the majority of planning appeals to Scottish Ministers a reporter from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government was appointed by Ministers to make a delegated decision on their behalf.

Once a reporter issues a decision on an appeal, the decision is final and neither the reporter, nor Scottish Ministers, have any further jurisdiction in the matter, nor do Scottish Ministers have any power to review that decision. Any interested party aggrieved with the decision has a right of appeal to the Court of Session, within
6 weeks of the date of the decision.

The reporter fully considered all of the information submitted by all parties in relation to the proposal, including the appellant's grounds of appeal, the council's reasons for refusal, all letters of representation received from interested parties as well as a visit to the site.

Question reference: S5W-02709

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scotland Can Do Scale Programme will be launched; what its budget will be, and how it will be delivered.

The first iteration of the Scotland CAN DO Scale initiative was launched in June 2015. To date this model has supported 133 innovation-driven high-growth potential companies at residential summer schools held in August 2015 and August 2016. Further, 500 companies have taken advantage of the Massive Open Online Course added for the 2016 iteration of Scotland CAN DO Scale.

Discussions are under way with agencies and private sector partners to finalise proposals for the expanded and collaborative programme promised in the Programme for Government. When plans have been developed I will be happy to share information on proposed launch date, budget and delivery model.

Question reference: S5W-03256

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-02535

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 28 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people it estimates are employed by companies that have signed up to the Scottish Business Pledge.

Question reference: S5W-02711

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many registered businesses there have been in each year since 2007.

The Scottish Government publishes a count of the number of private sector registered businesses, in the ‘Businesses in Scotland’ report, on an annual basis. The table below is taken from the ‘Businesses in Scotland 2015’ report, which was published on 3 November 2015 and can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate

Registered businesses, operating in Scotland, 2007 to 2015

Year	Registered Businesses
2007	151,145
2008	155,285
2009	155,320
2010	155,045
2011	154,365
2012	159,580
2013	160,050
2014	166,525
2015	170,335

Source: Businesses in Scotland 2015, Scottish Government

Notes:

1. Registered businesses are those businesses that are registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) and/or Pay As You Earn (PAYE).

2. Excludes central and local government.

Question reference: S5W-02715

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget is for the Workplace Innovation Service, and how many businesses will receive assistance.

Question reference: S5W-02710

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the labour productivity figure has been in each year since 2007, expressed in output per hour.

Question reference: S5W-02712

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government by what date Skills Development Scotland will publish its regional (a) skills assessments and (b) outcome agreements.

Question reference: S5W-02714

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of what assessment it has carried out of skills (a) shortages and (b) underuse.

The UKCES Employer Skills Survey covers skill shortages and underuse. The Scottish Government is a partner to this research. The survey results were published in January 2016 and the latest results for Scotland are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukces-employer-skills-survey-2015-scotland-toolkit

Scottish Government also commission Skills Development Scotland to undertake further Regional Skills Assessments, using information from the UKCES Employer Skills Survey.