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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: S6O-00368

Asked by: Jenni Minto, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support Argyll and Bute to benefit from the transition to net zero.

Question reference: S6O-00367

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation is being undertaken with communities regarding next year’s summer timetable for ferry routes within the CalMac network.

Question reference: S6O-00365

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for infrastructure investment in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency.

Question reference: S6O-00361

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider local government reform in relation to the redrawing of local authority areas, in light of the reported issues associated with new boundaries for the Highland Council area.

Question reference: S6W-03560

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the debate on motion S6M-01293 (A Net Zero Nation) on 21 September 2021, whether it will provide a substantive response to the comments raised regarding whether it will commit to having a fit-for-purpose industrial strategy for the development of a vertically-integrated renewable energy manufacturing supply chain.

The Scottish Government is committed to ending our contribution to climate change within a generation. Our Programme for Government sets out our aim to generate 50% of Scotland’s overall energy consumption from renewable sources, and to have decarbonised our energy system almost completely by 2050.

Our vision and roadmap for the energy sector includes a Just Transition Plan for Energy at the heart of our refreshed Energy Strategy, publishing as one coherent document in spring 2022.

On our ambitions for offshore wind, we were clear in our policy statement published in 2020, that we have an ambition of up to 11GW of offshore wind by 2030. ScotWind bids are currently being assessed by Crown Estate Scotland with results of successful bidders known in early 2022 but this will provide us with a strong pipeline of projects. From that we want to ensure that economic benefits and supply chain opportunities are seized upon in Scotland.

This is why in August, the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) published its Strategic Infrastructure Assessment (SIA) for Offshore Wind. The report has five main recommendations which are directed at both the sector and government, and the primary recommendation focusses on bringing the manufacturing of floating offshore wind platforms to Scotland through creation of a Scottish Floating Offshore Wind Port Cluster, with ports acting in partnership to provide the required infrastructure area and capability needed to attract manufacturers to use Scottish ports and invest in Scotland.

I look forward to SOWEC taking forward next steps on the recommendations set out in the report.

Question reference: S6W-03468

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS boards are reportedly not being provided with clear face masks to aid people who are hearing impaired, in light of these reportedly being provided to NHS trusts in England.

Transparent masks have the potential to bring significant benefits in aiding communication and the Scottish Government is supportive of their introduction where appropriate. We are aware that NHS England have previously trialled transparent masks in non-clinical settings.

Earlier this year, a new technical specification for the design and performance requirements of transparent masks was established. The UK Four Nations PPE Review Group has a role to review any products submitted for approval and NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) is actively engaging in this process and working to ensure masks can be made available as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-03472

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend the application deadline for the Pig Producers Fund.

The Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme was set up to compensate pig producers who were paid £15 less per pig by Quality Pork Processors at Brechin, between 8 February and 31 March 2021. It opened for applications on 30 August and closed on 26 September, and eligible applicants will now have received their payments. We will not be extending the Scheme at this time.

Following the announcement from Defra on a Private Storage Aid scheme and positive ongoing discussions with our pig industry we are putting in place our own Private Storage Aid scheme in Scotland to further aid the industry. This will help to alleviate the backlog of pigs on farms, and reduce any potential welfare issues. In addition the levy bodies in Scotland and England are providing the pig sector with a levy holiday for the whole of November.

Question reference: S6W-03445

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes in each local authority area have been built through the (a) Rural Housing and (b) Islands Housing Fund.

Over the last Parliamentary term, over 6,000 affordable homes were delivered in rural and island areas across Scotland through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP). Between 1 April 2016 and latest published statistics to the end of June 2021, there has been a total of 100 affordable homes delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund (RIHF), which forms part of the wider AHSP.

The fund is demand led and is open to a wide range of potential applicants, including those not able to access traditional funding streams such as community bodies, rural landowners, landlords and private developers. It complements existing investment in affordable housing directed through Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities, filling gaps in provision.

The following table shows affordable homes delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund in rural and island communities by local authority area.

Affordable homes delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund by Local Authority

Local Authority	Rural	Islands	Total Homes
Angus	6		6
Argyll and Bute		6	6
Dumfries and Galloway	9		9
Highland	36	6	42
Moray	6		6
Orkney		1	1
Perth and Kinross	16		16
Scottish Borders	8		8
South Lanarkshire	1		1
Western Isles		5	5
Total Homes	82	18	100

Question reference: S6W-03441

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will enforce car-exclusion zones around schools in Glasgow.

The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places the statutory responsibility for local roads with the local road authorities, including parking on local roads. In addition, Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. As such this is not an issue where the Scottish Government would become involved.

However, Glasgow City Council will enforce car-exclusion zones around schools by way of Traffic Regulation Order which will prohibit any motor vehicle without a permit of valid exemption from using the School Streets zone whilst the scheme is in operation.

Further information on this can be found at the following link;

Spaces for People: Expansion of School Car Free Zones - Glasgow City Council

Question reference: S6O-00310

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to claims by the British Dental Association Scotland that “plans to return NHS practices to pre-COVID models of work may devastate dental services".

I have recently written to the profession about our plans for the recovery of NHS dental services.

Our commitment as a Government is to build back NHS dentistry, and ensure that NHS dental teams are focused on the need to tackle the backlog in routine dental care. Our NHS dental teams have been working hard throughout this pandemic in difficult circumstances, and it’s important that they feel supported by Government and representative bodies.

Which is why we have recently detailed a package of new improvements to support NHS dental teams, including new enhanced examination fees for all patients, both children and adults, with a particular emphasis on children and tackling oral health inequalities. This builds on recent announcements of £7.5m for new dental drills and £5m for ventilation improvements.

We want to build on what has been a hugely successful policy of protecting NHS dentistry during this pandemic period. We have provided £50m of financial support payments, in addition to between £30 and £35m of free PPE since the beginning of the pandemic, to ensure NHS dental services emerge well placed to care for the oral health of the population.