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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-27213

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is possible to require operators of rail stations to make provision for spending areas, where there are no appropriate nearby locations for the use of assistance dogs.

Question reference: S5W-27211

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) which rail stations have spending areas for the use of assistance dogs.

Question reference: S5W-27212

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for expanding the provision of spending areas at rail stations that do not have appropriate nearby locations for the use of assistance dogs.

Question reference: S5W-27216

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements it has in place with the DWP to redirect people from Scotland who mistakenly apply to that department instead of Social Security Scotland.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the DWP to help people understand the services available to them from both Governments.

We do this through working together on client facing communications, keeping organisations that will support people who may use our services up to date, signposting from our respective websites and making sure our staff have the training and guidance that they require.

These arrangements are already in place for Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment, Best Start Foods and Funeral Support Payment.

We are currently working with the DWP to look at arrangements for the introduction of disability assistance from this summer to make sure that we have a seamless client journey for people in Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S5F-03924

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5O-04062

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to record the loss of greenspace in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-26927

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25781 by Jeane Freeman on 31 October 2019, whether it will publish the Minister for Mental Health's letter of 19 June 2019 to each NHS board regarding how they process referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and the replies received.

Question reference: S5W-26926

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25781 by Jeane Freeman on 31 October 2019, whether it will provide an update on what progress it has made on implementing the 29 recommendations in the audit of rejected referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), including what action has been taken since each NHS board replied to the Minister for Mental Health's letter of 19 June 2019.

Question reference: S5W-26905

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to complete its review of the effectiveness of its Guidance on Dog Training Aids, and whether the findings will be made public.

The Scottish Government issued a consultation on 20 November 2019 to dog trainers, animal welfare organisations and enforcement agencies to seek evidence on the effectiveness of the guidance on dogs training aids that was published on 15 October 2018 with the agreement of key animal welfare organisations. The period of consultation concluded on 10 January 2020.

The responses to the consultation will now be analysed and a view taken on the way forward for dog training aids in due course. The analysis report, once completed, will be published on the Scottish Government website.

Question reference: S5O-04029

Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it provides to support the Edinburgh Christmas and New Year celebrations, and what criteria are applied.