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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: S5W-02340

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a 50 mph speed limit for HGVs on trunk roads.

There are no current plans to increase the HGV speed limit as we believe that there is currently insufficient evidence in this area to justify a change.

In conjunction with the A9 average speed camera system we have increased HGV speed limits on single-carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness in order to address issues specific to that route.

With road safety considerations paramount, we will continue to consider any emerging evidence regarding speed limits for HGVs including findings from our on-going monitoring of the A9 and the increased HGV speed limit in England and Wales.

Question reference: S5W-02339

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 September 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what date it has set for Transport Scotland to report back to the A7 Action Group regarding the A7 Action Plan.

Question reference: S5W-01893

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Scottish Investment Bank has invested (a) nationally and (b) in Dumfries and Galloway in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S5W-01905

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans the Scottish Investment Bank has to (a) prioritise Dumfries and Galloway and (b) establish a South Scotland enterprise area.

Question reference: S5W-02061

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the continued requirement of a house seller to acquire and pay for a home report.

Question reference: S5W-02060

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of home reports on the property market.

A full five-year policy review of the Home Report was launched on 5 December 2013 and consisted of a public consultation (the findings from which were published on 7 May 2014) and a research study (published on 7 January 2015). Overall, the Review found that the home report is supported and valued. A clear majority of the respondents to the consultation felt that the home report was continuing to meet its original objectives and that these remained appropriate. The review found that while the home report had an impact on buyers and sellers, the impact on the wider housing market was more limited.

Question reference: S5W-01891

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to encourage businesses to adapt older properties to make them fully accessible for disabled people.

Businesses are required under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people do not experience substantial disadvantage compared with nondisabled people.

The duty is ‘anticipatory’. An organisation cannot wait until a disabled person wants to use its services, but must think in advance (and on an ongoing basis) about what disabled people might reasonably need.

Examples of reasonable adjustments would include ramps and stairway lifts, making doorways wider, installing automatic doors, more lighting and clearer signs. If a disabled person would be at a substantial disadvantage compared with a nondisabled person, not providing reasonable adjustments would be unlawful discrimination and could result in a discrimination claim under the act.

More examples are provided on the EHRC’s website at: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/multipage-guide/reasonable-adjustments-practice

Question reference: S5W-01927

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01111 by Humza Yousaf on 26 July 2016 and in light of Audit Scotland's report, Maintaining Scotland's roads: a follow-up report, which ranked Dumfries and Galloway second among local authorities for the percentage of roads deemed unacceptable, what steps it will take to liaise with the council to bring roads up to standard and whether it would consider providing additional ring-fenced funding for this.

A meeting of the Road Maintenance Strategic Action Group has been scheduled to discuss the Group’s response to the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report. We will continue to co-fund the Roads Collaboration Programme and use that forum to engage with all councils in Scotland to explore opportunities to share services.

With regard to funding, the Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government for 2016-17. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

On 22 August 2016, the Deputy First Minister and I hosted a groundbreaking Transport Summit in Dumfries at which a variety of important issues were discussed including the condition of both national and local roads in Dumfries and Galloway. We have committed to publishing a draft report of the summit within four weeks.

Question reference: S5W-01848

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage further investment in the Carstairs Junction area to accommodate the service demand until 2043 that was forecast by Network Rail in its report, Scotland Route Study.

The Scottish Government is funding Network Rail’s on-going development and detailed design of options to enhance Carstairs junction to improve line speeds and increase capacity and performance levels. Final decisions on investment will be subject to confirmation of the business case and affordability as well as agreement on a suitable funding model to reflect the distribution of financial benefits, the vast majority of which will accrue to UK Government sponsored cross-border franchises.

Question reference: S5W-01889

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2016
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on encouraging rail operators to give peak-time discounts to students who are 16-25 Railcard holders when travelling (a) for educational purposes and (b) to their part time employment.