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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: S5O-00305

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to extend access to high-speed fibre broadband across the country.

Question reference: S5W-03859

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the reclassification of its funding of capital, what the impact will be of the reduction of planned loans to Scottish Water over the next five years, and which infrastructure projects might be affected by this.

There has been no reclassification of Scottish Water’s funding. Loans made by the Scottish Government to Scottish Water and Interest repaid by Scottish Water to the Scottish Government score in the capital and resource budgets respectively. The Scottish Government is committed to lending up to £760million in the regulatory period 2015-21 in support of the £3.5 billion programme of improvements to water and sewerage services.

Question reference: S5W-03861

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Water's budget has been in each of the last five years.

Scottish Water’s budget, as confirmed in Spring Budget Revisions, has been as follows:

2011-12	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Voted Loans	£0.0	£85.1	£85.1
Interest on Voted Loans	-£92.7	£0.0	-£92.7
	-£92.7	£85.1	-£7.6
2012-13	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£1.0	£0.0	£1.0
Voted Loans	£0.0	£142.1	£142.1
Interest on Voted Loans	-£88.3	£0.0	-£88.3
	-£87.3	£142.1	£54.8
2013-14	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£1.5	£0.0	£1.5
Voted Loans	£0.0	£56.8	£56.8
Interest on Voted Loans	-£91.7	£0.0	-£91.7
	-£90.2	£56.8	-£33.4
2014-15	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£2.8	£0.0	£2.8
Voted Loans	£0.0	£106.6	£106.6
Interest on Voted Loans	-£98.0	£0.0	-£98.0
	-£95.2	£106.6	£11.4
2015-16	Operating	Capital	Total
	£m	£m	£m
Hydro-Nation	£0.8	£0.0	£0.8
Exemption Scheme	£2.0	£0.0	£2.0
Voted Loans	£0.0	£132.5	£132.5
Interest on Voted Loans	-£99.9	£0.0	-£99.9
	-£97.1	£132.5	£35.4

Further details on budgets may be found on the Scottish Government’s website at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Government/Finance/18127/Documents

Question reference: S5W-03860

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the investment in Scottish Water infrastructure has been in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S5W-03862

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what Scottish Water's capital reserves have been in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S5O-00256

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there is meaningful and inclusive community engagement in the planning system.

Question reference: S5W-03185

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers have met parliamentary liaison officers, and what was discussed.

Ministers met with parliamentary liaison officers on the dates noted below and discussed a range of issues relevant to their portfolios.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform met with Gillian Martin, MSP on
27 September 2016.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform met with Angus Macdonald MSP on 29 June 2016.

Annabelle Ewing MSP, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs met with Tom Arthur MSP on 15, 22 and 29 September 2016.

Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Employability and Training, and Paul Wheelhouse MSP, Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy met with Ivan McKee MSP on 21 September and 4 October 2016.

Derek Mackay MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution, holds weekly meetings with Kate Forbes MSP, these started on 15 June 2016.

The First Minister holds a weekly meeting with Ben Macpherson MSP and Gail Ross MSP, these started on 1 June 2016.

Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Jeane Freeman MSP, Minister for Social Security and Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government and Housing met with Mairi Evans MSP, on 24 May, 2 June, 9 June, 30 June, 8 September, 15 September, 22 September and 6 October 2016.

John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills met with Jenny Gilruth MSP on 21 June 2016.

Mark McDonald MSP, Minister for Childcare and Early Years and Aileen Campbell MSP, Minister for Public Health and Sport met with Jenny Gilruth MSP on 14 June 2016

Question reference: S5W-03184

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it shares confidential information with (a) parliamentary liaison officers and (b) any other MSP.

As set out in section 4.11 of the Scottish Ministerial Code, government information may be shared with parliamentary liaison officers for the purposes of allowing them to discharge their role effectively. Parliamentary liaison officers are required to respect the confidentiality attached to such information.

Government information may be shared in confidence with MSPs, including Party Leaders, where it is in the public interest to do so.

Question reference: S5W-03186

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers have met parliamentary conveners, and what was discussed.

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs met with Joan McAlpine MSP, Convener European and External Relations Committee on Tuesday 16 August to discuss European, Tourism and Cultural Matters.

Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Employability and Training met with Sandra White MSP, Convener to the Social Security Committee on 7 September to discuss Employability and Training matters.

Question reference: S5W-03183

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government who it consulted prior to its announcement on 21 September 2016 regarding reform of the assessment of National 5 and Higher qualifications.

The proposal to remove the current mandatory requirement for unit assessment at National 5 and Higher was discussed with the Assessment and National Qualifications Group prior to the announcement on 21 September 2016. The group includes a range of education stakeholders, including teacher unions, head teachers, the National Parent Forum of Scotland, COSLA, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, college and higher education representatives, and national education bodies. Members of the Teacher Panel were also consulted prior to the announcement.

The proposal was approved by the Curriculum for Excellence Management Board on 29 September 2016, which agreed that mandatory unit assessments would also be removed from Advanced Higher courses.