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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-06707

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) value and (b) duration is of each contract that it has signed with Ernst and Young in connection with the Scottish ferries network since 1 January 2015.

Question reference: S6W-06788

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how lending by the Scottish National Investment Bank in the 2021 calendar year aimed to benefit women’s equality in Scotland.

Decisions on lending and investment are a matter for the Scottish National Investment Bank. I have asked the Bank about how their lending in 2021 aimed to benefit women’s equality in Scotland, and their response is as follows:

“Due diligence of all potential investments includes consideration of gender balance across workforce, management and Board.

“The Bank engages with investees on representation and equality issues, and has required reporting on gender balance (and pay gap) where practical. Moving forward the Bank will aim to have gender equality and gender pay gap reporting for all investments. Where appropriate, the Bank will also consider engagement with investees to enhance opportunities that increase gender equality opportunities in Bank investments.”

Question reference: S6W-06672

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether, during the period from 1 January 2016 to 20 February 2022, it received any information from Crown Estate Scotland regarding any expressed interest by any company over mineral exploration across south west Scotland, and whether it will provide details of any licences for mineral exploration that were granted during the same time period, broken down by the date on which they were issued.

The Scottish Government is aware that Crown Estate Scotland have issued Mines Royal Options Agreements for gold and silver exploration in south west Scotland. The Scottish Government do not have direct involvement in this process, and do not hold details of Crown Estate Scotland Option Agreements or leases for mineral exploration. You may wish to contact Crown Estate Scotland directly at FreedomofInformation@crownestatescotland.com .

Question reference: S6W-06725

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to revise and update the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, in light of a reported increase in livestock worrying incidents.

There are no plans to review the Access Code. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 is clear that conduct excluded from access rights includes being on or crossing land while responsible for a dog which is not under proper control. The Access Code sets a balance between the rights of those taking access and those of land managers. It states that when in a field of farm animals, people should keep their dog on a short lead or under close control and keep as far as possible from the animals. Dogs should not be taken into fields where there are lambs, calves or other young animals.

The Scottish Government considers that this advice accords with the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 which strengthened the law around livestock worrying by increasing the maximum penalties for offences. The small minority who do not treat livestock with respect and care must be held accountable and consequences must appropriately reflect the severity of their crime.

The Scottish Government, in November 2021, issued a joint protocol for the examination of dogs suspected of livestock worrying and seized by Police Scotland under the 2021 Act. That offers guidance to veterinarians who may be asked to examine such dogs.

Question reference: S6W-06796

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish National Investment Bank will lay a report in the Parliament evaluating how the Bank has fulfilled the commitments in its gender equality strategy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06789 on 8 March 2022. 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 .

The Scottish National Investment Bank’s first report evaluating its gender equality strategy is due within 2 years of publication of the strategy, as required under the Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020.

Question reference: S6W-06654

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates ministers have met Heathrow Airport since 8 October 2020, which cabinet secretary is currently attending the meetings at six-monthly intervals, and whether it will publish copies of the minutes of these meetings and correspondence since 8 October 2020.

Mr Dey met with Heathrow Airport on the 23 September 2021 and the note of this meeting has been published in response to the freedom of information request FOI/202100255769, which can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202100255769/

This response included a list of all the meetings, calls and correspondence between Scottish Ministers and representatives of Heathrow Airport which have taken place in 2021 until 16 November 2021.

As the Minister for Transport, I will be attending the future meetings with Heathrow Airport on the memorandum of understanding.

Question reference: S6W-06769

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment Public Health Scotland has made of the reported backlog in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what steps are being taken to address this.

The cancer pathology dashboard hosted on the COVID-19 wider impacts tool is Public Health Scotland’s rapid assessment of how many cancer diagnoses have been made compared to 2019 https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-covid-wider-impact/ .

However, we know that many Central Nervous System (CNS) tumours are not diagnosed by pathology and the Scottish Cancer Registry provides the gold standard measure of new cancer diagnoses. PHS will report on 2020 incidence in April of this year. The Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) dashboard (on the same site) is Public Health Scotland’s assessment of SACT, and CNS tumour treatment is available on that; and Public Health Scotland’s radiotherapy data is returned to NHS Digital, where they are presented on a dashboard.

Question reference: S6W-06763

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many metastatic breast cancer patients have had access to a clinical nurse specialist, in each of the last five years.

Information on the numbers of metastatic breast cancer patients who have had access to a breast cancer specialist nurse is not held centrally.

As part of the National Cancer Plan, we are providing up to £2.5 million to NHS boards to support 12 pilot programmes across Scotland to deliver a single point of contact for cancer patients. These points of contact will support patients throughout their journey to discuss questions or anxieties related to their clinical care from the point of diagnosis.

Question reference: S6W-06726

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider allowing local professional and recreational deer stalkers to be a part of the Forestry and Land Scotland deer management plan.

Question reference: S6T-00567

Asked by: Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to women and children who are caught up in the war in Ukraine.