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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: S6W-02677

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review its policy on Ramsar sites, in light of reports that such sites receive a higher level of protection in the rest of the UK.

Ramsar sites are currently afforded a high level of protection in Scotland by virtue of their co-designation as Sites of Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area. We are committed to producing a new Biodiversity Strategy by autumn 2022. As part of the development of that strategy and the implementation of key commitments such as the protection of 30% of our land for nature by 2030, we will look at how best we can protect and restore nature in Scotland. This will include looking at the levels of protection given to our protected areas.

Question reference: S6W-02675

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that internationally-designated Ramsar sites in Scotland are given an increased level of protection in the forthcoming National Planning Framework 4.

Question reference: S6O-00182

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains supportive of Opportunity North East’s ambition of establishing an energy transition zone adjacent to the new Aberdeen South Harbour.

Question reference: S6W-02221

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 3 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to implement the principles of Mental Health Awareness Week in the public sector workplace.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of enhancing mental health awareness and provision within the public sector and wider workplace.

Our Clear Your Head campaign has been in place since April 2020 to help people look after their mental health during the pandemic. Given the particular pressures on Health & Social Care over this period, we have provided a range of additional wellbeing support to the Health and Social Care workforce including the National Wellbeing Hub, the National Wellbeing Helpline, Coaching for Wellbeing, the Workforce Specialist Service and additional funding for psychological interventions and therapies to support the mental health of Health and Social Care staff.

More generally, we continue to support See Me, Scotland’s national campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination, improving the culture, policies and practices for workplaces. Our ambition is for a trauma informed workforce across Scotland, supported by our National Trauma Training Programme. We also have a short life working group in place to take forward key actions relating to employment and mental health from our ‘Covid 19 Mental Health Transition and Recovery’ plan.

Question reference: S6W-02119

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has received from the UK Government in Barnett consequentials as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how much of this funding is yet to be (a) spent and (b) allocated.

The Scottish Government received a total of £9.7 billion in Barnett consequentials from the UK Government for 2020-21, with £8.6 billion allocated throughout 2020-21 and £1.1 billion deferred into 2021-22. The Scottish Government set out details of the allocation of the £8.6 billion in the Summer, Autumn and Spring Budget Revisions for that year.

A total of £4.7 billion of Covid-19 consequentials are available for 2021-22, including the £1.1 billion deferred from 2020-21. The allocation of £3.7 billion of this is set out in the Budget Act for 2021-22, as amended and approved by Parliament. Details of the allocation of the remaining £1 billion of further Barnett consequentials, allocated to the Scottish Government at the UK Main Estimates in May, will be included in the Autumn Budget Revision in September, in line with the information on allocations provided by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy in her letter to the Finance and Public Administration Committee in June.

I provided details of the provisional outturn position for 2020-21 to the Parliament on 17 June. Final outturn on all Scottish Government spending for 2020-21 is still being finalised and will be set out in the Scottish Government Accounts, to be published in December.

Tracking of actual spending during the year is managed in different ways depending on the nature of the funding. For areas such as Business Support, where grant funding is clearly identified as Covid-19, expenditure to date has been tracked and details are regularly published externally;

See Scottish Government statistics publication site: Coronavirus (COVID-19): business support funding statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

For other areas were funding has been provided to a sector, the additional payments relating to Covid allocations are included in the standard monthly payments out to individual bodies. For example payments to Health Boards are often paid as one monthly amount with subsequent reporting from Boards on how that funding has been allocated across different priorities. In some instances its is not always possible to distinguish the application of Covid funding from the wider day to day activities of the organisation as they work through the recovery.

Question reference: S6W-02374

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 2 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a firework licensing system whereby adults would be required to apply for a licence and complete an online safety training course before they could purchase fireworks, and, if so, how much it estimates it would cost (a) an individual to apply for such a licence and (b) to administer such a system.

Following the final report from the independent Fireworks Review Group recommending a fundamental shift in how fireworks are accessed and used in Scotland, the Scottish Government intends to implement the recommendations from the Group as a matter of urgency to ensure positive change is in place for communities going forward.

This includes a recommendation that mandatory conditions are introduced before the general public are able to purchase fireworks. Mandatory conditions may include, for example, the successful completion of an online safety test and payment of a fee, to ensure that fireworks are used safely and appropriately.

The Scottish Government recently sought views through a public consultation which included a proposal that mandatory conditions of sale could be implemented through a fireworks licensing system. The consultation closed on 15 August and received over 1700 responses from members of the public and stakeholder organisations. The responses are being independently analysed and the results will inform next steps and development of legislation relating to fireworks and pyrotechnics.

Question reference: S6O-00120

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its cooperation agreement with the Scottish Green Party, whether it will provide an update on its position on maintaining the monarch as the head of state in an independent Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02219

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of NHS employees that were dismissed during Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 in (a) Scotland and (b) the NHS Grampian region.

Question reference: S6W-02220

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its employees were dismissed during Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 in (a) Scotland and (b) the Grampian region.

Question reference: S6W-01391

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding whether the people who received the Novavax vaccine as part of the clinical trial, which includes 400 volunteers from the NHS Grampian area (a) will be given a "fully vaccinated" status and allowed to partake in any greater freedoms that this status may soon bring, (b) will be able to download their vaccination status from the NHS Inform website, and, if so, by what date and, if Novavax is not approved, when these volunteers can expect to be offered an alternative vaccine.

The Scottish Government recognises that clinical trials for vaccinations are critical for responding to COVID-19 and we would like to thank all those who have volunteered to take part in these trial, you are providing a great benefit for our society and indeed the rest of the world.

On 11 June 2021 the Deputy Chief Medical Officer wrote an open letter to UK residents who have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies outlining that those participating in such trials should not be disadvantaged in terms of any future domestic vaccine certification, if introduced, compared to anyone else who has had their vaccines under the standard NHS programme.

Those involved in clinical trials will shortly receive a letter confirming their involvement in the trials. This letter can be used for domestic purposes as proof of trial status. We are also working on a technical solution that will enable them to access their record on NHS Inform.