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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-13238

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to students studying pharmacy at university, how many (a) places have been available and (b) graduates have there been, in each of the last five years.

(a)The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of Pharmacy places available at universities in each of the last five years. With the exception of controlled subjects, the Scottish Government does not direct individual universities on the allocation of funded places for eligible Scottish students, and it is for each university to decide how to distribute its funded places between faculties and courses. This approach also applies to Pharmacy courses, which are not controlled subjects.

The following tables show the number of full-time entrants to undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy courses at Scottish universities.

Data has been provided in two tables due to a change in the subject classification coding used by universities in 2019-20.

Full-time Entrants to Pharmacy Courses at Scottish Providers, by level of study

	2019-20	2020-21
Postgraduate	70	80
Undergraduate	250	300
Total	325	385

Source: HESA Student data

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5

Where subject classification xcah01 = 'CAH02-02-03' – Pharmacy

Full-time Entrants to Pharmacy Courses at Scottish Providers, by level of study

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
Postgraduate	25	35	65
Undergraduate	265	250	225
Total	285	285	290

Source: HESA Student data

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5

Where subject classification xjacs01 = 'B230' - Pharmacy

(b)The following tables show the number of full-time qualifiers from undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy courses at Scottish providers over the last 5 years of data. As with the entrants data, two tables have been provided due to the change in how subjects were recorded in the 2019-20 academic year.

Full-time Qualifiers from Pharmacy Courses at Scottish Providers, by level of study

	2019-20	2020-21
Postgraduate	70	60
Undergraduate	245	220
Total	315	285

Source: HESA Student data

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5

Where subject classification xcah01 = 'CAH02-02-03' – Pharmacy

Full-time Qualifiers from Pharmacy Courses at Scottish Providers, by level of study

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
Postgraduate	25	25	30
Undergraduate	355	250	210
Total	380	275	240

Source: HESA Student data

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5

Where subject classification xjacs01 = 'B230' – Pharmacy

Note: 2016-17 includes around 90 Undergraduate Qualifiers on the MPharm (2+2) or (3+1) courses (now discontinued in Scotland). These courses ran in partnership with international universities where students studied abroad first before completing studies in the UK.

Question reference: S6O-01754

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the mental health of police officers.

Question reference: S6W-13202

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to re-evaluate the criteria used by Historic Environment Scotland to risk assess its sites, and, if this is the case, what changes are being considered.

Historic Environment Scotland responded to the High Level masonry issues at Properties in Care in line with their statutory responsibilities and corporate approach and continue accordingly to manage the properties .

The context for the risk management approach to Properties in Care is set by their statutory obligations under a range of health and safety legislation and regulation, common law obligations and their corporate approach to management of risk.

At present there are no plans to re-evaluate the criteria used by Historic Environment Scotland to risk assess the Properties in Care.

Question reference: S6W-13203

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its answer to question S6W-11289 by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022, whether it will provide an update on discussions with Historic Environment Scotland regarding the future potential approaches for Properties in Care.

I continue to discuss the Properties in Care, and their management, with Historic Environment Scotland. I can confirm that Historic Environment Scotland has been continuing to focus on managing the national High Level Masonry inspection programme, and undertaking repairs wherever possible.

We are consulting more broadly on a refreshed strategy for Scotland’s historic environment. This seeks to prioritise activity that supports economic recovery and renewal, focuses on creating a more resilient and sustainable historic environment, and helps to communicate the contribution that the historic environment makes to the nation.

The consultation will run until 20 February 2023 and is designed to gather views to make sure the strategy sets appropriate ambitions for the historic environment sector for the next 5 years. The consultation can be found at: https://haveyoursay.historicenvironment.scot/development-partnership/our-place-in-time-refresh-consultation/

Question reference: S6W-13205

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many stone falls have occurred at Historic Environment Scotland sites in each of the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-13204

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been spent by Historic Environment Scotland specifically on the repair of monuments in care in each of the past five years.

Question reference: S6O-01677

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the delivery of its Covid Recovery Strategy of the Auditor General's comments that it underspent its budget by £2 billion in the financial year 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-12562

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on planned road safety precautions for winter weather, and how much has been allocated for (a) gritter services and (b) emergency road repairs.

The annual Winter Service period began on 1 October 2022 and continues through to 15 May 2023. The publicity launch for Transport Scotland’s Winter Service 2022/2023 took place on 3 November, Winter service launch 22/23 | Transport Scotland .

For the 2022-23 winter service Transport Scotland has 240 vehicles available for spreading salt and ploughing snow, typically one spreader for every 16 km of trunk road. Salt barns are full and more salt is currently in stock than was used across both Scotland’s trunk and local roads during the whole of last winter.

Enhanced patrol provision will be in place across the network and route specific snow plans have been updated. To prevent snow or ice forming, gritters also provide precautionary salt treatments to roads, depending on the forecast weather conditions.

Financial spend on delivery of winter service by Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies for 2022/23 is forecast to be £29,194,484.

The 2022-23 budget allocation for emergency road repairs (Category 1 defects) is currently £1.8M, however, this may be subject to change depending on the severity of repairs experienced throughout the period.

Question reference: S6W-11631

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and (b) Network Rail regarding Ayr Station and the Station Hotel.

Ayr Station Hotel is owned by an absentee landlord who has remained unresponsive to any approach regarding the future of the Station Hotel building. Network Rail’s sole responsibility, due to the proximity of the railway to the hotel building and the rail infrastructure, is to ensure the safety of the rail infrastructure.

Transport Scotland continues to engage with ScotRail, Network Rail and South Ayrshire Council through the Ayr Station Strategic Governance Group, to review the long-term options for the Station Hotel building. The Group last met on 14 November 2022.

Transport Scotland has provided significant investment to this project including fully funding the erection of the scaffolding and encapsulation, and the ongoing maintenance costs up to March 2020. Transport Scotland continued to fund 50% of the ongoing maintenance costs from April 2020 until May 2022 and has also fully funded the feasibility study and subsequent options review.

The Ayr Station Strategic Governance Group continues to lead the preparation and publication of the Ayr Station Hotel Option Review under the leadership of South Ayrshire Council. I met with the Leader of and Chief Executive South Ayrshire Council in May 2022.

I had expected this report would have been published by the new administration before now. I am advised that it is now expected to be published before the end of the year. While I of course recognise the good progress made; it has been 6 months since my last meeting with South Ayrshire Council and I would urge the Strategic Governance group to work together bring this process to the earliest possible conclusion.

Question reference: S6W-12539

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 December 2022