Chamber and committees

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: S5W-09642

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the railway network has fibre optic cabling along existing rail tracks.

Question reference: S5O-01125

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2017
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether all farmers will receive their 2015 and 2016 subsidy payments by the end of June 2017.

Question reference: S5T-00577

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be of the planned closure of the police control room in Inverness and its move to Dundee.

Question reference: S5W-09300

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what book value of Glasgow Prestwick Airport was recorded in its 2016-17 accounts, and how this compares with the open market value as defined by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' (RICS) valuations and appraisals manual.

The annual accounts of TS Prestwick Holdco Limited for financial year 2016-17 are presently in the process of being audited. The published annual accounts for financial year 2015-16 record a book value of £3.670 million in respect of non-current assets with appropriate disclosure on the basis of valuation recorded in the Notes to the audited accounts.

For appropriate business reasons Glasgow Prestwick Airport has obtained an open market valuation as defined by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors professional standards. This information is considered to be commercially sensitive.

Question reference: S5W-09176

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what aspects of the management of the Crown Estate will be devolved to local authorities.

We recently consulted on the long-term arrangements for management of Crown Estate assets in Scotland. The consultation contained our proposals on how Crown Estate assets in Scotland can be managed differently in future, including opportunities for further devolution.

The responses received will help inform the way forward on further devolution of management of assets, based on the Smith Commission’s principles.

Question reference: S5W-09175

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will replace any agricultural assets of the Crown Estate that are damaged following a natural event.

From 1 April 2017, Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management) has been managing the assets to provide continuity of delivery for Crown Estate tenants and customers. Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management) has put in place insurance cover to protect against the costs of storm and flood damage to rural property. Costs of fixing any damage, including any excess, resulting from events not covered by this insurance would be met from either the revenue or capital account depending on the nature of the repairing or investment liability and the obligation on Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management) to undertake any repair.

Question reference: S5W-09171

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of the transfer of the powers over the management of the Crown Estate; how these costs will be met, and what additional costs the Crown Estate has to meet.

Scottish Ministers secured external consultancy support to work on transferring the management of Scottish Crown Estate assets. Expenditure on the two relevant contracts totalled £201,767.88 in 2016-2017.

The transfer costs borne by The Crown Estate, as a separate entity from Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management), are not currently held by the Scottish Government or Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management). The Crown Estate is finalising its accounts for 2016-17 and these will published in due course. It is not yet known what level of detail on transfer costs The Crown Estate will include in these accounts.

The UK and Scottish Governments have agreed through the fiscal framework the methodology for calculating the baseline deduction to account for the transfer of management of Scottish Crown Estate assets to the Scottish Government. The UK and Scottish Governments have subsequently agreed a provisional block grant deduction through the Joint Exchequer Committee based on this methodology, which will be updated once outturn data for 2016-17 is available in the summer of 2017.

New costs borne by Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management) arise largely from the requirements of operating as a standalone business, and include costs associated with Information Technology and other support services, insurance and tax costs, additional staff costs, and Board member fees and costs. The first set of published annual accounts for Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management) will be available in 2018.

Question reference: S5W-09173

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the transfer of the powers over its management, what powers the Crown Estate has to borrow against its capital assets.

Question reference: S5W-09170

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether the transfer of the powers over the management of the Crown Estate has been completed on time.

Question reference: S5F-01162

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 April 2017

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports of defects found in school buildings.