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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: S5W-25193

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed free school transport arrangements, and what consideration was given to (a) child safety and (b) the environmental impact of people using their own vehicles.

The Scottish Government’s non-statutory guidance on home to school transport is currently under review. The aim of the review is to ensure that local authorities are given clear and up-to-date advice on how to maintain and develop an effective home to school transport strategy. This includes making sure that children are kept safe while travelling to and from school and minimising the environmental impact of people using their own vehicles. We expect to publish the revised guidance later this year.

Question reference: S5W-24547

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 28 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to address the reported limited domestic water supply capacity in Gretna, and what assessment it has made of the impact of this on fulfilling the local development plan.

Scottish Water, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Government, Local Developers and Housing associations have been in dialogue regarding the water supply for new homes in Gretna for a number of years. The work required to support all homes in the local development plan is extensive and Scottish Water has been working to find the most cost effective and resilient solution to protect existing supplies and enable future development. This work involves constructing a brand new Water Service Reservoir and replacing a significant length of water main. Scottish Water is currently in discussions with other parties, such as landowners and other utilities, and once all permissions are in place will start on site. Scottish Water has also been able to release some connections to allow new homes to be built in Gretna in the interim period.

Question reference: S5W-24548

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans Transport Scotland has to install a pedestrian crossing on Main Street, Kirkconnel, on the A76.

Question reference: S5W-24524

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that vascular surgery patients are being sent to the University Hospital Hairmyres rather than being treated at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, and for what reason this is happening.

NHS Dumfries & Galloway do not undertake vascular surgery for patients at the Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary as they do not have the sufficient population to create a workload that would maintain highly specialist skills.

The West of Scotland partnership between NHS Dumfries & Galloway, NHS Lanarkshire will provide far better resilience of services and will see vascular surgery for Dumfries & Galloway patients undertaken in a state of the art hybrid theatre at the University Hospital Hairmyres which is currently under development.

Question reference: S5W-24606

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve broadband in Kingholm Quay, Dumfries.

The Scottish Government has committed £600 million to the Reaching 100% (R100) broadband programme, which will ensure that every home and business in Scotland can access superfast broadband.

In line with state aid rules, the R100 programme will focus exclusively on so-called ‘white’ areas (defined at postcode level) – where suppliers have told us that they won’t deliver superfast access commercially.

Areas of Kingholm Quay already have commercial coverage as well as coverage provided through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme. The remaining areas will be included in the R100 intervention area.

Question reference: S5W-23737

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the review of standardised national assessments did not ask specific questions regarding additional support needs.

The Independent Review of P1 SNSA did not specifically include questions relating to additional support needs because this was not identified as a particular issue in relation to P1 assessments when the remit for the review was being developed. Only a small number of those responding to the Review raised additional support needs as an issue. SNSA are designed to be as inclusive as possible. An Accessibility Advisory Group continues to provide valuable assistance in ensuring the SNSA are accessible to children. Teachers are empowered to exercise their professional judgment on whether it is appropriate for children with ASN to be presented with the SNSA.

Question reference: S5W-23496

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 12 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported plan by Dumfries and Galloway Council to reduce funding for the region’s childminder association development officer from 21 June 2019, and how this might impact on the roll-out of national early learning and childcare policies.

Childminders are playing a vital part in achieving our ambition for Scotland to be the best place in the world to grow up. They provide a nurturing setting for children to play and learn, and families value the flexible service they offer. The expansion in our funded early learning and childcare (ELC) entitlement to 1140 hours from August 2020 will offer further opportunities for childminders to deliver funded ELC.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting childminders through a range of measures. This includes a Childminding Summit held in March 2019 for local authorities which showcased positive experiences of involving childminders in the delivery of funded ELC; the work of the ELC Partnership Forum which includes childminding representatives; specific grant funding to the Scottish Childminding Association for them to support childminders; and ongoing work to recognise prior learning.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has provided assurances that the Council is committed to supporting childminders to deliver the funded ELC entitlement and that the region’s childminder association development officer’s role will be taken forward by Dumfries and Galloway’s central ELC team.

Question reference: S5W-22757

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Edinburgh Woollen Mill and stakeholders in the area regarding the company's Langholm site.

Question reference: S5O-03208

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that levels of wild salmon in Scotland are at their lowest since records began.

Question reference: S5W-22396

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the optimum teacher:pupil ratio in primary schools should be, and what its response is to Dumfries and Galloway Council's plan to set a 1:25 ratio across its primaries.

The maximum class size for all composite classes is 25 as determined by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) and enshrined in teacher’s contracts.

The current commitment to achieve a pupil:teacher ratio of 13.7 applies nationally and has been negotiated with COSLA, on behalf of all local authorities, as part of the package of measures included in the local government finance settlement for
‎ 2019-20.

While it will be for individual local authorities to set their own staffing requirements based on their own local needs, as part of this partnership agreement all parties are absolutely clear that the Scottish Government requires and expects local government at a national level to deliver on this commitment. Therefore all local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway, will play an integral part in ensuring that this commitment is met.