Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 100 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-12648

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how children and young people can access their entitlement to the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme in each local authority in the Highlands and Islands region.

Applications for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme can be made through getyournec.scot in all local authorities. Additionally, each local authority is responsible for providing alternative application route(s) for their residents.

The application routes for each local authority in the Highlands and Islands region are outlined in the following table.

Argyll and Bute	? Paper form through Customer Service points ? Some applications have been coordinated through primary and secondary schools
Comhairie nan Eilean Siar	? Paper application form, with three in-person application locations available ? Council-specific online form for 16-21 year olds with an existing card ? Some applications have been coordinated through schools for Primary 7 pupils
Highland	? Paper form through Customer Service points ? Postal application forms ? Some applications have been coordinated through primary and secondary schools
Moray	? parentsportal.scot for applications for 5-11 year olds ? Forms available through schools, library and online ? Some applications have been coordinated through primary and secondary schools
Orkney Islands	? Paper applications through the council
Shetland Islands	? Council-specific online forms ? Contact council directly for alternative routes

Question reference: S6O-01666

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of its policy, Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 Approach.

Question reference: S6O-01580

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the increase in inflation will have on the ability of the public sector to deliver on its Covid Recovery Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-12002

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which activities involving animals it next plans to regulate under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

Future licensable activities are still under consideration, but may include commercial dog walking and pet grooming, the operation of livery yards, greyhound racing, and canine fertility clinics. We are also considering the case for revoking dated licensing legislation covering riding establishments and animal boarding, with a view to replacing it with new controls under the 2021 licensing framework.

We continue to work with key stakeholders to finalise our proposals on licensing and will consult on these at the earliest opportunity.

Question reference: S6W-11730

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an updated timescale for the stretches of the A9 that are still to be dualled, including at the Slochd Summit and Birnam, in light of the recent reported accidents on the road.

First, I express my sympathies to everyone who has been affected by the loss of a loved one and to anyone who has been injured on our roads over this year.

The Government remains committed to investment in the A9, including dualling the road between Perth and Inverness.

We are currently progressing the procurement for the Tomatin to Moy section and undertaking design work on the rest of the programme, with ministerial decisions to complete the statutory process confirmed for seven of the remaining eight schemes. I will update Parliament shortly on the progress of this section.

I have also today announced to Parliament through the answer to S6W-12140 progress on dualling the A9 section from Killiecrankie to Glen Garry, in that I have determined that the Orders for that scheme should be made.

The only section not to have started the statutory process is the Pass of Birnam to Tay Crossing project, where design and assessment is ongoing to identify a preferred route option following the innovative co-creative process with the local community. Work is progressing on announcing a preferred route for this section.

Work to determine the most suitable procurement options for the remaining sections of the A9 dualling is also ongoing. This is a complex exercise which looks at a number of factors including how the project can be delivered most efficiently by the industry, whilst minimising disruption to road users and helping to support economic recovery post-COVID.

I will of course keep Parliament updated on progress in relation to all aspects of these dualling schemes.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6O-01565

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the impact of carbon offset schemes on rural depopulation.

Question reference: S6W-11728

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the launch of a Scotland-wide HIV Testing Week ahead of World AIDS Day.

The Scottish Government is committed to eliminating HIV Transmission in Scotland by 2030.

There are no current plans for a testing week in 2022. However, the Scottish Government commissioned an expert-led HIV transmission elimination proposal. Increased and more effective testing is an important focus of the report, which will be published on World AIDS Day. Plans to take that work forward will be published alongside it, and that work will consider both long and short term steps that can be taken to improve testing uptake.

In the meantime, the Scottish Government continues to provide funding to HIV Scotland to support hivtest.scot, a pilot project which provides postal HIV self-testing kits to people across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-11729

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to expanding access to pre-exposure prophylactics (PrEP) through the development of online services and remote prescribing.

The Scottish Government remains committed to eliminating HIV Transmission in Scotland by 2030.

To support work to meet this target the PrEP short-life working group, a sub-group of the HIV Transmission Elimination Oversight Group, was tasked with maximising PrEP eligibility criteria. The group has formally adopted the new, wider, PrEP eligibility guidelines and are now working on materials to support implementation across Scotland.

The group, which is jointly chaired by community sector and clinical representatives, has also been actively considering the expansion of PrEP prescribing, with a focus on moving away from acute settings such as sexual health clinics. These discussions are on-going as the group considers different models and settings for PrEP care.

Question reference: S6W-11500

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-01419 by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 October 2022 (Official Report, c. 21), when it plans to begin exploratory discussions with the UK Government about new investment zones for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-11501

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether legislative and/or regulatory change would be required to provide for any investment zones in Scotland.