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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: S4W-29705

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose a particular model or system for a deposit return scheme in light of the responses that Zero Waste Scotland received to its call for additional evidence for a deposit return scheme for Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-29703

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29439 by Richard Lochhead on 3 February 2016, whether the UK Government is supportive of the implementation of a deposit return system for beverage containers.

Question reference: S4W-29706

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the responses that Zero Waste Scotland received to its call for additional evidence for a deposit return scheme for beverage containers in Scotland, whether it has considered (a) the capacity of small retailers to store empty containers, (b) who will pay for the installation of reverse vending machines, (c) whether local authorities will lose out from a reduction in scrap costs, (d) the impact on the price of various containers for consumers and what other issues it had considered.

Question reference: S4W-29836

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29498 by John Swinney on 9 February 2016, on what date it will announce plans to extend superfast broadband to the remaining 5%.

It is not yet possible to confirm a date, although we expect to begin new procurement activity later in 2016. There are a number of steps that need to be taken prior to announcing our plans in detail. This includes finalising coverage to be delivered by the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, undertaking an Open Market Review to establish commercial plans and agreeing the appropriate state aid route. Currently we are working with the UK Government to develop a proposal to the European Commission for a new UK-wide state aid scheme for broadband. We expect this to be finalised in the coming months.

Question reference: S4T-01334

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 February 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that 67% of colleges had committed all of or more than their bursary budget by December 2015.

Question reference: S4W-29918

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 29 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the revised national anti-bullying strategy.

The Scottish Government launched ‘A National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People’ in 2010. The national approach forms part of our wider attempts to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people. It fits in with our ongoing work to ensure children and young people feel safe and secure and are able to build up strong and positive relationships with their peers and with adults, as well as our work to promote positive behaviour.

Following many legislative and policy developments since the publication of the national approach, a working group was established in January 2015 to refresh the guidance. The purpose of the refreshed national approach is to communicate and promote a common vision and aims to make sure that work across all sectors and communities is consistently and coherently contributing to a holistic approach to anti-bullying in Scotland.

Following extensive consultation with children and young people, parents and carers and practitioners, the revised national approach will be published in spring 2016.

Question reference: S4W-29824

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29472 by Angela Constance on 5 February 2016, what resource accounting and budgeting charge is expected to apply in 2016-17, expressed as a percentage of initial loan outlay.

Question reference: S4W-29823

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29470 by Angela Constance on 5 February 2016, what the resource accounting and budgeting charge is for a repayment threshold of £21,000, also expressed as a percentage of initial loan outlay.

The resource and accounting budget (RAB charge), estimated each year, forecasts repayments of student loans for all existing borrowers, as well as future borrowers. The model draws on demographics to calculate a repayment profile and a write off element, which combined provide the RAB charge. The repayment profile calculates the time and rate of repayment, whereas the write off estimates the amount that will never be recovered. The current RAB charge represents a percentage of every £1 lent.

The current estimated RAB charge for Scotland is 29%, meaning that for every £1 lent through the student loan scheme, the Scottish Government can expect to recoup 71 pence. The Scottish Government modelled the impact of increasing the student loan repayment threshold to £21,000 based on 2014-15 data, which produced an estimated RAB charge of 33%.

Question reference: S4W-29826

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29473 by Angela Constance on 5 February 2016, what the estimated requirements are for 2016-17, and how these differ from 2015-16.

Question reference: S4W-29739

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 February 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-29440 by Aileen Campbell on 4 February 2016, on what date it will convene the group that will look at the overall allowances system.