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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-00903

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the cost of managed hotel quarantine is a fixed price regardless of which hotel the person is staying in.

Question reference: S6W-01173

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on by what date guidance on visiting care homes will be changed to allow for visits from three or more designated visitors.

All residents should be able to enjoy meaningful time with loved ones (where local conditions support this) particularly given the beneficial impact which visits have on mental and emotional wellbeing.

Existing guidance, published in February, encourages care homes to resume good quality, meaningful contact between residents and loved ones in a flexible and person centred way, and with advice from local oversight arrangements as necessary.

Beyond the minimum starting point of two visitors per week and upper limits to group sizes as in the COVID-19 regulations, the guidance does not limit numbers, and instead encourages care homes to increase and embed support to meaningful contact in a person centred way. In June 2021, a review of progress with Open with Care reiterated that care homes should continue to increase the frequency and duration of visits, with local oversight monitoring and support. The vast majority of adult care homes are supporting indoor visiting with increased numbers supporting daily visits and multiple visitors.

On 15 July 2021, Scottish Government wrote to the care home sector encouraging care homes to increase opportunities for good quality and meaningful contact, in line with existing guidance, and setting out recommended relaxations in care homes from Level 0 on 19 July 2021. These include the removal of the ‘Designated Visitor’ status to support further flexibility in reconnecting, as daily and group visits become the norm. Looking ahead we hope to see care homes continue to strengthen all residents to have more meaningful lives and to have greater connection with communities. Advice will follow in coming weeks.

We will continue to monitor the situation and to work with the sector to support continued improvements to making good quality, meaningful contact the norm.

Question reference: S6W-01221

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00961 by Maree Todd on 2 July 2021, what its position is on providing vouchers to mothers to enable them to receive free NHS dental treatments after their child's first birthday, in situations where the treatments would have been free prior to the birthday but the mothers were unable to have them within this timescale due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Free NHS dental treatment for expectant mothers or those who have borne a child within the previous 12 month period is part of The National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978. The 12 month period is fixed by primary legislation and would require a primary legislation amendment (i.e. a Bill) to change this. Therefore it is not possible to change the exemption entitlement for free treatment at present. However, the Scottish Government has committed to the removal of all charges for NHS dental treatment within the lifetime of this parliament.

Question reference: S6W-01203

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 19 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to people in rural areas with poor mobile phone or internet signals who are experiencing difficulties uploading their COVID-19 lateral flow test results.

The ‘Information for Use’ leaflet that is provided with each lateral flow test kit states that those who are unable to upload their test results can instead register them by calling the Freephone number 119.

On the wider issue of poor internet and mobile signal, the Scottish Government’s £600 million Reaching 100% (R100) contracts will deliver universal superfast broadband access across Scotland, regardless of remoteness or rurality, and the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) will ensure that everyone can access a superfast broadband connection by the end of 2021. This builds on the Scottish Government’s strong track record of delivery, demonstrated by the £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme.

Through the Scottish 4G Infill (S4GI) programme, we are also investing £28.75 million to deliver future-proofed, 4G mobile infrastructure at up to 55 mobile ‘notspots’ – providing connectivity in remote, rural and island areas.

Question reference: S6W-01209

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support procurement in the construction industry, in light of reports that there are shortages of bagged cement, given that some businesses are sourcing the product from England.

We have been working to address supply chain issues in the construction industry since the launch of our Construction Recovery Plan in October last year, working with industry and the UK Government to fully understand the current supply chain issues, which we recognise are due to a number of factors including the coronavirus pandemic and the impact of EU Exit.

I have also established a working group to consider immediate supply issues in more detail and I meet with the group on a weekly basis in order to work with Scottish manufacturers to increase output to meet the shortage challenges. I am meeting suppliers to discuss the opportunities available for increasing production, and sourcing more supplies from Scottish manufacturers.

The Scottish Government will continue to work hard to address the problems and blockages faced by companies, where it is in our power to do so.

Question reference: S6W-01036

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which department holds responsibility for the definition of business classifications for the purpose of determining the receipt of COVID-related support funding; where a list of such classifications is published; for what reason the classifications are structured in the way that they are; what the purpose of such a structure is; what the impact of classification is in respect of the receipt of funding, and under what classification would kennels and catteries be found.

The financial support we have made available to businesses has, in the main, been predicated on the restrictions in place on specific businesses through legislation agreed by the Scottish Parliament rather than on sectoral classifications. Businesses were grouped by sectoral classification for the purposes of distributing the January Top up Grant and the Business Restart Grant but these grants were similarly awarded based on the impact of Regulations.

Eligibility for support can be found on the Scottish Government’s website including those businesses classified as Retail, Hospitality and Leisure businesses for the purposes of determining these top up payments. As Kennels and Catteries were not required to close or subject to any specific legislative restrictions on their operations, they were not eligible for support through the Strategic Framework Business Fund or associated schemes.

We did, however, set up the £120 million Local Authority Discretionary Fund specifically to support those businesses which were financially impacted due to COVID but did not qualify for other forms of financial support.

Question reference: S6W-00960

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for implementing a ban on domestic coal use.

Question reference: S6W-01045

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what protections there are for older people who have been mis-sold mobility scooters.

Consumer protection remains reserved to the UK Government but through advice and advocacy, we are doing all we can with them to support consumers.

Consumer Scotland will have a general function of providing consumers advocacy and advice with a view to reduce harm to consumers in Scotland. The board was formally appointed on 1 July 2021.

Any specific complaint should be directed to the consumeradvice.scot consumer helpline funded by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-00961

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on providing vouchers for one free NHS dental check-up for new mothers that can be redeemed after the baby’s first birthday if the mothers were unable to access this service before the birthday because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Question reference: S6W-01140

Current Status: Withdrawn