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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-36044

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently employed in the nuclear industry in Scotland, and what the value of the industry has been to the economy in each of the last five years.

Latest data from the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) survey shows that, in 2022, Scotland’s nuclear power sector directly employed 2,700 (full-time equivalent) and had an estimated turnover of £763 million.

A five-year time series – of employment and turnover in the nuclear power sector - from 2018 to 2022, is presented in the following tables.

The results in LCREE are survey-based, as the data is gathered from a sample rather than the whole population. The estimates are therefore subject to uncertainty, and the level of uncertainty is expressed through confidence intervals. These are presented alongside the estimates in the following tables.

Employment	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Estimate	2,000	2,400	2,600	2,700	2,700
Lower Confidence Interval	1,900	1,600	1,800	2,600	1,600
Upper Confidence Interval	2,200	3,300	3,300	2,800	3,800

Estimated direct, full time equivalent jobs for the nuclear power sector in the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy in Scotland from 2018-2022 (LCREE survey, ONS)

Turnover (£ million)	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Estimate	830	*	890	629	763
Lower Confidence Interval	819	*	821	623	599
Upper Confidence Interval	841	*	958	635	928

Estimated turnover for the nuclear power sector in the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy in Scotland from 2018-2022 (LCREE survey, ONS)

*estimates have been suppressed for confidentiality reasons.

Question reference: S6W-36049

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to fatal accident inquiries (FAIs) in each of the last five years, what the total cost of conducting FAIs was; how many FAIs were (a) mandatory and (b) discretionary; what the average time taken was from the conclusion of the investigation to the commencement of an FAI; what the average duration was from the start to completion of FAIs; how many recommendations were made as a result of FAIs; how many of these recommendations have been implemented, and what the key lessons learned from recent FAIs are.

Not all of the data requested is recorded centrally. The Scottish Government publishes statistical data on FAIs annually on its website. The latest data is reproduced in the following table:

REPORTING YEAR	NUMBER OF CONCLUDED FAIS	MANDATORY FAIS	DISCRETIONARY FAIS
2020-21	58	55	3
2021-22	42	38	4
2022-23	51	41	10
2023-24	30	25	5
2024-25	54	42	12

FAI determinations are published on the SCTS website Fatal accident inquiries and determinations | Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service

Question reference: S6W-36698

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending the remit of Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service investigations into cases of death in custody where institutional failure is suspected.

Question reference: S6W-36548

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which sheriff courts have closed in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-36260

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the pilot scheme that provides victims in rape and serious assault cases with access to court transcripts, what the average time has been between victims requesting a copy of a transcript and them receiving one since the scheme launched.

The average time for applicants to receive a transcript under the pilot scheme has been seven months, however this does not reflect the length of time that all applicants have waited. The timeline varies across applications, influenced by several factors including the success of the pilot receiving a high number of requests, the volume of transcription work for live court proceedings, the length of the transcript requested, and the amount of redaction required.

SCTS are reviewing current processes and procedures with the aim of reducing the time taken to provide transcripts and to ensure the most efficient and effective service delivery.

Question reference: S6W-36279

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been supported to pursue (a) certified ethical hacker (CEH) and (b) offensive security certified professional (OSCP) qualifications through Scottish public sector organisations.

Question reference: S6W-36068

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any representations to the UK Government regarding reserved matters that may impact on the timeliness and effectiveness of fatal accident inquiries in Scotland, such as delays in obtaining evidence or expert testimony.

Question reference: S6W-36057

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it tracks any repeated recommendations arising from multiple fatal accident inquiries, and what action it has taken in response to any such recurring recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-36259

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to address the reported issues and delays regarding the pilot scheme that provides victims in rape and serious assault cases with access to court transcripts.

The pilot, facilitated by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS), has received more than 80 applications up until the start of February this year. We are working closely with SCTS to address the issues that have been raised in a minority of these applications, including how we ensure applicants are kept fully informed of progress in producing their transcript and how that process could be quicker.

The extension of the current pilot for a further twelve months will enable lessons to be learnt as part of the wider evaluation of the programme, so it can achieve its aim of helping improve victims’ experience of the justice system. This includes the potential opportunity to develop and test emerging technology that may assist in producing transcripts and a better understanding of the most efficient and effective operation of servicing applications.

As part of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill I am also exploring how greater access to free transcripts can be provided in the future.

Question reference: S6W-36843

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it made of alternative, lower-cost options to reduce emissions at the headquarters of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Edinburgh.