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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: S5W-14247

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to NHS Shetland has been in respect of patients' and escorts' air travel in each year since 2008.

Question reference: S5W-14249

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to NHS Orkney has been in respect of patients' and escorts' air travel in each year since 2008.

Question reference: S5W-14248

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to NHS Western Isles has been in respect of patients' and escorts' air travel in each year since 2008.

Question reference: S5W-13909

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking as part of its land reform policies to make crofters aware of the possibility of seeking the transfer to them of ownership of government-owned crofting estates.

The Scottish Government grant funds organisations such as Community Land Scotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to help promote and give advice to community groups, not individual crofters, which may be interested in acquiring part of Scottish Ministers’ crofting estates.

Support to communities interested in seeking an asset transfer of Scottish Ministers’ land in general is available from the Community Ownership Support Service, which is part of the Development Trust Association (Scotland) which receives grant funding from the Scottish Government.

Scottish Government policies and advice on land reform are available on the Scottish Government’s website and officials attend relevant conferences and events to help promote the opportunities available to communities interested in acquiring land.

Question reference: S5W-13908

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what part the potential transfer of government-owned crofting estates to crofters might play in the land reform agenda.

Scottish Ministers would anticipate that any transfer of their crofting estates to local communities should lead to those communities being stronger and more resilient, with the opportunity for the communities to develop their land to generate economic benefits for the community.

The benefits to communities would be case dependent, but could range from the provision of housing through to supporting renewable energy and business units.

Any transfer of Ministers’ crofting estates would increase the amount of land in community ownership and thus contribute to meeting the target of one million acres of community owned land in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-01741

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders it has had discussions with regarding providing alternatives to cash in lieu of disability benefits.

Question reference: S5O-01721

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what contingencies have been put in place to manage hospital closures in the Highlands and Islands as a result of the current flu outbreak.

NHS Highland monitors the number of confirmed and suspected flu cases in its hospitals on a daily basis. The priority is to minimise the risk of spreading the infection within hospitals and to ensure all wards are staffed safely to maintain high quality patient care. Where temporary closures to new admissions may be required, contingency arrangements, including taking those requiring admission to the most suitable alternative, would be used. Existing patients would remain in the hospital until fit to be discharged.

Question reference: S5W-13222

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has used (a) other UK police forces and (b) the Civil Nuclear Constabulary at Dounreay for local policing issues.

Co-operation between Police Scotland and other UK police forces is an operational matter for Police Scotland and other UK forces. There are well established arrangements in place to facilitate mutual aid between UK police forces which is co-ordinated by the National Police Co-ordination Centre (NPoCC).

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) can provide assistance to all UK forces under a collaboration agreement. The Scottish Government understands that Police Scotland have a very positive working relationship with the CNC at Dounreay. CNC dial into the Police Scotland daily tasking meeting which provides the opportunity to identify any issues which may have a joint impact. A Memorandum of Understanding, signed off at Chief Inspector level, is in place whenever Police Scotland utilise the CNC resource.

Question reference: S5W-13181

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many trains were (a) cancelled or (b) delayed by the northbound Caledonian Sleeper breakdown on the single track north of Dalwhinnie on 6 November 2017, and what the total delay minutes were.

Question reference: S5W-13183

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to double-track the Highland rail mainline between Dalwhinnie and Newtonmore, and whether it plans to double-track the other remaining sections of the line.

Phase 2 of the Highland Main Line Enhancements Programme, which aims to deliver faster more frequent journeys by spring 2019, used the Rail industry Governance for Railway Investment Projects (GRIP) process to develop and select a preferred option that was output focussed, this combines timetable enhancements, better performance of the High Speed Trains (HST’s) to be introduced on the route, and infrastructure interventions at key train passing points at Aviemore and Pitlochry.

Currently there are no plans to double-track the Highland Main Line between Dalwhinnie and Newtonmore or other remaining sections of the line.