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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-21881

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what advice the Minister for Environment and Climate Change has received from (a) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and (b) Scottish Natural Heritage regarding Orkney Islands Council’s recently adopted changes to the management of ballast water in Scapa Flow.

The Scottish Government maintains contact with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on Orkney Islands Council’s revised Ballast Water Management Policy.

SEPA has a duty under the Water Framework Directive to protect the quality of water bodies and avoid any deterioration in status including that which may arise through the introduction of invasive non-native species. The Scottish Government is aware that SEPA continues to have concerns with respect to the Council’s Ballast Water Management Policy and that SEPA has advised Orkney Islands Council through the Strategic Environmental Assessment consultation process that, in SEPA’s judgement, the proposed policy change does not offer acceptable protection to Scapa Flow.

SNH have informed the Scottish Government that they continue to have concerns about the potential for impacts on the Loch of Stenness Special Area of Conservation arising from approval of the revised Ballast Water Management Policy. SNH have expressed the view that, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, at this time it cannot be ascertained beyond reasonable scientific doubt that the Ballast Water Management Policy for Scapa Flow will not potentially affect the integrity of this Special Area of Conservation. SNH have determined that the appropriate assessment undertaken by OIC has utilised an acceptable methodology and procedure.

Question reference: S4W-21967

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out on the affordability to an independent Scotland of introducing tax relief for film productions at the levels available in countries such as Ireland, Canada and New Zealand.

Scotland's Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland indicates that “We plan to continue the existing fiscal incentives for such production and, within the first term of an independent Scottish parliament, we propose to look at ways to encourage further development in the sector, through incentives, infrastructural investment and support for development, skills and training.” Consideration of the costs and benefits to Scotland of such approaches to further development, in terms of tax revenue foregone, tax revenue generated from production activity that would not otherwise have happened, and non-tax costs such as investment in human and infrastructural capital would form part of that consideration.

Question reference: S4W-21966

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 July 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out on the affordability to an independent Scotland of continuing the tax incentives currently offered by the UK Government in relation to the creative industries.

Fiscal incentives are currently given, subject to meeting set criteria, to production of films, high end television drama, animation and video games. Such incentives will continue at the point of independence on the principle of continuity of law. Scotland's Future: Your Guide to an Independent Scotland indicates that “We plan to continue the existing fiscal incentives for such production and, within the first term of an independent Scottish parliament, we propose to look at ways to encourage further development in the sector, through incentives, infrastructural investment and support for development, skills and training.” As audio-visual production has been historically focused on the South-east of England continuing fiscal incentives will tend to attract new production to Scotland without subsidising production that would have happened in any event, to a greater degree than for the UK at present.

Question reference: S4T-00747

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that people with serious criminal convictions are teaching in schools.

Question reference: S4O-03380

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what flexibility there is in the national calculation method for determining the type of heating system used in large public buildings.

Question reference: S4W-21311

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what bodies are represented on the Northern Isles Ferries Consultative Forum; how membership was decided; on what dates and where it has met, and what was discussed.

The following bodies are represented on the Northern Isles Ferries Consultative Forum:

HITRANS, ZetTrans, Shetland Island Council, Orkney Island Council, Serco NorthLink Ferries, Pentland Ferries, John O’Groats Ferries, Aberdeen Harbour Board, Lerwick Port Authority, Scrabster Harbour Trust, Stromness and Kirkwall Harbours, VisitScotland and Transport Scotland.

Membership of the forum was decided by Scottish Ministers. The forum has met twice, on 10 December 2013 and 21 May 2014. Ferries issues pertinent to the Northern Isles were discussed. Minutes of these meetings will be published by Transport Scotland, following formal agreement from forum members.

Question reference: S4W-21313

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 June 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether an expert panel has been established to consider strategic options regarding the future of the Northern Isles ferry service and, if so, who sits on the panel.

The Scottish Government regularly consults on the Northern Isles ferry services through a variety of groups including the recently established Northern Isles Ferry Services Consultative Forum. This forum has met twice and was established by Scottish Ministers following the MV Hamnavoe breakdown in 2013. This group allows for a consistent consultative mechanism with key stakeholders, including passenger ferry operators, harbour authorities, regional transport partnerships, tourist sector and the two local councils.

Question reference: S4W-21167

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the educational impact of (a) Achieving our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland, (b) The Early Years Framework and (c) Equally Well: Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequality on the educational outcomes of pupils from economically disadvantaged households.

Achieving our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland, The Early Years Framework and Equally Well: Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequality did not in themselves set out to make an impact on the educational outcomes of pupils from economically disadvantaged households. They seek to highlight the potential for education initiatives to improve the wider outcomes of all children and young people, including those from disadvantaged households.

Question reference: S4W-21166

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 30 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it made of the evidence from education initiatives contained in its 2011 Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland of what works for children from economically disadvantaged households before producing Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland: Our Approach 2014-2017.

During 2013 and early 2014 the Scottish Government developed a strategic approach with the Ministerial Advisory Group on Child Poverty and a full range of stakeholders across Scotland. A number of areas were identified as priorities for future work across a variety of policy areas, including education. There were also widespread calls for more robust reporting of the range of activity contributing to tackling child poverty in Scotland and of the impact of this activity. The refreshed Child Poverty Strategy reflects the importance of these areas to our approach and describes the approach to reporting on relevant activity in the coming years.

The Government is currently developing, with the Ministerial Advisory Group, a measurement framework which will include indicators of relative attainment. This will be reported on annually, the first occasion being as part of the 2014 Annual Report, which will be published in summer 2014.

Question reference: S4W-21169

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing assessment is in place to monitor the impact of the curriculum for excellence on the educational outcomes of pupils from economically disadvantaged households.