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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: S6O-04147

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address wait times in temporary accommodation.

Question reference: S6W-31542

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to re-opening the passenger railway link to Grangemouth.

The re-introduction of passenger services onto the existing freight only rail line to Grangemouth was considered as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The option was taken forward to the Preliminary Options Appraisal stage but was not selected as an STPR2 Recommendation on the basis of its performance against the appraisal criteria and the fact that it would have adverse impacts on the freight capacity and the Glasgow – Edinburgh mainline. It was also deemed unlikely to generate sufficient passenger demand.

Instead, recommendations set out in STPR2 for rail focus on the decarbonisation of the remainder of the network; measures to increase the amount of freight travelling by rail and on improving connectivity between our major cities.

However, there remains a path for regional or local rail projects to come forward, and Transport Scotland will consider these subject to a strong business case being developed in accordance with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and suitable funding being available.

Question reference: S6W-31547

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to provide a determination on the section 36 consent application for the Berwick Bank offshore wind farm project, and whether it plans to do this in sufficient time to ensure the best possible outcome for energy consumers in the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round, AR7.

Question reference: S6W-31546

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that there are as many Scottish offshore wind projects as possible eligible for the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round, AR7.

It is vital that maximum support, sufficient budget and greater long-term certainty are provided by the UK Government (UKG) to allow Scottish projects to succeed in CfD AR7 and future rounds.

We must build on the positive results of this year’s Allocation Round, which were a step in the right direction and demonstrate the importance and capability of Scotland to deliver zero carbon power.

We will continue to work with the UKG to secure project delivery as well as investor and supply chain confidence, which includes encouraging the UKG to expedite work to ensure timely grid connections and strengthened grid infrastructure.

We also welcome the UKG’s Clean Industry Bonus (CIB), which will be incorporated into the CfD scheme for AR7. We expect Scottish offshore wind projects and supply chain to benefit from this new initiative and look forward to seeing the results.

Question reference: S6W-31220

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many public inquiries have been held by the Scottish Ministers in each year since 1999 after a planning authority has objected to an application under the Electricity Act 1989, also broken down by how many of these objections were upheld.

Independent reporters from DPEA have held 96 public inquires on behalf of Scottish Ministers since 1999.

These relate to public inquiries held where a planning authority and/or statutory consultee objected to an application under the Electricity Act.

Dates by year are not available for cases received prior to 2011

Report Year	Application Granted	Application Refused	Not yet Decided	Total
1999 - 2010	7	5	0	12
2011	1	1	0	2
2012	1	3	0	4
2013	0	4	0	4
2014	2	2	0	4
2015	0	2	0	2
2016	8	2	0	10
2017	3	3	0	6
2018	4	6	0	10
2019	2	2	0	4
2020	2	1	0	3
2021	5	1	0	6
2022	7	1	0	8
2023	4	4	0	8
2024	2	0	11	13
Total	41	32	11	96

Question reference: S6W-31107

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the trust provisions within the Trusts and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024 will come into force.

The following provisions of the Act have come into force

Section 76 dealing with the effect of divorce, dissolution or annulment on special destination;
Section 77 involving the rights of succession to intestate estate respectively;
Section 7, under which an unfit trustee may be removed by the court for the purposes of section 8; and,
Parts of section 9 concerning removal from office by a majority of co-trustees of a trustee who is no longer a member of a regulated profession or entitled to practice, and who was appointed or assumed to provide professional services in managing the trust, together with sections 13 and 14 by which decisions on the removal of a professional trustee by co-trustees are to be governed for these purposes.

The remaining provisions of the Act will come into force in due course although no decision has been taken about a date for that. The decision on when to commence the rest of the provisions generally is closely related to ongoing work with UK Government regarding the provisions covering the reserved matter of pension trusts.

Question reference: S6O-03885

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what recent discussions it has had with NHS Lanarkshire about the replacement Monklands Hospital.

Question reference: S6O-03852

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards securing a long-term future for Ferguson Marine.

Question reference: S6O-03837

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to removing free bus passes from people who abuse the system.

Question reference: S6O-03688

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason rainforests were excluded from the deer management incentive scheme pilots.