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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-10308

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 September 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: S6O-01353

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is addressing court backlogs that are reportedly leading to young people being held on remand for longer than 140 days in young offenders institutions.

Question reference: S6W-10465

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging public collections to consider returning cultural artefacts that were stolen during colonial times.

The Scottish Government encourages our public collections to consider the method of acquisition of all objects in their care, the vast majority of which were obtained ethically and legally.

Any consideration of returning cultural artefacts would initially be a decision for the relevant Board of Trustees. However Scottish Government officials engage in ongoing discussions with the museums sector, and will continue to encourage open and inclusive discussion on this topic.

Question reference: S6W-10200

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards its target of rolling out 20 mph speed limits on appropriate roads in built-up areas by 2025.

The multi-stakeholder task group continues to meet on a regular basis and is making good progress towards the development of a national strategy for 20 mph speed limits which incorporates the 2021 Programme for Government commitment “We will ensure all appropriate roads in built-up areas have a safer speed limit of 20 mph by 2025, forming a task group to plan the most effective route for implementation”.

Transport Scotland formed sub groups to develop the place criteria for 20 mph speed limits and research the development of pre and post communication plans to support behaviour change. Funding has been allocated to assist road authorities in carrying out road assessments on their network which is expected to be complete by Spring 2023. This is a key milestone agreed at the task group, noting that further consideration and evidence was needed on the number of roads affected and the financial implications before an informed decision on the most effective route to implement 20 mph speed limits can be reached. Transport Scotland has also been discussing the possibility of some roads authorities becoming early adopters of 20 mph speed limits to make progress on the delivery of the national strategy.

Question reference: S6W-10541

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to allow Bikeability training to count as curricula PE in schools.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children in primary school receive at least two hours of physical education (PE) every school week, and that all young people in secondaries 1 to 4 receive at least two 50-minute periods of PE every school week. Under Curriculum for Excellence, schools and local authorities have the flexibility to decide upon the content of PE at local levels taking into account the needs and circumstances of all children and young people in attendance. This includes whether Bikeability training should be made available within PE.

Where a school is considering whether to offer Bikeability training as a part of PE, we would urge that there are clear links to the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes within physical education and that the learning is appropriate for all learners within the lesson. Alternatively, schools could also consider offering Bikeability training as an extra-curricular activity. Any school interested in obtaining more information about Bikeability training can access this through Cycling Scotland's website on the following link: Bikeability Scotland - Schools - Cycling Scotland .

Question reference: S6O-01320

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed National Treatment Centres for NHS Tayside and NHS Fife.

Question reference: S6W-10310

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps will be taken to implement the recommendations of Environmental Standards Scotland report, Marine Scotland’s Enforcement of Acoustic Deterrent Devices.

The Scottish Government has welcomed the report from Environmental Standards Scotland. They requested some clarifications and made a number of recommendations on how processes relating to the enforcement of acoustic deterrent devices could be improved. They were content with Marine Scotland’s replies and the amendments made to procedures, and concluded that ESS had "no ongoing concerns."

Details of fish farm inspections relating to Acoustic Deterrent Devices will shortly be published on the Scottish Government website, all ESS recommendations will then have been addressed. Marine Scotland continue to monitor compliance with unannounced inspections.

Question reference: S6W-10076

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers to be a sustainable deer population level in Scotland to meet Scottish Biodiversity Strategy targets for 2030 when numbers are reduced as planned from the current population of 1 million animals.

The Scottish Government does not consider setting a nationwide target for sustainable deer populations to be the most effective method of meeting our Biodiversity Strategy targets for 2030. Our approach is to assess and identify priority areas where there is evidence of, or a high risk of deer damage, to ensure deer management efforts are focused and coordinated where there is the greatest need.

We set out our commitment to modernising Scotland's systems of deer management in response to the independent Deer Working Group and work is being taken forward as part of our new deer project. This project sits under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Programme Board and work is being taken forward via four workstreams focusing on: legislation; regulation; incentives; and operational delivery.

Question reference: S6W-10126

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools offer girls the same access as boys to football through (i) physical education lessons and (ii) after-school clubs.

Under the provisions of Curriculum for Excellence education authorities and schools have the flexibility to decide upon the content of their own lessons at the local level, this includes for activities offered in physical education (PE) lessons, taking into account the local needs and circumstances of all children and young people, including boys and girls.

The Scottish Government does not hold information about how many schools offer access to football as a part of their PE lessons or afterschool clubs, however schools can offer football training where is a demand for it.

Active Schools aim to provide more and higher quality opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity before school, during lunchtime and after school, and to develop effective pathways between schools and sports clubs in the local community. sport scotland works in partnership with all 32 local authorities to invest in and support the Active Schools Network.

All Active Schools teams are working to deliver their mainstream extracurricular programmes with an inclusive focus whilst targeting those groups in greatest need of inclusion. This allows for local teams to use their local data to determine who the inactive are for their school communities to ensure that they can tailor delivery on a need led basis.Specific activities such as football, and the structure of these activities, provided through Active Schools are at the discretion of each local authority/Active Schools team.

I understand that sport scotland will write to Mr Ruskell separately to highlight various opportunities that girls and young women have to take part in sport and physical activity – including Active Schools, and more widely across club and community sport. sport scotland are currently processing the 2021-22 Active Schools data. Data on girls and young women’s participation in football through the Active Schools programme will be shared with Mr Ruskell by sport scotland once available.

Question reference: S6W-10077

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on replacing the current Wild Deer: A National Approach (WDNA) vision with a deer population management strategy using deer population and cull data.

The Scottish Government is focused on identifying key areas where deer management efforts will be concentrated to ensure biodiversity and climate change targets can be met.

The operational delivery workstream of the Scottish Government’s new deer project board is responsible for identifying priority areas where a focused and coordinated approach to deer management is required. This work is being carried out alongside the work of the regulation, incentives and legislative workstreams, and overseen by the project board.