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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-05204

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what impact BP’s acquisition of two new prospects off the coast of Shetland will have on jobs and skills capacity throughout the (a) exploration and drilling phase and (b) lifetime production of the fields.

Question reference: S5T-00246

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the expected impact on health will be from the ban on smoking in cars with children present.

Question reference: S5W-04569

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential economic and social impact, what its response is to reports that Fort George Barracks is under threat of closure.

On 7 November 2016, the Defence Secretary announced eight sites for disposal in Scotland, including plans for the Army to vacate Fort George. No consultation took place with the Scottish Government ahead of this announcement, even in the case of Fort George where Scottish Ministers have a direct interest in operation of the site. The scale of the Ministry of Defence’s cuts will have significant economic and social impacts.

As I said in my statement to the Chamber on 9 November, the Scottish Government met Highland Council and other Local Authorities the day after the Defence Basing Announcement to consider local impacts, and I plan to meet with those most affected to discuss next steps.

Question reference: S5O-00107

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the establishment of Orkney as a centre for excellence or living laboratory in relation to energy storage and transformation.

Question reference: S5W-01551

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils will be taught (a) Scots and (b) Gaelic in 2016-17.

(a) The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on pupils taught Scots in schools. The number of entries for the SQA’s Scots Language Award in 2015-16 was 127, though not all pupils taught Scots will be entered for a qualification in the subject.

(b) Information on pupils taught Gaelic in 2016-17 is not currently available. Statistics for 2015-16 show that there were 6,745 pupils undertaking a Gaelic learner class. In addition, Gaelic medium (GM) statistics gathered by Bòrd na Gidhlig shows that there were 1003 children in GM nursery, 3004 children in GM primary and 1193 in GM secondary.

Question reference: S5W-01555

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the potential benefits are to young people of being taught Scots or Gaelic.

The Scottish Government is clear that there are many benefits to young people being taught Scots or Gaelic. It has the potential to create a secure future for the languages in Scotland and also enriches Scottish education and cultural life. It provides language learning that appeals to families and communities and, in the case of Gaelic, provides a successful bilingual education for young people. In addition, the teaching of Gaelic and Scots provides young people with the opportunity to learn about Scotland’s culture and identity and to appreciate Scotland’s rich literary and linguistic heritage.

Question reference: S5W-01552

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the teaching of (a) Scots and (b) Gaelic in (i) schools and (ii) communities.

(a)(i) The Scottish Government has appointed a number of Scots Language Co-ordinators to work in Education Scotland with the specific remit of developing and promoting the use of Scots in schools. Scottish Language Dictionaries also contributes to this work by providing high quality dictionaries on the Scots language. In 2014, they produced an app of the Essential Scots Dictionary to help children studying the Scots language Award. In 2015, the Scottish Government launched its Scots Language Policy, a key aim of which is to recognise the important role that school education has in promoting the use of Scots. The introduction of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Scottish Studies and Scots Language Awards, as well as the set Scottish texts for National 5 and Higher English courses also contribute to the promotion of Scots in schools.

(ii) In 2015, Creative Scotland published a Scots Policy which sets out its position on the Scots language and identifies ways in which it can be promoted and celebrated in the arts and in communities. This policy included the announcement of an appointment of a Scots Scriever. The Scriever works in partnership with Creative Scotland and the National Library of Scotland and is responsible for producing original creative works in Scots, as well as raising awareness, appreciation and use of Scots in communities. The Scottish Government also funds the Scots Language Centre and Scottish Language Dictionaries and both promote Scots in communities.

(b)(i) The Scottish Government is taking a number of important steps to promote Gaelic in schools. This includes providing funding to local authorities, support for teachers and provision of Gaelic resources. In 2015-16, the Scottish Government has provided grant funding totalling £4.484m to various local authorities to support costs associated with the delivery of Gaelic medium education, as well as up to £4m through the Gaelic Schools Capital Grant to support the growth of Gaelic medium education in schools. In addition, the Education (Scotland) Act 2016 contains a number of Gaelic provisions, including a duty on local authorities to promote Gaelic education, a parental right to request GME for their child where sufficient demand exists and a duty on Bòrd na Gidhlig to produce Guidance on Gaelic education.

(ii) The Scottish Government provides funding to Bòrd na Gidhlig to promote Gaelic in Scotland’s communities. This support is allocated to Gaelic organisations such as Fèisean nan Gidheal, Comunn na Gidhlig and An Comunn Gidhealach. The promotion of Gaelic in communities also features in local authority and Public Body Gaelic language plans which Bòrd na Gidhlig is also responsible for.

Question reference: S5W-01121

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the traffic assessment at the Longman roundabout in Inverness.

An assessment by our operating company for the north west unit, BEAR Scotland, has been completed and the outcomes of traffic modelling have shown that amending the signal timings will offer the most efficient solution to current queuing and delay experienced by the road user. Following consultation with The Highland Council, the trial will begin in late August 2016 after the peak tourist season, to run to mid-September 2016. It will be closely monitored by Transport Scotland and an evaluation will then be completed before a decision is made on the future operation of the lights.

Question reference: S5W-00590

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff NHS (a) Western Isles, (b) Shetland and (c) Orkney employs, and how this compares with September 2006.

Under this government, the number of staff working in Scotland’s NHS has risen to a record high.

As at March 2016:

a) 813.4 whole time equivalent (WTE) staff were employed in NHS Western Isles – a 1.9 per cent increase since September 2006.

b) 554.7 WTE staff were employed in NHS Shetland – a 19.7 per cent increase since September 2006.

c) 502.1 WTE staff were employed in NHS Orkney – a 10.4 per cent increase since September 2006 and a record high.*

*Source: Information Services Division Scotland (September 2006 to March 2016)

Question reference: S5W-00669

Asked by: Maree Todd, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the chief executive officer of Highlands and Islands Enterprise has tendered his resignation.