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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: S4W-09465

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 687 motorists caught by Northern Constabulary and Tayside Police on the A9 Inverness-Perth road in a recent 10-day enforcement period were also charged with (a) dangerous driving, (b) careless driving and (c) driving too slowly causing frustration to other road users.

Northern Constabulary and Tayside Police have issued a statement indicating that during their joint 10 day enforcement campaign on the A9, which ended on 25 August 2012 and included support from VOSA and the Safety Camera Partnerships, a total number of 759 offences were detected as follows:

Speeding offences – 687

Mobile Phone offences – 33

Overloaded Vehicles – 11

No Insurance/Driving Licence/MOT – 8

Drivers Hours offences – 7

Crossing Solid White Lines – 6

Dangerous/Careless Driving – 4

Defective Tyres – 2

Seatbelt offences – 1.

Question reference: S4O-01284

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the business community about the air discount scheme.

Question reference: S4W-09091

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 August 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess the economic impact on (a) businesses and b) local government from islands that are no longer eligible for the Air Discount Scheme.

Question reference: S4W-09011

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 23 August 2012

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of the research that it commissioned on the scale and nature of child sexual exploitation.

Question reference: S4W-08324

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what capacity the single track rail lines from Perth and Aberdeen to Inverness have to cope with an increase in freight.

Available capacity on the Scottish rail network is not allocated specifically to freight or passenger services. Limited capacity exists on the rail lines from Perth and Aberdeen to Inverness and both freight and passenger operators can make a bid to Network Rail for access.

Perth to Inverness:

Work is currently underway to examine the potential for infrastructure enhancements, including passing loops to offer improved capacity for increasing both passenger and freight services. Phase two of the scheme is also included in our High Level Output Specification which was published on 21 June 2012.

Aberdeen to Inverness:

Network Rail is finalising its appraisal for delivery of journey time improvements, service enhancements and potential new stations on the Aberdeen to Inverness line. The appraisal, expected later this summer, will contain a detailed assessment of the improvements required to deliver extra freight and passenger services.

Question reference: S4W-08325

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06147 by Alex Neil on 23 March 2012, whether it has received a reply from the Commissioner for Internal Market and Services.

Question reference: S4W-08490

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the NHS will procure the drug, Dificlir, to combat Clostridium difficile and, if so, which (a) NHS boards and (b) hospitals will use it.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium issued advice for fidaxomicin (Dificlir^®) on 9 July. It is accepted for restricted use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of adults with Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) also known as C. difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD). The SMC has restricted it to the treatment of adults with a first recurrence only on the advice of local microbiologists or specialists in infectious diseases.

The submitting company did not submit a sufficiently robust economic analysis to gain acceptance by SMC for first-line use in adults with severe CDI.

It is unknown at this point which NHS boards will include this as a treatment option in their formularies. NHS Boards are expected to have made a decision within 90 days of the SMC advice being issued.

Question reference: S4W-08326

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with its proposed fund to help the victims of crime and how much money it estimates this could raise in each of the next four years.

The current Scottish Government consultation Making Justice Work for Victims and Witnesses includes a proposal to introduce a victim surcharge payable by offenders.

The consultation asks for views on the level or levels at which a surcharge should be set; whether it should be a fixed of variable rate, and the circumstances in which it should apply. Estimates of the amount that may be raised are dependent on the conclusions reached on these options. Full financial information will be provided when our final proposals are introduced in a Victims and Witnesses Bill.

Question reference: S4W-08323

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Network Rail’s proposals for improvements on the Inverness to Aberdeen line will be published on the Transport Scotland website and, if so, when.

Yes. Network Rail is currently finalising its appraisal of the options proposed in its Pre-feasibility Study published in 2011.

The appraisal examines in more detail the feasibility, cost and deliverability of the options, such as journey time improvements, service enhancements and potential re-opening at Dalcross and Kintore. This work is expected to be completed and published later this summer.

Question reference: S4W-08322

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 July 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been a delay in implementing the Inverness to Aberdeen rail capacity and service improvements scheme and, if so, for what reason.

No. The project will be completed in phases between 2015 and 2030 as specified in the government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, published in December 2011.

It is anticipated that phase 1 of the project will deliver enhanced commuter services into both cities and Network Rail will work with promoters to deliver Kintore and Dalcross railway stations. Detailed development work is currently underway to determine the track and signalling improvements required to deliver the extra services and stations.