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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.

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Question reference: S6O-01276

Asked by: Jenni Minto, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle population decline in the Argyll and Bute constituency and other rural areas.

Question reference: S6O-01277

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Dumfries and Galloway regarding the reinstatement of inpatient births at the Community Maternity Unit within the Galloway Community Hospital.

Question reference: S6W-08985

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider extending the Fair Fares review to include the Aberdeen-Inverness train line, in light of the public ownership of ScotRail and in order to tackle congestion on the A96 and reduce carbon emissions.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares as the country recovers from the pandemic.

The Fair Fares Review will look at the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry across the whole of Scotland. The Fair Fares Review will also take into account the cost and availability of services, and will consider options that take cognisance of the relative changes to the overall cost of travel. Public transport services between Inverness and Aberdeen, including rail services, will therefore be considered as part of the wider review.

Question reference: S6W-08856

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many journeys have been taken using and (b) what the cost has been of the Government Car Service in each year since 2011, including 2021, also broken down by minister, including the First Minister.

The following table details the total cost of operation and number of journeys completed by the Government Car Service since 2011.

Year	Total cost (1)	Total number of journeys completed (2)
2010 - 11	£974,678	8,159
2011 - 12	£1,074,714	9,201
2012 - 13	£1,204,864	10,389
2013 - 14	£1,156,208	9,543
2014 - 15	£1,184,851	10,039
2015 - 16	£1,145,521	10,619
2016 - 17	£1,092,375	9,527
2017 - 18	£1,177,398	10,050
2018 - 19	£1,323,131	10,755
2019 - 20	£1,344,978	8,604
2020 - 21	£903,002	1,448
2021 - 22	£1,044,967	3,353

Notes

1. Total costs include staff salaries, employer’s contributions, fuel, vehicle maintenance, private hire and travel and subsistence . Excludes Police Scotland costs associated in transporting First Minister.

2. Does not include First Ministers journeys completed by Police Scotland.

A full breakdown of journeys, excluding First Ministers journeys after April 2017, can be accessed via the following links.

Ministerial Car Journeys - 2007-2016 (webarchive.org.uk)

Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-08868

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will deliver a supply chain plan to help support the development of the renewable energy supply chain as part of the upcoming Energy Strategy Refresh.

The Energy Strategy & Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) will be developed not only to ensure the delivery of a viable net-zero energy system but also to provide an action plan that enables the transition to that system in a fair and just way for all of Scotland and maximises the economic opportunity that Scotland’s resource provides.

To ensure the impacts of the ESJTP reflect the challenges and opportunities facing the supply chain, a co-design process is being carried out to ensure the supply chain are able to engage, contribute and help shape the ESJTP.

Question reference: S6W-09009

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the removal of £489 million from the Scottish Water budget in the Resource Spending Review will have any impact on water charges for customers.

Question reference: S6W-09008

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason £97 million has been removed from the Scottish Water budget in 2022-23, and then £98 million in each of the next four years, in the Resource Spending Review.

The Scottish Government Budget for 2022-23 sets out that during this financial year, the Scottish Government intends to lend £170m per annum in capital funding and to receive some £105m income per annum which is the interest on loans issued to Scottish Water. Across the 2021-27 period Ministers have committed to lend Scottish Water up to £1.03bn. Lending in future years will be agreed in future Budget Acts.

The quoted figure of -£97m is the resource budget for the Water Industry portfolio. This reflects some £105m income of interest payments by Scottish Water less amounts of spend on Hydro Nation and Private Water activities. The breakdown of spend is included within table 9.16 of the Budget.

Scottish Water is financed through revenue raised from customer charges and loans issued by the Scottish Government. The spending review has simply confirmed the intention to lend £170m per annum to Scottish Water and hence it has no impact on customers’ bills.

Question reference: S6W-08646

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support can be offered to young people in South Lanarkshire in applying for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, in light of reports that the area has the lowest uptake rate in Scotland.

The level of uptake in South Lanarkshire as of 7 June 2022 was 23%, this is an increase of 8% since 13 May 2022, however I recognise South Lanarkshire are not yet at the level of other Local Authorities in terms of application rates. Following my meeting with COSLA last week I will be writing to all new administrations in our local authority areas, including South Lanarkshire. Meantime I have asked my officials in Transport Scotland to contact the new administration in South Lanarkshire in relation to their work to support the implementation of the under 22s free bus travel scheme.

Question reference: S6W-08911

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it calculates the average water charge in (a) Scotland and (b) England that it uses for comparative purposes.

Question reference: S6W-08916

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to bring forward a Public Debt Bill.