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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-10669

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement a new priority booking system, as part of the new ticketing system to be introduced by Caledonian MacBrayne in autumn 2022, similar to models reportedly used in Scandinavia, to allow islanders to book priority spaces on ferries at short notice, including for the delivery of goods and services.

Question reference: S6W-10695

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what projects the Bus Partnership Fund will be supporting.

Question reference: S6W-11317

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-11008

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to decarbonise the rail network by 2035; how much of the £5 billion invested into this project has been spent to date, and whether it will provide a breakdown of how this money has been spent on specific capital projects.

To the end of financial year 22-23 the Scottish Government expects to have spent around £210m on the initial delivery of the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.

The answer to question S6W-11007 on 4 October 2022 explains the current Rail Decarbonisation projects underway .

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-10992

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its Programme for Government 2021-22 commitment to publish a programme of work and analysis to better understand Scotland’s energy requirements as it transitions to net zero.

In the 2021-22 Programme for Government and as part of the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Government committed to undertake an in-depth analysis to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero. Work is underway and analysis will include a detailed assessment of oil and gas production in Scotland; a study of energy demand; and assessment of the just transition implications of the energy transition. This work will enhance the evidence base for policy making and is expected to report by the end of 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11020

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Victim Centred Approach Fund.

Question reference: S6W-10860

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the decision was taken to extend the alcohol ban on all ScotRail trains.

As a publicly owned and controlled railway, it is important that ScotRail plays its part in delivering Scottish Government ambitions for its success. As part of that, ScotRail quite rightly reviewed the ban on alcohol and brought forward proposals for consideration.

Given the diversity of views on the sale and consumption of alcohol on ScotRail services, consideration of its reintroduction will form part of the National Conversation on Rail. This will enable a wide range of views to be taken into account before any final decision is made. In the meantime, everyone needs to be mindful that, while many of the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, Covid hasn’t gone away and the Scottish Government’s advisory guidance remains in place.

Question reference: S6W-10977

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the (a) longest, (b) average and (c) shortest time taken will be to process new applications for Adult Disability Payment claims during the first six months of the transition to Social Security Scotland.

Information relating to processing times of new applications is published as part of routine statistics publications on Adult Disability Payment. The most recent publication provides information covering the period from 21 March to 31 July 2022. These statistics showed that:

the shortest time taken to process an application was less than one day;
the median average processing time was 36 working days; and
2% of new applications in the time period took 81 days or longer to process.

The published statistics can be found at https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/about/statistics/social-security-scotland-statistics-publications . The next publication, covering to 31 October 2022, will be released in December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11025

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review access to regular scans for patients who have been treated for primary breast cancer.

Follow-up scans are agreed on a local basis. Women over 71 who have a history of breast cancer have the option to self-refer for screening.

However, with the development of the Scottish Cancer Network we are working towards the development of clinical management pathways, with breast cancer being one of the first three in development. The Scottish Cancer Network is a dedicated national resource to support and facilitate a ‘Once for Scotland’ approach to cancer services, which will assist in enabling equitable access to care and treatment across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-11012

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its direct involvement in the setting of water charges for 2022-23, whether it will use its powers of direction to require it to be consulted or have its approval sought by Scottish Water on the setting of charges for the year 2023-24, in order to ensure that charges are set at a level that is affordable by households and businesses, in light of the current high levels of inflation.