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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-02106

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what method it uses to assess whether there are specialist teaching staff shortages in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

The Scottish Government jointly chairs the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group. This group assesses the required level of initial teacher education places using information from a range of sources. One such source is the teacher workforce planning model which projects future demand for student teachers based on factors including the age profile of the teaching workforce, rates of wastage and returners, and projected pupil numbers. These projections operate at the school sector level rather than individual subject level. Information on the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group and the workforce planning model is available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/groups/teacher-workforce-planning-advisory-group/

Question reference: S6W-02328

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which company has been awarded the contract to design and construct HMP Highland.

Question reference: S6W-01000

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00523 by Mairi Gougeon on 21 June 2021, whether it will set out the information provided broken down by (a) domestic and (b) foreign vessels.

Further to previous question - 'To ask the Scottish Government what the total catch is that has been landed by domestic and foreign vessels in Scottish ports in each month between (a) January and May 2020 and (b) January and May 2021.'

Data broken down to Domestic and Foreign vessels.

Provisional monthly data on landings (liveweight tonnes) by UK and Non-UK vessels into Scottish ports, January-May 2020 and January to April 2021

Month	2020			2021
	UK	Non-UK	Total	UK	Non-UK	Total
January	29,367	2,409	31,776	46,558	47	46,605
February	27,740	1,099	28,839	11,764	460	12,224
March	20,006	1,896	21,902	19,750	695	20,445
April	10,232	1,775	12,007	21,551	685	22,236
May	11,215	3,485	14,701
Total (January- April)	87,346	7,179	94,525	99,624	1,887	101,511

Taken from the Marine Management Organisations national statistics publication of monthly sea fisheries statistics - Monthly UK sea fisheries statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

These statistics are provisional and will be subject to change. In particular data for the most recent months are likely to increase.

Question reference: S6W-00522

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many fishing vessels have been boarded for inspection by Marine Scotland in each month between (a) January and May 2020, and (b) January and May 2021, broken down by the nationality of the vessel.

Boarding inspections in Port can only be conducted if a vessel lands in a Scottish Port. Therefore this largely depends on what vessels land in Scottish ports.

The following table is a breakdown of Boarding inspections in port by Month (January to May) in 2020 and 2021, by nationality.

	Boardings in Port						Boardings in Port
2020	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	2021	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
DNK	2	1				DNK					1
ESP	6	2	1			ESP				1	1
FRA	5	6	5			FRA		2		2	1
FRO	3					GBR	51	18	33	31	39
GBR	116	94	54
NOR	2		2

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
UK	87%	91%	87%	0%	0%	UK	100.0%	90.0%	100.0%	91.2%	92.9%
Non UK	13%	9%	13%	0%	0%	Non UK	0.0%	10.0%	0.0%	8.8%	7.1%


	Landings						Landings
2020	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	2021	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
Denmark	2					England	62	56	56	65	72
England	79	63	88	37	61	France	3	17	33	24	24
France	20	29	37	25	37	Germany			1	1	2
Germany			1	1	2	Guernsey					1
Ireland				2		Isle of Man	1	6		4	3
Isle of Man	2	2	4	4	7	Northern Ireland	11	3	19	9	9
Northern Ireland	12	1	3		2	Norway	1			1
Norway	5	7	6	2	2	Scotland	3442	2571	3848	3550	2297
Scotland	3334	3132	3266	2045	3443	Spain		11	15	18	28
Spain	14	13	25	29	32	Wales					1
Wales	4	1	1		4

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
UK	98.8%	98.4%	97.9%	97.1%	97.8%	UK	99.9%	98.7%	98.8%	98.7%	97.6%
Non UK	1.2%	1.6%	2.1%	2.9%	2.2%	Non UK	0.1%	1.3%	1.2%	1.3%	2.4%

The following table is a breakdown of Boarding inspections at sea, by nationality for the periods January to May 2020 and 2021.

It is worth noting that on any given day the UK fishing fleet accounts for approximately 80% of vessels actively fishing in Scottish waters. It would therefore be reasonable to expect that 80% of our boarding inspections during any given period would be on UK vessels and the remaining 20% being foreign vessels.

As we work a risk based approach, our boardings will not always reflect nationality. Our boarding statistics indicate that 70% of our boardings are UK vessels, with the remaining 30% being foreign vessels, which would be proportionate to the fleet sizes.

	Boardings at Sea						Boardings at Sea
2020	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	2021	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
DEU						DEU	1	1		2
DNK						DNK	4		2	3
ESP						ESP				1	3
FRA			1			FRA	1			5	5
GBR	16	11	7			GBR		7	13	25	37
IRL		3				IRL	7				4
NLD						NLD				1
NOR		1	2

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
UK	100%	73%	70%	0%	0%	UK	0%	88%	87%	68%	76%
Non UK	0%	27%	30%	0%	0%	Non UK	100%	13%	13%	32%	24%

Please note, Covid restrictions were applicable from April 2020 and continue to be applicable now.

Mitigations have been put in place to allow boarding inspections to take place where safe to do so.

Question reference: S6W-00523

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the total catch is that has been landed by domestic and foreign vessels in Scottish ports in each month between (a) January and May 2020 and (b) January and May 2021.

Provisional monthly data on landings (liveweight tonnes) by UK and foreign vessels into Scottish ports, January-May 2020 and January to April 2021

Month	2020	2021	% change
January	31,776	46,605	47%
February	28,839	12,224	-58%
March	21,902	20,445	-7%
April	12,007	22,236	85%
May	14,701
Total (January- April)	94,525	101,511	7%

Taken from the Marine Management Organisations national statistics publication of monthly sea fisheries statistics

Monthly UK sea fisheries statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

These statistics are provisional and will be subject to change. In particular data for the most recent months are likely to increase.

May 2021 data is currently unavailable but is due to be published on 25th June 2021.

Question reference: S5W-35324

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people on the transplant list had received their COVID-19 vaccination by 22 January 2021, and what impact the change in its prioritisation policy towards this group had.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that the risk increases exponentially with age. Additionally the committee considers frontline health and social care workers who provide direct care to vulnerable people a high priority for vaccination.

JCVI has provided a definition of clinically vulnerable, which is separate from extremely vulnerable, but with some overlap. Under the JCVI definition, solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients are considered to be clinically vulnerable.

Individuals who are defined as clinically extremely vulnerable will have been vaccinated as part of group 4. JCVI priority group 4 includes all those 70 years of age and over, and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals.

163,111 people who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (91% of the shielding list) have received their first dose as of 11 March 2021.

Question reference: S5O-05095

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation by the Chief Executive of the Committee on Climate Change that policies for the agricultural sector must be created rapidly to protect the environment and meet emissions targets.

Question reference: S5O-05078

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action the Minister for Older People and Equalities takes to ensure that its policies do not contribute to loneliness and isolation.

Question reference: S5O-05045

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is on the economy of the Highlands for the current financial year.

Question reference: S5O-05031

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the new HMP Inverness will be completed.