Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Midlothian Council concerning the future of the Midlothian Snowsports Centre.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been undertaken on the Borders Railway in 2010 and when the line will open to passenger train services.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth or his officials last met representatives of Midlothian Council. (S3O-11199)
Rhona Brankin: When the cabinet secretary met Midlothian Council, did he discuss progress on the Waverley railway line, which, as he knows, is an infrastructure project that will benefit tens of thousands of my constituents in Midlothian? Ancillary work, including the relocation of utilities, was scheduled for this year. Will the cabinet secretary update Parliament on the progress that is being made on that...
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive how many fires in private rented properties were the result of faults in electrical installations and products in 2009.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive when it announced funding for a new Dalkeith Medical Centre.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive how serious economic damage will be assessed when considering an application to kill protected birds of prey to prevent such damage to non-native game birds released to be shot.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the consequences of any licences that may be issued to kill protected birds of prey are not incompatible with European Directive 2009/147/EC.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that techniques for the release of non-native pheasants into the wild for shooting that were developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries are capable of meeting modern environmental standards.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it is aware of regarding the contribution made to the Scottish economy by (a) tourism based on the natural heritage generally, (b) wildlife tourism and (c) the viewing of birds of prey.
Rhona Brankin: Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Rhona Brankin: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in today's debate. The power of education to change people's lives is what brought me from education into politics. This is an opportune time to be discussing teacher numbers, among other things, given the cabinet secretary's performance at the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee yesterday, when he said that teacher numbers had been...
Rhona Brankin: That issue is slightly separate. The basic point about being able to measure a child's acquisition of literacy is the fundamental concept of what constitutes a basic functional literacy that allows people to function within society. That is the sort of basic literacy that I am talking about. Low literacy rates are linked to deprivation, but it is also important to know that, even in areas of...
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it is aware of regarding the contribution made to the Scottish economy by the shooting of pheasants and red-legged partridges.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive which of the 35 new schools announced on 2 June 2010 will be directly funded by the Scottish Futures Trust.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what research evidence it has considered in relation to licensing landowners to kill buzzards.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that any legislative changes that would allow landowners to kill buzzards would comply with EU tests and regulations.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list ongoing research projects looking at alleged damage by raptors to other birds.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the taxpayer has been of undertaking research into alleged damage to other birds by raptors.
Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive whether research evidence supports the claims that raptors cause damage to game birds.