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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: S6W-08603

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

Question reference: S6W-08602

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the restoration of Troon station following a fire in 2021, how much (a) has been spent on work already undertaken and (b) it anticipates the full restoration will cost in total.

Network Rail is undertaking restoration works following a serious fire, in July 2021, which caused extensive damage to Troon station building as well as overhead power equipment.

To date (a) £900,000 has been spent on Troon to make the station safe following the fire and to undertake temporary works to bring the station back into use for passengers.

The full cost of rebuilding the station will be dependent on the design selected for the new station building. Options for the new building will be publicly available later this summer.

Question reference: S6W-08620

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it has made for the use of e-scooters on public roads in Scotland, and whether legislation will be required in order to regulate this.

E-scooters are currently illegal to use in any public spaces in Scotland but they are legal to sell and own, resulting in an increasing number in illegal use in Scotland.

E-scooters are covered by the same laws and regulations that apply to all motor vehicles. This means e-scooters need to meet the various requirements of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to use public roads lawfully (e.g. road tax, technical safety standards).

Whilst the use of powered transporters and decisions around their introduction and associated legislative changes are primarily a matter for the UK Government, additional legislation and associated guidance would be required for Scotland.

The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to me in April 2022 about his proposals for a new framework for micro-mobility in UKG’s forthcoming Transport Bill. We will fully participate in that and I expect UKG to seek the Scottish Parliament’s legislative consent in a timely manner, and respect the outcome of the Scottish Parliament’s decision on consent.

I am aware that DfT carried out trails in England to develop e-scooter regulatory framework.

The DfT had not factored into its trial programme the legislative changes that would be required in Scotland to allow trials to take place here. Consequently, the trials which took place in England could not be hosted by Scottish local authorities.

Currently, we have received no data from the trials in England. My officials will continue to push for sight of the data to gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of legalising e-scooters.

Question reference: S6W-08583

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the detailed maps of route options for the proposed Clyde Metro that have reportedly been presented as advice to ministers.

Detailed maps on Clyde Metro have not been produced or presented to Scottish Ministers. Indicative maps were presented to Scottish Ministers as part of discussions on STPR2 in the lead up to the publication of draft recommendations in January 2022. The level of assessment work undertaken to date is not sufficient to produce detailed route options for publication or consultation, but of course will be in the future.

Question reference: S6W-08826

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will provide a substantive answer to question S6W-04695, which received a holding response on 13 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-08624

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08232 by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown of the use of the reusable nappy vouchers that shows how (a) many have been used, (b) much the scheme has cost and (c) many families have switched permanently to reusable nappies.

The following table details the number of reusable nappies provided each year through the Baby Box reusable nappy voucher scheme and the cost.

Families who take up the nappy offer are offered a discounted package should they wish to continue with reusable nappies. From June 2020 – April 2022, 224 families have used the discount and purchased further reusable nappies. The supplier started recording the data from June 2020 and we do not have a record of voucher redemptions before that period.

Year	Total Nappy Vouchers Redeemed	Cost
2019 (starting from June)	4,912	£62,677.12
2020	7,192	£91,769.92
2021	5,864	£77,298.65
2022 (up to 30 th of April)	1,290	£18,229.72

Question reference: S6W-08704

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish an updated Social Security Programme Business Case, and whether the update will include refreshed implementation cost estimates for the benefits.

Question reference: S6W-08580

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with energy providers regarding residents in Scotland whose developments have a single energy supplier that is classified as commercial rather than domestic, in light of these residents' energy bills reportedly not being subject to Ofgem's price cap.

Powers related to consumer protection, and to the energy price cap set by Ofgem, are reserved to the UK Government. However, I am concerned that energy consumers who are not registered directly with a licenced energy supplier may not be protected by the price cap and may not be eligible for the £400 rebate support announced by the UK Government. This affects those living in park homes, for example, in which a landlord bills households for their for energy use and is also a particular issue for heat networks.

The Scottish Government has raised the issue of unequal treatment of those households who do not have a domestic supply contract with the UK Government, who must ensure that any support for consumers is applied to all those that need it. I am also concerned by the current lack of regulation around the supply of heat via heat networks and I am clear that work to address this by the UK Government through Energy Security Bill is needed urgently, and suppliers must take action to support their customers ahead of any legislation coming into force.

Where concerns have been raised over affordability my officials have contacted the suppliers involved to highlight these and push for improved practice from those involved, we have also worked closely with Citizen’s Advice Scotland and others to support affected customers.

Question reference: S6O-01198

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting farmers to adapt to new technologies.

Question reference: S6O-01201

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact of food shortages and rising food prices in Scotland.