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-08209

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate (a) was put in place and (b) will come to an end.

Question reference: S6W-08210

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what direct consultation was undertaken with the staff affected in relation to the decision to put in place a recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate.

Question reference: S6W-08208

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the decision to put in place a recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate was made by the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General Health and Social Care.

The Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director-General Health and Social Care put in place a temporary pause on filling vacancies not currently advertised within Health and Social Care Directorates from 4 April 2022. Over the last two years, the Health and Social Care directorates have expanded to respond to the pandemic. The pause has been put in place for a short period to recognise the changing nature of the response now needed from the Portfolio. It allows time to consider the future size, shape and services that need to be delivered and how staff can be supported appropriately. The recruitment pause is designed to ensure that any planned activity is aligned to the organisation’s longer term workforce plan.

Question reference: S6W-08321

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding ending its training of the National Police of Colombia in light of (a) the reported crackdown on protesters in Colombia in spring 2021 and (b) an Amnesty International report that stated that the protestors had faced intentional police violence.

The Scottish Government supports Police Scotland’s international activity which involves reaching out to all parts of the world, including Colombia. This activity supports the prevention of crime at source and ensures the sharing of best practice in policing in order to help the stabilisation of communities beyond our borders. All Police Scotland activity is underpinned by a human rights-based approach which has a strong focus on community engagement. Central to that is an emphasis on de-escalating conflict and ensuring that the right to protest can be freely and peacefully exercised.

Question reference: S6W-08320

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with non-governmental organisations and human rights campaigners regarding Police Scotland’s training of the National Police of Colombia.

It is for Police Scotland to decide how best to engage with non-governmental organisations in the context of an international deployment. I can, however, confirm that Police Scotland discussed this particular deployment with a Scottish-based NGO which has a strong track-record in Colombia. Police Scotland has also held discussions with representatives from indigenous communities in the country. This approach has helped to ensure that officers are aware of human rights concerns and that there is transparency in relation to the purpose of the deployment. Doing so reflects a human rights-based approach and is consistent also with Police Scotland’s Code of Ethics.

Question reference: S6W-08322

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what human rights considerations it took into account when taking the decision to approve the deployment of Police Scotland officers to Colombia.

The Scottish Government gives full consideration to ensuring all human rights obligations are stringently assessed and observed for all Police Scotland requests for overseas deployments, including to Colombia. For our part, the Scottish Government condemns human rights abuses wherever they occur and has always been clear that Scottish public authorities, including Police Scotland, should act to promote human rights and to challenge poor practice in the context of any engagement with overseas partners

Police Scotland complete an Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessment prior to any approach to the Scottish Government to ensure that all activity is consistent with all domestic and international human rights obligations. All Police Scotland engagement with Colombia has been undertaken with the full support of the British Embassy in Bogota, and the UN International Organization for Migration (UN IOM). Safeguards have been built in to the arrangements for the deployment so that appropriate action can be taken should any human rights concerns be identified by Police Scotland officers. These are as follows:

All interventions by Police Scotland incorporate measures to reduce the risk of human rights violations.
Training on Human Rights is incorporated into all courses and interventions.
Police Scotland retains and provides for reduction, suspension or stopping assistance, if they identify any human rights concerns.
Police Scotland staff are specifically briefed to raise participants’ awareness that good practice respects human rights at every opportunity.

Question reference: S6W-08058

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the total volume, in kilograms, was of below Minimum Conservation Reference Size (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) herring, (d) whiting, (e) sole, (f) plaice and (g) saithe that was discarded by Scottish boats in 2021, in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) areas (i) 4 and (ii) 6a.

The total quantity of discards below Minimum Conservation Reference Size from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. Marine Scotland estimates the total weight of unwanted catch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) below Minimum Conservation Reference Size for demersal trawlers and seine netters for each year, using data collected by scientific observers on-board fishing vessels. (Fishing trips by vessels using other gears are not surveyed.) The estimates for 2021 are given in the following table. These estimates are for fishing trips by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad.

Estimates of the total weight of unwanted catch (kg) below Minimum Conservation Reference Size caught in 2021 in ICES subarea 4 and division 6a by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, fishing with demersal trawls or seines.

Species	ICES region
Species	(i) 4	(ii) 6a
(a) Cod	338,000	1,000
(b) Haddock	4,087,000	3,048,000
(c) Herring	1,000	42,000
(d) Whiting	271,000	84,000
(e) Sole	0	2,500
(f) Plaice	30,000	47,000
(g) Saithe	4,000	0

Question reference: S6W-08059

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the total volume, in kilograms, was of (a) cod, (b) haddock, (c) herring, (d) whiting, (e) sole, (f) plaice and (g) saithe that was discarded by Scottish boats in 2021, in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) areas (i) 4 and (ii) 6a.

The total quantity of discards from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. Marine Scotland estimates the total weight of unwanted catch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) for demersal trawlers and seine netters for each year, using data collected by scientific observers on-board fishing vessels. (Fishing trips by vessels using other gears are not surveyed.) The estimates for 2021 are given in the following table. These estimates are for fishing trips by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad.

Estimates of the total weight of unwanted catch (kg) caught in 2021 in ICES subarea 4 and division 6a by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, fishing with demersal trawls or seines.

Species	ICES region
Species	(i) 4	(ii) 6a
(a) Cod	2,161,000	532,000
(b) Haddock	7,051,000	4,061,000
(c) Herring	337,000	332,000
(d) Whiting	1,703,000	216,000
(e) Sole	0	2,500
(f) Plaice	49,000	75,000
(g) Saithe	721,000	56,000

Question reference: S6O-01022

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments it has made of any increased use of online appointments on patients' access to GP services.

Question reference: S6W-07864

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of the work to make an informed policy decision on the contribution of North Sea production to the global climate emergency and to Scotland’s economy, security and wellbeing, as outlined in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Shared Policy Programme, will be published.