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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-03743

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed sale of Prestwick Airport.

Question reference: S5W-25922

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 6 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what responsibilities England-based retailers that deliver goods to Scotland will be expected to have in administering its proposed deposit return scheme.

The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020, published for views on 10 September 2019, require that a 20p deposit is applied each time a single-use drinks container is sold to a consumer in Scotland. This extends to goods sold by way of distance sale (e.g. through an online grocery sale and delivery service). The Regulations also require retailers selling products by means of distance sales to provide takeback services from the site of delivery to consumers who have purchased those items.

Question reference: S5W-25971

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of anticipated changes to services at (a) Lockerbie and (b) other railway stations in Scotland as a result of the award to First Trenitalia of the franchise to operate the West Coast Partnership.

Transport Scotland engaged proactively with all bidders for the West Coast Partnership to convey our aspirations for the franchise, which included requests for additional service provision. We have had initial discussions with the winning bidder, First Trenitalia West Coast Ltd, and await final details of their service, once the contractualisation process with the Department for Transport has concluded, so that we can assess the impact for Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-25921

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 5 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what economic impact assessment has been carried out to determine the potential impact of its proposed deposit return scheme on retailers located near the border with England.

The Scottish Government published “A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Full Business Regulatory Impact Assessment” (BRIA) on‎ 9 July 2019. That BRIA identified that other deposit return schemes implemented internationally had increased cross-border trade as a result of consumers modifying behaviour. However, it concluded that, as a result of the relatively low levels of the Scottish population with easy access to the English market, the impacts of a Scottish deposit return scheme were unlikely to be significant.

Question reference: S5W-25920

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 5 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding whether its proposed deposit return scheme will be compatible with any similar proposals for England.

Question reference: S5W-25884

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 5 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to issue a revised climate change public engagement strategy, in line with the requirements of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

Question reference: S5W-25897

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the selection criteria will be for members of the Board of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.

The South of Scotland Enterprise Act 2019 provides that members of the board of South of Scotland Enterprise, when taken as a whole, will be required to have:

experience or knowledge of the whole of the South of Scotland,
experience or knowledge of issues facing those who work in the South of Scotland, and
a broad range of interests, skills, experience and expertise.

Board members will be appointed under the public appointments process, regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner. The public appointments process involves the development of a skills set for the board as a whole. This helps selection panels to clearly define the skills, knowledge and experience sought on the body’s board to ensure it is able to perform its statutory functions, and to do so economically, efficiently and effectively. The skills set will ensure that the legislative requirements are met.

Question reference: S5W-25900

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government who will be responsible for the appointments process for members of the Board of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.

The South of Scotland Enterprise Act 2019 provides that members of the board of South of Scotland Enterprise will be appointed by Scottish Ministers. An open appointment process will be led by a selection panel, including the SOSE Chair Designate, Professor Russel Griggs. The Panel will recommend to Scottish Ministers applicants who, on the basis of merit, best meet the requirements of the positions in question.

The purpose of the public appointments process is to attract a diverse range of able applicants and appoint the most able to lead Scotland’s public bodies in the delivery of efficient and effective public services. It involves the development of a skills set for the board as a whole. This helps selection panels to clearly define the skills, knowledge and experience sought on the body’s board to ensure it is able to perform its statutory functions, and to do so economically, efficiently and effectively.

The appointments process will be overseen by the Scottish Government's public appointments team working in partnership with the SOSE sponsor team, and regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Question reference: S5W-25899

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will (a) invite applications for and (b) appoint members to the Board of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.

Question reference: S5W-25898

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 31 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will appoint the Chief Executive of the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.

The recruitment campaign for the post of chief executive began on 14 August 2019. The role was widely advertised for 4 weeks across multiple channels including press adverts, online job boards, diversity and equality websites and supported by a radio advertising campaign. I wrote to colleagues in the Scottish Parliament and encouraged our stakeholders to share the opportunity across their networks. We also worked with an executive search agency to identify potential candidates. The campaign was supported by a dedicated micro-site to showcase the role. We received applications from across the UK and beyond from those in the public, private and third sectors.

It was clear throughout the recruitment process that this key and critical appointment required someone with a wide range of skills and experience, able both to establish a new organisation and to lead it over the longer term. The final stage of the recruitment process took place on 22 October 2019. The selection panel did not feel that the potential candidates were able to demonstrate that they met the breadth of the requirements for this important role. We will therefore not be appointing a candidate from this recruitment round. I therefore intend to appoint an interim Chief Executive from within the Scottish Government and its agencies whose role will be to focus on what is required over the next 12 months to establish the agency on a firm footing.

This approach ensures that SOSE will have what it requires now for its successful establishment and in the future to deliver our collective ambitions for the South of Scotland.