Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 48032 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-14438

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many mid-market rent properties have been converted to social rent (a) with its permission within and (b) outwith the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-14507

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 14 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of Operation Close Pass, and whether Police Scotland has plans for another campaign of this nature.

Operation Close Pass is an ongoing exercise carried out by Police Scotland and aligns with the latest version of the Highway Code introduced in January 2022 which highlights leaving at least 1.5 metres when overtaking people cycling at speeds of up to 30mph and giving them more space when overtaking at higher speeds. In the complementary 'Give Cycle Space' campaign funded by Transport Scotland, 62% of drivers report being more likely to give at least 1.5 metres of space when overtaking a cyclist. Based on research by West Midlands Police (available publicly) we know that Operation Close Pass can reduce the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on the road by as much as 20%. The Scottish Government will continue to support Police Scotland with Operation Close Pass in 2023-24 on specific dates or at locations as determined.

Question reference: S6W-14656

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) teachers and (b) pupils have been (i) hospitalised or (ii) required police/ambulance assistance as a result of violence in schools in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-14344

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding a suspected fatality among workers on the Liberia-registered rig, Valaris 121, in the North Sea on 22 January 2022.

Question reference: S6W-14467

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any plans it has to offer a relief package to small and medium-sized enterprises that are facing rising costs to run their businesses.

Recognising the challenging economic circumstances for businesses, the Scottish Budget 2023-24, published on 15 December 2022, delivers a strong non-domestic rates package to support business.

In addition to the lowest poundage in the UK for the fifth year in a row, ensuring that over 95% of properties in Scotland, including all small and medium sized properties, pay a lower tax rate than they would in other devolved nations, the Budget included a package of reliefs worth an estimated £744 million. This includes the UK’s most generous Small Business Bonus Scheme relief which will take 100,000 properties out of rates altogether and also Rural Rates relief which provides up to 100% relief for properties in rural areas.

To incentivise and promote Scotland's Deposit Return Scheme, parts of properties used solely to house reverse vending machines will not be liable to pay rates from 1 April 2023.

Within the powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament, we are delivering support packages for Scottish businesses that are not available elsewhere in the UK.

Given most of the levers to respond to the challenges that businesses are facing are reserved, we continue to urge the UK Government to use all the powers at its disposal to tackle this cost of living crisis on the scale required, including access to borrowing, providing benefits and support to households, VAT on fuel, taxation of windfall profits and regulation of the energy market.

Question reference: S6W-14698

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much funding has been allocated for the construction of Changing Places toilets in the current parliamentary session, and by what date it expects this will be made available.

The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

Funding for the construction of Changing Places Toilets has not yet been allocated. Further information about this fund will be available in the coming months. We have recently published our Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide and an accompanying easy read for people who are planning to develop Changing Places Toilets now.

Question reference: S6W-14424

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to ensure that healthcare professionals, SCI-Diabetes and e-health teams work collaboratively to ensure that changes implemented in SCI-Diabetes support clinical care and drive improvement in diabetes care.

The SCI-Diabetes eHealth Clinical Lead provides regular updates to the Scottish Diabetes Group and Managed Clinical Networks in order to ensure that the clinical community is aware of the functionality of the dashboard and how they can work together to continuously improve it.

Any individual healthcare professional or clinical team can submit a change request to SCI-Diabetes team. Any change request made to the SCI-Diabetes system must demonstrate how the change will support clinical care and improve patient care more broadly.

Question reference: S6W-14505

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) CalMac and (b) Serco NorthLink Ferries with any additional subsidy as a result of the decision to freeze fares for the first six months of 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-14524

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the viability of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessments regarding the viability of a fixed link across the Corran Narrows.

The Scottish Government is aware of work carried out by HITRANS on behalf of The Highland Council to consider a range of options for the Corran Narrows. As any decision to deliver a fixed link would be a matter for the Local Authority, it would not be for the Scottish Government to undertake an assessment of viability.

Question reference: S6W-14493

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any airports will be forced to close as a result of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action, on 1 February 2023, and, if so, which ones.