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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-09024

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Electric Vehicle Loan applications made in advance of the 1 December 2021 deadline are pending (a) completion and (b) delivery of an electric vehicle to the applicant.

Question reference: S6W-09272

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to developing an expressive arts or moving image arts National Qualification.

Existing National Qualifications in Art and Design already allow the option of submitting moving image pieces. The following National Progression Awards contain units based on moving image or options to work in a moving image context:

Skills for Work: Creative Digital Media (SCQF level 4)
Creative Industries (SCQF level 4)
Skills for Work: Creative Industries (SCQF level 5)
Film and Media (SCQF levels 5 and 6)
Art and Design: Digital Media (SCQF levels 5 and 6)
Television Production (SCQF level 5)
NPA in Digital Media Animation
HNC/HND 3D Computer Animation

Question reference: S6W-09217

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the independently-chaired taskforce established to consider whether the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should be given extra powers to investigate wildlife crime, which it announced on 17 June 2020.

Susan Davies FRSB, Chief Executive of The Scottish Seabird Centre was appointed to lead the taskforce on 15 June 2022.

Susan will work with representatives from Police Scotland, Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service and Scottish Government policy officials. The taskforce will consider whether the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (the Scottish SPCA) should be given additional powers to investigate wildlife crime. We expect to receive the report from the taskforce in time to take forward any recommendations that require legislation in a bill during the course of this Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-09126

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding each (a) local authority and (b) National Park will receive from its Edinburgh Process Fund.

Under the Edinburgh Process strand of the Nature Restoration Fund, Local Authorities have been allocated a share of £5 Million for 2022-23, using a formula based on the area of urban greenspace and local nature reserves, as set out in the following table:

Local Authority	Rounded Allocation (£m)
Aberdeen City	0.135
Aberdeenshire	0.213
Angus	0.150
Argyll & Bute	0.238
Clackmannanshire	0.091
Dumfries & Galloway	0.257
Dundee City	0.086
East Ayrshire	0.102
East Dunbartonshire	0.132
East Lothian	0.110
East Renfrewshire	0.061
Edinburgh, City of	0.161
Eilean Siar	0.124
Falkirk	0.179
Fife	0.378
Glasgow City	0.132
Highland	0.328
Inverclyde	0.160
Midlothian	0.103
Moray	0.124
North Ayrshire	0.190
North Lanarkshire	0.274
Orkney	0.054
Perth & Kinross	0.176
Renfrewshire	0.102
Scottish Borders	0.161
Shetland	0.079
South Ayrshire	0.096
South Lanarkshire	0.188
Stirling	0.114
West Dunbartonshire	0.126
West Lothian	0.176
TOTAL	5.000

The two National Park authorities have each been allocated £0.25 Million.

The remaining £1 million has been made available on a competitive basis for Local Authorities who are planning to undertake a single large project which cannot be funded through their allocation. Applications for this competitive element can be made to NatureScot and are open until the end of June 2022.

Question reference: S6W-09161

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the reports on the four themes of the National Partnership for Culture.

Question reference: S6W-09016

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07866 by Jenny Gilruth on 3 May 2022, whether it will provide updated figures on how many young people have now received a free bus pass through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, broken down by local authority, based on the latest information available.

The following table shows the number of cards issued under the Young Persons Scheme (YPS) as at close of business on 20 June 2022, broken down to local authority level. This information includes number of passes collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application held by Transport Scotland and data supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data.

Local Authority	No. of cards issued
Aberdeen City	18,603
Aberdeenshire	22,610
Angus Council	5,473
Argyll & Bute	4,413
City of Edinburgh	53,249
Clackmanmanshire	2,216
Comhairie nan Eilean Siar	1,157
Dumfries and Galloway	7,674
Dundee City	16,991
East Ayrshire	13,485
East Dunbartonshire	6,009
East Lothian	9,903
East Renfrewshire	6,687
Falkirk	7,187
Fife	30,811
Glasgow City	45,950
Highland	11,065
Inverclyde	11,615
Midlothian	7,130
Moray	5,613
North Ayrshire	11,911
North Lanarkshire	23,629
Orkney Islands	985
Perth & Kinross	10,319
Renfrewshire	15,296
Scottish Borders	7,987
Shetland Islands	1,894
South Ayrshire	4,747
South Lanarkshire	18,611
Stirling	5,233
West Dunbartonshire	9,313
West Lothian	12,955
Total	410,721

Question reference: S6W-09017

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07866 by Jenny Gilruth on 3 May 2022, whether it will provide updated figures on how many young people have now received a free bus pass through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, broken down by age range, based on the latest information available.

The National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) have been unable to supply us with a breakdown of cards issued by age ranges. We are working with our delivery partners to have this data available.

NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data.

Question reference: S6W-09025

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the deadline for the Local Rail Development Fund in order that current grantees can complete their appraisals.

Question reference: S6W-09014

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many journeys have been completed by young people using a free bus pass through the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, based on the latest information available.

Question reference: S6W-09022

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its proposals as part of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan to electrify the rail route between Perth and Dundee.

As set out in the Transport Scotland Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, it is planned to electrify between Dundee and Perth by 2035.

As decarbonisation of the line between Dundee and Perth forms a later phase of the rolling programme. Therefore it is at an early stage of development with a detailed implementation programme still to be developed.

The first step towards electrifying to Dundee (from Edinburgh) was taken in June 2022, with the commencement on site of electrification works on the Haymarket to Dalmeny section of route. Work on this estimated £55 million scheme is due for completion by December 2024.

Further development work on the business case for decarbonising the Fife Circle Line has been also been approved to progress to the next design phase for partial electrification of the route using battery electric multiple units.