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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-00532

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the human right to a healthy environment will be included in any of its forthcoming legislation.

Question reference: S6W-00530

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to respond formally to the recommendations of its National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership.

The Scottish Government co-chaired the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership and wrote to the Equalities and Human Rights Committee on 11 March 2021 to outline its response to the Task Force recommendations.

The letter The Scottish Government wrote to the Equalities and Human Rights Committee can be found here: Cab_Sec_SSOP_Convener_EHRiC_Taskforce_Report_11_March_2021.pdf (parliament.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-00527

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline is for the Gateway Review of the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-00531

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to introduce legislation for the incorporation of the human rights recommended by its National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership.

Question reference: S6W-00217

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the SAGE recommendation that innovation funding should be provided to support the development, verification and deployment of high-quality air cleaning devices.

Work is due to start with the Office of Product Safety and Standards and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies’ Environmental and Modelling Group to consider air cleaners further as there is no recognised standard for their efficacy. This work is necessary before innovation funding could be provided to support the development, verification and deployment of high-quality air cleaning devices. Manufacturers who have approached NHS National Services Scotland have been directed to the Innovation Portals for NHS Scotland and NHS England.

Question reference: S6W-00267

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what role it anticipates the oil and gas sector will have in a future (a) energy strategy and (b) economy.

The oil and gas sector continues to play an important role in Scotland's economy and energy mix, including in helping to ensure a secure energy supply. The Robert Gordon University Energy Transition Institute have estimated that while employment supporting oil and gas is expected to decrease as we transition to net zero, there will still be an estimated 70,000 UK offshore jobs supporting oil and gas in 2030. Importantly, 90 per cent of current oil and gas jobs have high or medium transferability to low-carbon offshore energy roles, which are expected to make up over 65 per cent of the 200,000 expected UK offshore workforce in 2030.

We are wholly committed to ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change and doing so in a way that is fair for all, ensuring a green recovery and a just transition that supports good green jobs, skills and expertise and leaves no-one behind. The new administration has committed to starting to refresh Scotland's energy strategy in 2021, reflecting our commitment to net zero and key decisions on the pathways to take us there.

Question reference: S6W-00492

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00220 by Humza Yousaf on 3 June 2021, what funding provision is in place for cross-border treatment.

Question reference: S6W-00503

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many children are currently recorded as living in temporary accommodation in the South Scotland region, broken down by local authority area.

Data relating to homelessness and the use of temporary accommodation is collected on a local authority basis. Since the South Scotland region does not align with local authority boundaries it is not possible to provide the number of children in temporary accommodation for this region.

The Scottish Government does however routinely publish the number of children in temporary accommodation by local authority. The most recent figures for children in temporary accommodation as at 30 th September were published in the ‘Homelessness In Scotland: update to 30 th September 2020’ publication on 23 rd March 2021. The publication is available here:

Homelessness in Scotland: update to 30 September 2020 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-00491

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid out from the Energy Investment Fund to date.

Question reference: S6W-00500

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that people who are required to report the results of COVID-19 lateral flow tests, so that the NHS can monitor the spread of the virus, support communities across the UK and tackle the virus, will not have to pay for the cost of their calls, in light of this being the practice in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The 119 Freephone COVID testing helpline was made available to callers from Scotland on Friday 23 April 2021. The 119 Freephone service provides callers the option to report lateral flow device (LFD) test results, and can also be used to:

order LFD test kits for home delivery
provide support when booking a PCR test
report test kit problems
provide translation services

This number will run alongside the original 0300 303 2713 helpline number (which charges from some networks) until further notice. Both numbers reach the same call handlers.

LFD test results can also be reported online at GOV.UK. Reporting LFD tests results online or via the 119 service helps us to find community outbreaks, understand infection rates across Scotland and enable contact tracing.