Chamber and committees

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-04807

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what carbon metric-based recycling targets it has considered setting for local authorities.

As previously set out, we are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to deliver our waste and recycling targets for 2025. This work will be critical in determining how the waste and resources sector, including local government, will contribute towards lower carbon emissions in the period to 2030 and beyond, including the approach to evaluating progress against our goal to reduce emissions.

Question reference: S6W-04728

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it would gather evidence when considering whether proof of COVID-19 vaccine status is required for entry to cinemas.

We must make sure our decisions on all of the COVID protection measures are necessary, proportionate and targeted in delivering our four harms approach to alleviating the direct harms of COVID-19, the indirect health harms, and the social and economic harms. We continue to take and review decisions based on the latest evidence from clinical and scientific literature, from public opinion, and from international experience.

Our review process includes regular engagement with businesses about the protection measures which will help us to break the chains of transmission, and that is set out in the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment.

Question reference: S6W-04649

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reduce the waiting times for orthopaedic surgery in NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with the operational and clinical teams in NHS Dumfries and Galloway to support the remobilisation of all services, including surgery for orthopaedic patients.

Whilst local capacity for surgery has been reduced, due to ongoing pressures, the Board have utilised orthopaedic capacity at Golden Jubilee National Hospital for a mix of routine long waiting patients and urgent patients.

To support the system as a whole we published our NHS Recovery Plan, which is backed by more than £1 billion of investment, sets out how we will take forward our aim of increasing NHS capacity by at least 10% in order to address the backlog of care and meet the ongoing healthcare needs of the country.

Question reference: S6W-04544

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 19 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff there are in its (a) COVID-19 and (b) flu vaccination centres, broken down by category.

The flu vaccination and covid vaccination is a joint programme in Scotland, eligible citizens are offered both vaccinations at a single appointment. Staff can therefore not be delineated by vaccination type. Management information indicates that during the period 17 – 23 Nov c. 1,470 whole time equivalent (WTE) vaccinators were deployed by Health Boards (1 x WTE = 37.5 hours per week); staffing deployment on the programme is kept under active review Head count will be significantly higher as vaccinations staff work a variety of different working patterns, in line with local needs and clinic opening hours. This figure does not include administration and support staff which varies by both Health Board setting and clinic type.

Question reference: S6F-00604

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2021

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will set up a commission on preventing violence against women and girls, in light of reports that one in five teenage girls have been sexually assaulted.

Question reference: S6W-03678

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons it removed the obligation to isolate and report positive cases of COVID-19 for children under a certain age.

Question reference: S6W-04758

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 13 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish an evaluation of its pilot of the Child Disability Payment.

As noted in the answer to question S6W-04597 on 6 December 2021, the next set of Child Disability Payment statistics are due to be published in January 2022, covering the period of the pilot from 26 July to 21 November 2021. The Scottish Government will also publish feedback from clients and stakeholders to learn from their experience during the pilot in Spring 2022.

The purpose of the Child Disability Payment pilot was to ensure that Social Security Scotland could safely deliver a service for disabled children and young people, by ensuring that systems and processes work for them. It was not intended to evaluate the wider policy changes being made by the Scottish Government to disability assistance, which will instead be considered as part of the Devolution of disability benefits: evaluation strategy .

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-04680

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its consultation report on the draft licensing order and business and regulatory impact assessment (BRIA) for short-term lets, how many local authorities responded to the consultation exercise and, of those who responded, how many (a) raised no issues with the proposed licensing and (b) highlighted concerns over (i) fees, (ii) resourcing, and (iii) a lack of start-up costs associated with licensing.

A total of eleven local authorities responded to the 2021 consultation on the draft Licensing Order and draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA). The Scottish Government also received responses from the Society of Local Authority Lawyers & Administrators in Scotland (SOLAR), and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO).

Four local authorities and SOLAR raised concerns in relation to the fees set out in the draft BRIA. Two local authorities highlighted concerns about resourcing and two called for the Scottish Government to provide financial support to cover establishment costs.

Published consultation responses can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/housing-and-social-justice/short-term-lets-draft-licensing-order-and-bria/consultation/published_select_respondent

Question reference: S6W-03685

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to increase the number of face-to-face appointments with GPs.

Public Health Scotland has published guidance on distancing and infection control measures in health settings changing the 2 metre rule to 1 metre – this means more potential space for patients in waiting rooms where it is appropriate, while continuing to ensure everyone is kept safe.

Following this, NHS and Scottish Government guidance for general practices was published on 7 September. This is an important step in getting more in person appointments in primary care.

This guidance also makes clear that there is no longer a need to triage every patient, although they should continue to screen patients for Covid before seeing them face to face. It contains resources for practices to help improve their communication with patients as well as access arrangements.

The Scottish Government’s recently announced winter funding package will help increase NHS and social care capacity this winter. The new funding will support a range of measures to maximise capacity in our hospitals and primary care. Up to £28m of additional funding will underpin a range of measures to aid Dentistry and General Practice.

Question reference: S6W-04692

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve safety on the A9 between Inverness and Tore, and whether it will consider lowering the speed limit on the road to 50mph.

We are progressing an options appraisal using Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance to identify potential improvements on the A9 between North Kessock Junction and Tore Roundabout. The latest report on this appraisal is expected to be published by 10 December and will set out a short list of options recommended for further consideration. Transport Scotland will review these recommendations and consider the next steps, taking account of the feasibility of the options and available resources.

In the short term, works to install street lighting at the A9/B9161 Munlochy junction will commence this month. In addition, a review of the speed limit around Tore Roundabout will be carried out, along with investigations into improvements to active travel facilities and road markings at the roundabout

The section from Longman Roundabout to south of the North Kessock junction is already subject to a 50mph speed limit. A speed limit reduction to 50mph on the section north of this, to Tore Roundabout, is an option being considered in the current appraisal. This option is not consistent with national guidance on speed limits, given the current average speeds and rural environment of this dual carriageway road. Lowering the speed limit has potential to cause platooning of traffic, reducing the gaps available to turn right at junctions. Furthermore, the process to make any speed limit reduction allows those disadvantaged by the proposal to object. The public consultation results indicated overall negative views towards this option, meaning that a significant number of objections are likely. The findings of the options appraisal will be published mid-December.