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-00049

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide help, guidance and support to the Riverside Medical Centre in Musselburgh, to assist it in providing an acceptable standard of health service to its patients.

Whilst Scottish Ministers set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards and GP practices. Practices are contracted to provide general medical services by their local health board and not the Scottish Government. As such, Scottish Ministers are unable to intervene in the service and appointment arrangements of individual practices, but they do expect satisfactory systems to be in place for the benefit of all patients.

East Lothian HSCP have been working closely with the practice and have given support to increase the number of GP appointments available to patients of the practice. The HSCP are also delivering a range of self-referral services that offer patients same-day access to specialist clinical, mental health and MSK physiotherapist support.

The practice have recruited a number of members of staff including call handlers, a Specialist Paramedic, a Clinical Manager/Nurse Practitioner and a further Nurse Practitioner. An additional GP has joined the practice, with another due to join in the summer.

Question reference: S5W-35648

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 24 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider using mass vaccination venues as the main premises for administering the COVID-19 vaccine to people with learning disabilities and autism, and whether it will consider offering the vaccine to these groups through their GPs, in light of this offering a more familiar environment for people who may experience sensory overload.

Individuals who require adjustments for themselves or someone they care for should contact their Health Board and GP, so that specialists are made aware of their specific needs and can make adjustments best suited to the patient.

Appointments may be moved to a clinic if this would be a more comfortable setting, and the individual may be accompanied by their carer.

Information on how to facilitate these conversations are available on at NHS inform , in accessible formats.

If people are unable to attend their Covid-19 vaccination programme. They can rebook their appoint via the NHS Website:

Rearrange or opt-out of your vaccination appointment | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)

Question reference: S5W-35988

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the compliance plan approach it was developing alongside a review of the relevant person function in relation to housing developments.

The Compliance Plan work stream is, one of seven, being taken forward under the direction of the Building Standards Futures Board. A Compliance Plan Working Group was established at the end of 2020, with representation from industry and academia and has now met three times. The new Compliance Plan Approach will provide greater assurance on compliance with the building regulations. Work is also in progress to develop a new oversight role acting for the Relevant Person, to oversee the Compliance Plan from inception to completion of the building, to support the submission of the Completion Certificate. The proposals are being developed with the aim of going to Public Consultation in Summer 2021.

Question reference: S5W-35989

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with ensuring that housing developers comply with fire safety standards in the homes that they build.

Scottish Government has recently strengthened guidance on the roles and responsibilities of any person undertaking new building work. The Building Standards Procedural Handbook, published on 1 October 2019, emphasises the importance of regular and effective communication and partnership working to improve compliance with building regulations. It also recommends the use of more formal customer agreements and pre-warrant discussions between the applicant and verifier to discuss all the key aspects of design, and the importance of carrying out safety checks on critical design elements during construction.

Scottish Government is also considering, under the development of a new Compliance Plan Approach, changes to the building standards system that will provide greater assurance on compliance with building standards for all building warrant projects from design inception through to completion of the building.

Question reference: S5W-36007

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Energy Strategy Position Statement.

Question reference: S5W-36008

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Ministerial Taskforce for Population.

Today, the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Population Taskforce has published Scotland’s first ever national Population Strategy. This document is called ‘A Scotland for the Future: The Challenges and Opportunities of Scotland’s Changing Population’ and can be found here.

Scotland is facing a number of demographic challenges. From falling birth rates, to increasingly ageing population to spatial imbalance across our local authorities. The Ministerial Population Taskforce was established to tackle these large-scale issues.

Our strategy outlines why addressing each of these challenges is vital to the long-term sustainability of our economy, public services, and communities as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

It is clear there is no quick fix to these complex issues. This strategy is the beginning of a conversation about population sustainability as a ‘national challenge’ for Scotland.

As a first step, the Strategy sets out 36 initial actions, including a series of next steps for the Scottish Government’s Population Programme to engage the public, other political parties and other partners from both the public and private sector.

Question reference: S5O-05127

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what recent representations it has made to the UK Government regarding visas for people wishing to work in Scotland, and whether it is able to clarify the visa requirements for student internships to ensure that these international exchanges can continue.

Question reference: S5O-05082

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it has been working with COSLA to ensure that fast growing local authorities, such as Midlothian, are effectively funded through COSLA’s funding formula.

Question reference: S5O-05046

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish National Investment Bank will support the economic regeneration of communities when the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Question reference: S5W-34943

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the plans to upgrade the Sheriffhall roundabout; what investment is planned as part of this; by what date work will commence, and what the timetable is for each stage.

The Scottish Government remains committed to undertaking improvements at Sheriffhall in its £120m investment as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal and continues to progress the scheme through the statutory processes.

Following publication of draft Orders on 5 December 2019 Transport Scotland received a significant number of representations, including objections, to the proposed scheme. These are currently being reviewed and considered. This process is being informed by the recent conclusion of the Public Transport and Active Travel Review work which is available at https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/a720-sheriffhall-public-transport-active-travel-review-report/ .

Should we be unsuccessful in removing all objections a public local inquiry may be required.

Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence if it is approved under the relevant statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for its progress can be set.