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: S5W-24381

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 July 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made by the Expert Panel on Environmental Charges and Other Measures and its plans to reduce the use of single-use coffee cups.

Today the Scottish Government will publish the first report of the Expert Panel on Environmental Charging and Other Measures which sets out its recommendations on single-use disposable beverage cups. The report sets out a number of measures that will tackle Scotland's reliance on these single-use items and Ministers will give full consideration to the report’s findings, responding to the Panel’s recommendations in due course.

Question reference: S5F-03473

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2019

To ask the First Minister, in light of the Heriot-Watt University report, Hard Edges Scotland, what the Scottish Government is doing to improve the general wellbeing of adults.

Question reference: S5O-03436

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Inverclyde Council to discuss housing provision.

Question reference: S5F-03429

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2019

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to make people aware of scams, in light of reports that nearly half of people in Scotland have been targeted at least once in the last year.

Question reference: S5W-23558

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many qualified teachers of children and young people with vision impairment there are, broken down by local authority.

Statistics on the number of teachers with main subject of visual impairment are published in the teacher census supplementary data (split by primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) and are available on the Scottish Government website:

https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/teachcenssuppdata/teasup2018

Tables 2.8, 3.9, 4.8 and 5.2.

These statistics exclude teachers at grant aided special schools as data on subject taught is not collected from teachers at these schools.

Question reference: S5W-23079

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what checks are carried out before informing a victim or the family of a victim regarding an upcoming appearance before the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland to ensure that they are mentally prepared for the process.

I have asked Dr J Morrow, President of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

The Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland (“the Tribunal”) does not carry out checks prior to informing individuals of an upcoming tribunal hearing. To give evidence to the tribunal hearing the individual has to have either approached the Tribunal directly or to have joined the Victim Notification Scheme operated by the Scottish Government and asked to make representations before certain decisions are taken by the Tribunal.

The Tribunal does however, provide detailed information about the Tribunal’s processes. Additionally at the time of writing to inform an individual of an upcoming hearing the Tribunal provides a telephone number and email address which can be contacted to seek clarification on the process.

Question reference: S5W-23078

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is provided to families giving victim statements to the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland.

I have asked Dr J Morrow, President of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

The Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland (“the Tribunal”) does not provide direct assistance to families giving victims statements.

The Tribunal does however, provide detailed information about the Tribunal’s processes. Additionally, at the time of writing, to seek representations the Tribunal provides a telephone number and email address which can be contacted to seek clarification on the process.

In addition, the Scottish Government provides signposting to Victim Support Scotland in their Victim Notification Scheme information booklets and all their correspondence.

Question reference: S5W-23077

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people convicted of murder or culpable homicide continue in a state institution once a successful appeal to the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland results in them leaving The State Hospital.

Question reference: S5W-23080

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people convicted of murder or culpable homicide have been released from The State Hospital following a successful appeal to the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland.

Question reference: S5F-03317

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2019

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government considers that drug policy should be devolved or amended.