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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: S4O-03647

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the chief economist of the Bank of England's comment that the fall in real wages since their pre-recession peak is “unprecedented since at least the mid-1800s.”

The Scottish Government welcomes the continued economic recovery in Scotland, with employment now at a record high level. However, the impact of the recession is still being felt, particularly through the continued pressure on real pay growth. In fact, forecasts suggest that it may be at least 2016 before wages recover to their pre-recession levels.

This is why in the Scottish Government Draft Budget 2015-16 we continued to prioritise the pay of the lowest earners in Scotland’s public sector, ensuring all workers covered by our pay policy receive at least the living wage. Our continued commitment to a no compulsory redundancy policy provides employees with economic stability and job security.

It is also why initiatives such as the core elements of our social wage – the council tax freeze, abolition of tuition fees, free prescription charges and eye examinations and extension of our investment in early learning and childcare provisions – are vital in helping support household budgets at a time of wage and income pressure.

It is also why it is important that this Parliament gains greater access to key economic powers – including the minimum wage – to allow us to do more to create high value jobs and boost prosperity across Scotland.

Question reference: S4O-03471

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the latest figures from the Scottish Index of Manufactured Exports, which show that there has been strong growth in Scottish-manufactured exports over the last year.

Question reference: S4O-03429

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to encourage more employers in North Ayrshire to offer modern apprenticeships to young women.

The Scottish Government has exceeded its ambitious target to deliver over 25,000 modern apprenticeships (MAs) in each year of session four of the Scottish Parliament, with 77,402 new opportunities delivered over the past three years. Building on this, the First Minister announced on 15 April 2014 that the target for new MAs starts would increase year on year to 30,000 by 2020.

We will use the findings of the final report from the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce to develop a way forward for the MA programme which will continue to meet our aims and ambitions for Scotland.

A significant focus of this will be improving the participation of women and engaging with employers to drive progress in North Ayrshire and across the country. I understand that participation by female MAs in North Ayrshire is already higher than average.

Question reference: S4F-02217

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2014

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to Professor Dunleavy's report, Transitioning to a new Scottish state.

Question reference: S4O-03396

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what opportunities the proposals in Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities could bring to Arran and Cumbrae.

Question reference: S4O-03317

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the commitment of Royal Mail to maintaining the universal service obligation given its economic impact.

Question reference: S4O-03236

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it considers a Scottish pensioners' parliament could be established.

Question reference: S4F-02090

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2014

To ask the First Minister what the impact on Scotland will be of UK Government plans to raise the retirement age.

Question reference: S4W-20906

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when all three Clyde Marine Protected Areas will be designated and whether they will exclude dredgers and trawlers to protect vulnerable habitats and white fish nursery grounds.

We aim to make decisions in summer 2014 on which of the 33 possible Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) included in the 2013 consultation should be designated. The 33 possible MPAs include three in the Clyde.

The management of MPAs will be informed by the conservation objectives for each site and recommendations from our scientific advisers on how to protect the features for which the MPAs are designated. The draft management options that were published as part of the public consultation provided further information on a range of possible protection measures for the three Clyde MPA proposals. These measures are being refined and developed by Marine Scotland in discussion with marine users and other interests.

Question reference: S4O-03182

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of how much would have been saved if the PPP/PFI projects carried out during the previous administration had been funded through the non-profit distribution model.