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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-27085

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when SEPA last met with the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) cross-government group regarding fipronil and imidacloprid levels detected in UK surface waters, and what steps it is taking to reduce these levels in Scotland.

SEPA is a member of the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group. The group last met on 31st January 2024 to continue discussions and undertake process mapping to understand the current evidence, as well as regulatory and non-regulatory tools available to inform future activities and strategy regarding levels of imidacloprid and fipronil in UK surface waters.

SEPA has designed an investigative monitoring programme to help understand chemical pressures on Scotland’s water environment.

Question reference: S6W-27261

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a progress update on Scottish Water’s commitment to increasing monitoring levels of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).

Question reference: S6W-27270

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 3 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is on introducing ticket levy schemes at large music venues in Scotland to support small and grassroots music venues.

The Scottish Government fully values the importance of the music industry to Scotland’s culture, and the role venues play in the talent pipeline.

We have committed through the New Deal for Business to engage with industry to explore non-regulatory solutions to deliver policy objectives across Scottish Government. We are sympathetic to the needs of grassroots venues and are engaging with stakeholders to understand how we can best support industry-led initiatives.

Question reference: S6W-26877

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the economic and creative growth of Scotland’s unscripted screen sector.

The Scottish Government remains focused on strengthening our screen sector and creating the conditions for continued growth across production, development, talent, and skills, including in unscripted production.

We have funded, and continue to fund, Screen Scotland, who over the last 3 financial years have supported a total of 138 unscripted productions, including many through the Broadcast Content Fund (BCF), which is supported by Scottish Government Grant-in-Aid funding.

Screen Scotland’s Unscripted team continue to support the development and production of unscripted projects, and support talent development, skills and training opportunities for people working in the unscripted sector.

As well as supporting the annual unscripted film talent development programme, ‘Docscene’, delivered by the Scottish Documentary Institute, Screen Scotland also work closely with partners such as the BBC and Channel 4, on a range of projects and initiatives to support the production of unscripted factual and entertainment content.

They have also worked closely with production companies and local training providers to help incorporate freelancers from unscripted production into scripted training programmes and productions, for those seeking to transition their careers or broaden their portfolios.

In March 2024, Screen Scotland published their Strategy to 2030-31 which outlines their plan of work across skills and training, audience development, support for Scottish creatives and international collaboration to ensure that all those working in the screen sector, including in unscripted production, have a wide range of opportunities for employment and professional development.

Question reference: S6W-26411

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to create a working group with relevant stakeholders on the implementation of the NICE guidance on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

The Scottish Government fully supports the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on diagnosing and managing ME/CFS. We wrote to all Scottish health boards following its publication to raise awareness of the guidance and encourage its implementation.

We are committed to improving care for people with ME/CFS and want to facilitate constructive communication between patients and clinicians so that all parties are engaged in finding a way forward.

We are currently reviewing options to foster consensus around the applicability and implementation of the NICE guideline on ME/CFS, and how this relates to other existing clinical guidance in Scotland. Input from people with lived experience of ME/CFS will be integral to any agreed option.

Question reference: S6O-03349

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to deliver a safer speed limit of 20 mph by 2025 on all appropriate roads in built-up areas.

Question reference: S6W-26480

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) whether SPCB staff are permitted to wear disability awareness lanyards.

Colleagues with adjustment passports can wear Sunflower lanyards and/or pins or badges but must also wear a parliament issued purple lanyard.

It’s estimated that 70-80% of disabilities are hidden, including physical and mental health, sensory such as visual, auditory and processing difficulties, chronic conditions, and rare diseases. The SPCB want to make it easier for staff and visitors who have a non-visible disability to get the support they need. SPCB staff have been trained to recognise the Sunflower and offer help or adjustments as part of our existing reasonable adjustment process.

Question reference: S6W-26412

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the pilot of the NHS Education for Scotland training module on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Question reference: S6W-26413

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on funding commitments for the research priorities identified in the report of the James Lind Alliance's Priority Setting Partnership for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which was published in May 2022.

The Scottish Government has no plans to create specific funding commitments for the research priorities identified in the report of the JLA PSP on ME/CFS

Within the Scottish Government, funding of Health and Care Research comes under the remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO).

The CSO's Translational Clinical Studies (TCS) Committee and Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research (HIPS) Committee each meet twice per year to consider funding applications. Details of the application process are published on the CSO website.

https://www.cso.sc ot.nhs.uk/grant-funding/response-mode-funding-schemes/

Applications on the underlying causes, diagnosis, treatment and management of ME/CFS are welcomed. Any such applications would go through CSO's standard independent expert review process to allow funding decisions to be made.

Through UK-wide funding agreements, researchers based in Scotland are able to access research funding programmes administered by the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR). Within their individual remits, these programmes can consider applications for research in ME/CFS. CSO is working with the health research community in Scotland to ensure awareness of these opportunities and to maximise the number of high quality applications from Scotland to the NIHR research funding programmes going forward.

Question reference: S6W-26190

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 4 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its work to support the enhancement of Channel 4's operations in Scotland, what its position is on Channel 4’s reported proposals to Ofcom for it to retain its 91% production quota for England and introduce a 65% London quota, and what representation it has made to (a) Channel 4 and (b) Ofcom regarding these proposals.

While the Scottish Government welcomes Channel 4’s progress to enhance its operations in Scotland, in particular with the creation of a creative hub in Glasgow in 2019, it has been our long-held view that Channel 4 should have a higher quota for network production commissioned from Scotland and our position remains that the quota should be based on population share, in terms of both hours and spend.

The Scottish Government’s view is that Ofcom’s current proposals to retain Channel 4’s 91% production quota for England and introduce a 65% London quota are unacceptable and we have made that clear in our response to Ofcom’s consultation. At a recent meeting with Ofcom’s Chief Executive, I restated that view and strongly urged a rethink of the current proposals. I also intend to meet with Channel 4 Chief Executive in the coming weeks to set out our expectation that Channel 4 makes considerable progress towards increasing its level of network production outside of London and from the nations, on a fairer basis.

The Scottish Government considers it vital that more productions are devised and produced in Scotland to support the creative economy and so that Scotland’s diverse communities see themselves reflected in its output. We strongly believe that broadcasting media should deliver for each part of the UK, with fair investment in our creative industries, and an appropriately authentic representation for Scottish audiences, and we will continue to make those views clear in our engagement with broadcasters, Ofcom and the UK Government.