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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: S5O-03970

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what flood prevention action will take place following the completion of the Inverclyde integrated catchment study.

Question reference: S5W-26689

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what information it can provide regarding the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs’ recent visit to Japan.

I undertook a successful visit to Japan (Nagasaki, Tokyo, Yokohama) between 7 – 13 October 2019, to strengthen the growing cultural, governmental and business links between Scotland and the world’s third-largest economy.

I undertook 6 engagements in Nagasaki, 18 in Tokyo and 8 in Yokohama.

There were 10 meetings with businesses, including with Mayekawa, a refrigeration company which is opening a research and development office in Glasgow; with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to recognise the importance of its ongoing R&D collaboration with Scotland and to promote the extensive innovation eco-system supporting the subsea sector, to encourage further business development; and with Canon Medical, which provided an opportunity to raise Canon’s broader ambitions for Scotland and encourage consideration of Scotland as a strategic innovation partner which can support global strategies across a diverse range of Canon group companies.

There were 5 business focussed events, including a Scotland is Now reception, showcasing the best of Scottish produce and a Subsea event, opening opportunities for 10 Scottish companies to partner with Japanese firms on the development of innovative technology.

There were 5 cultural engagements, including attendance at the historic Kunchi Festival in Nagasaki and representing the Scottish Government at the Scotland vs Japan Rugby World Cup match in Yokohama.

In Nagasaki, I addressed students at Nagasaki University on the importance of collaboration and investment to create world leading science and research bases and the importance of tackling the Global Climate Emergency in a way which delivers a just transition to renewable energy and decarbonisation. The event also promoted the benefits of an international education and the opportunities afforded to Japanese students under the Saltire Scholarships scheme. I also attended a Subsea event to celebrate and progress continued collaboration between Scottish and Japanese universities and organisations to develop innovative technology within the sector.

In Tokyo, I launched Scotland’s 2020 Year of Coasts and Waters , which encouraged Japanese tourists to visit Scotland. In a meeting with the Mayor of Yokohama, I discussed the ongoing cultural collaborations between the Scotland and Yokohama, including the successful performance of the Scottish Ensemble’s Anno as part of the Yokohama Music Festival, and the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra’s visit to Japan in July. Potential cooperation around the 2020 Tokyo cultural Olympiad and 2020 Paralympics also formed part of the discussion.

I had a constructive meeting with Tetsuya Yagi, Parliamentary Vice-Minister in the Ministry of the Environment. This represented the development of a new relationship with a Japanese Ministry which can build on existing collaborations, such as the Goto island renewables project, and support Japan’s objectives on revising its energy mix to meet the challenges of the Climate Emergency. Areas for potential future collaboration include electric vehicles, development of severe weather protection for floating offshore turbines, and mixed-renewable energy solutions for remote and rural communities.

I met with human rights defenders from Human Rights Now, a Tokyo-based organisation which campaigns on a number of causes, including gender equality and sexual violence, to share experiences of the human rights challenges Scotland and Japan have tackled. I also met with a roundtable of business leaders, hosted by the Economist Network, to discuss Scotland’s experience of workplace equality and Japan’s approach to this issue.

In Yokohama, I attended events at the Scottish Rugby Union’s pop-up Scotland Rugby House, meeting Japanese and Scottish rugby fans and hearing about the amazing reception the Scotland team received at their training camp in Nagasaki. Representatives from Nagasaki, including the Nagasaki Rugby Football Union and the Mayor were present, and joined me in watching Scotland play Japan at the International Stadium.

I also met with the Nippon Foundation, to recognise the success of the Joint R&D fund approach with Scottish Enterprise that, with the announcement of the second call awards, has resulted in 16 Scottish Companies being involved in 11 collaborative projects with 12 Japanese partners. This is the first formal partnership between the Scottish Government and an international foundation which allows policy ideas to be turned into practical solutions with companies.

I made several significant announcements during her visit: this includes £9 million of new R&D project funding from the joint fund operated by the Nippon Foundation and Scottish Enterprise; the lifting of the Scotch Beef ban after 23 years; £50,000 Scottish Government funding to support the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s debut at Proms Japan; the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra will be performing at next year’s Edinburgh International Festival.

Following my engagements in Japan there are many opportunities to strengthen the connections between Scotland and Japan including on trade, investment, culture, the low carbon economy, tourism and food and drink. The visit generated stronger than average social media traffic on channels in Japan and the UK, and resulted in 44 domestic media items and 28 pieces in Japanese media, including two televised pieces. Scotland Is Now paid-for activity during the Japan visit (targeting those who were ‘in-market to study abroad’) overachieved by a significant margin. The campaign film achieved 764,230 views on Twitter (120,010 were planned) and 490,807 views on YouTube (101,000 were planned).

Question reference: S5F-03763

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to reduce the disability employment gap.

Question reference: S5F-03755

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2019

To ask the First Minister what actions the Scottish Government is taking to eliminate violence against women and girls.

Question reference: S5O-03845

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Abellio ScotRail regarding revenue protection.

Question reference: S5O-03784

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it is preparing young people for entering the workforce.

Question reference: S5O-03748

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met British Transport Police to discuss staff safety on trains.

Question reference: S5W-25806

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 29 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the register that provides legal protection for guide dogs for blind and partially-sighted people, what its position is on establishing a similar register for other service dogs.

The legal protection for guide dogs for blind and partially-sighted people already extends to other assistance dogs.

Under section 173(1) of the Equality Act 2010 the definition of “assistance” goes beyond “a dog which has been trained to guide a blind person” and includes 3 other categories:

(b) a dog which has been trained to assist a deaf person;

(c) a dog which has been trained by a prescribed charity to assist a disabled person who has a disability that consists of epilepsy or otherwise affects the person's mobility, manual dexterity, physical co-ordination or ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects;

(d) a dog of a prescribed category which has been trained to assist a disabled person who has a disability (other than one falling within paragraph (c)) of a prescribed kind.

Question reference: S5F-03663

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2019

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to improve the regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-03688

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help the increasing number of older people in Inverclyde.