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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-06666

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement by Scottish Water of a 4.2% increase in charges for 2022-23, what percentage increase above inflation this decision represents for future years in terms of being able to meet the minimum income expectation, placed on Scottish Water by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, by the end of the regulatory settlement period in 2027.

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has responsibility for setting charge caps and otherwise sets out expectations or forecasts including for income as a guide to Scottish Water and stakeholders. Across the 2021-27 regulatory period the maximum increase to charges will be capped at CPI+2% on average for each year of the regulatory control period. Scottish Water must propose charges in its Annual Scheme of Charges that are consistent with this average annual cap and the cumulative application of this cap. It has discretion as to the precise profile of charges that it seeks to levy on customers within the regulatory control period. In line with its statutory duties, WICS considers any Charges Scheme that could be consistent with the overall cap on the amount of charges that can be levied on customers during the 2021-27 regulatory control period. The average household charge for 2022-23 remains lower than the average charge in England and Wales.

Question reference: S6W-06329

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the rising cost of living, what assessment it has made of the affordability of above inflation water charges for people who are not eligible for the Water Charges Reduction Scheme.

Water charges remain linked to the council tax banding of the house occupied. Higher banded houses are usually expected to be occupied by higher income households and so linking water charges to council tax band will frequently reflect ability to pay. But, importantly, the linkage to Council Tax also means that discounts and exemptions which apply to Council Tax are also available for water and sewerage charges. The present range of discounts is worth over £150m per year and helps to reflect an individual’s circumstances and ensure ability to pay.

Question reference: S6W-06694

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Scottish citizens who have received their COVID-19 vaccination outwith the UK are not able to be recognised as fully vaccinated on the NHS Scotland COVID Status app.

We have put in place a process for individuals who have received their coronavirus vaccinations outwith Scotland which allows them to upload official proof of vaccination from an approved country to their Scottish Vaccination Record through NHS Inform . This will allow those who have been vaccinated within the UK or internationally to receive a combined fully vaccinated status to show for travel and domestic purposes. We are working to increase the number of countries that this applies to.

Question reference: S6W-06938

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what date guidance regarding the wearing of face masks in schools will be published.

The guidance on face coverings in schools was most recently updated on 17 February, and this updated guidance came into force on 28 February. This guidance is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-reducing-the-risks-in-schools/

The removal of the requirement to wear face coverings in secondary school classrooms is a positive milestone which signals the possibility of a brighter future where schools can regain some normality. Pupils and staff who continue to choose to wear face coverings in class will be supported in doing so.

The remaining mitigations in schools, including the wearing of face coverings in communal areas, are being kept under review by the Advisory Sub-group on Education and Children’s Issues to ensure they remain appropriate, proportionate, and in line with wider society wherever possible. As always, we will ensure that all decisions on such mitigations are based upon the best available evidence and expert advice.

Question reference: S6O-00884

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the model to reduce the number of headteachers that is reportedly being proposed by Argyll and Bute Council will improve educational attainment.

Question reference: S6W-06890

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to women who were fitted with the Essure contraceptive coil, which was discontinued in 2017 because of its side effects.

Question reference: S6W-06891

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many women were fitted with an Essure contraceptive coil from 2002 to 2017, when it was discontinued because of its side effects.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14655 on 13 March 2018. 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

As of March 2022, 7 adverse events relating to the device have been submitted to NHS Scotland's Incident Reporting and Investigation Centre.

Question reference: S6W-06889

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time has been for abdominal aortic aneurysm screenings in each year since 2019, broken down by NHS board.

The data is not available in the format requested.

Men become eligible for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening when they reach age 65, and should receive an initial invite before their 66 th birthday. The programme monitors the proportion of the eligible population who are sent an initial offer to screening before age 66 as a key performance indicator.

In March 2020 all adult screening programmes, including the AAA programme, were temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The AAA screening programme resumed in July 2020, prioritising men in the high risk cohort.

The latest data published on 1 March 2022 shows that the programme has maintained screening the eligible population before they turn 66 and 3 months at a rate above 75% which is similar to pre-COVID-19 rates and in line with the programmes recovery route map. 90.5% of men were invited for screening before their 66th birthday. The full report is available here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-aaa-screening-programme-statistics/scottish-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-aaa-screening-programme-statistics-year-ending-31-march-2021/.

Question reference: S6W-06799

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the process of developing a gender equality strategy has influenced and shaped the Scottish National Investment Bank’s lending and investment practices.

Question reference: S6W-06797

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what data and information the Scottish National Investment Bank is gathering to evaluate the progress of the Bank’s gender equality strategy.