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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: S3W-11617

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Home Office on immigration rules and legislation.

Representations to the Home Office on immigration rules and legislation have covered six broad subjects: the points based immigration rules, asylum seekers and the rights children, the displacement of UK medical graduates, academic visitors to Scotland, citizenship and policing issues.

Written representations by Scottish ministers are underpinned by meetings, exchanges and correspondence at both official and ministerial level and have included: First Minister to Home Secretary on the subject of asylum seekers (1 August 2007 and 17 September 2007); Cabinet Secretary for Health and Well Being to the Home Office Minister of State (9 October 2007) and to the Home Secretary (5 January 2008) on the subject of medical graduates and the highly skilled migrants programme; Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning to Home Office Minister of State on the subject of asylum seekers (17 December 2007); Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning to Home Office Minister of State on the subject of academic visitors (19 March 2008), and First Minister to Home Secretary on the subject of Citizenship (25 March 2008).

Scottish ministers have also made representations on the points based immigration system covering: the scope for Scottish flexibilities within the system; a reduced qualifying period for settlement in Scotland; the criteria for Tier One - Post Study (the successor to the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme), including retaining Scottish HNDs as an eligible qualification; Scottish representation on the Migration Advisory Committee and the Migration Impacts Forum, and the potential impact on Scotland''s cultural festivals and sports events, the Asian restaurant trade and Japanese investment (as a result of the English language requirement).

Official discussions on policing have also been conducted, covering the implications for Scotland of extending police powers to immigration officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the UK Borders Review, which led to establishment of the UK Borders Agency from April 2008.

Question reference: S3W-12158

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S3W-10421 which received a holding answer on 11 March 2008.

Question reference: S3W-12107

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Forth Road Bridge was closed to traffic in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S3W-12113

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Holyrood Road in Edinburgh to be free of roadworks.

Question reference: S3W-12109

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since 1 January 2008 the Forth Road Bridge has been closed to traffic or traffic has been limited (a) north and (b) south bound.

Question reference: S3W-12106

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Forth Road Bridge has been closed to traffic since January 2008.

Question reference: S3W-12110

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007 the Forth Road Bridge was closed to traffic or traffic has been limited (a) north and (b) south bound.

Question reference: S3W-12163

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-10408 by John Swinney on 11 March 2008, when the Cabinet Secretary will write to me and whether the information on overnight hotel stays by the First Minister will be published.

Question reference: S3W-12108

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which body is responsible for deciding whether the Forth Road Bridge should be closed to high-sided vehicles.

Question reference: S3W-11743

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 1 May 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to build, install or run a SuperGrid.