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: S5O-04235

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by David Stewart on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body on 5 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what steps it is taking to ensure that Parliament computers that are no longer suitable for corporate use are disposed of in a way that has a positive impact on wider society.

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body currently utilises a contract which provides services for the secure removal of data, reuse, recycling and disposal of computers that are no longer suitable for corporate use.

The emphasis for this contract is re-use of equipment, which the contractor reported was 33% over a two-year period. Where equipment cannot be re-used or components and parts recovered, items are separated into base materials for recycling in the UK.

The company currently providing these services is a Supported Business which means that at least 30% of their workforce is employed from disabled and disadvantaged backgrounds. Last year this figure stood at 48% which positively impacted local society.

Question reference: S5W-27621

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kate Forbes on 26 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reached agreement with a political party to the support the Budget (Scotland) (No.4) Bill.

I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government has reached an agreement with the Scottish Green Party to deliver a Scottish Budget. This will support the wellbeing of the people of Scotland and enable crucial action to respond to the global climate emergency, including investment of £1.8 billion in low-carbon infrastructure.

This Budget delivers a record £15 billion for health and care services, provides over £3 billion of social security payments, delivers £201 million to secure the full roll-out of increased early learning and child care provision, invests over £180 million to address the poverty related attainment gap in schools, provides £20 million for the Scottish Child Payment to support our wider action to address child poverty, and supports the vital delivery of local services.

This agreement will deliver an additional £123 million of resource and £50 million of capital investment, including:

an increase of £95 million of resource to support local government;
an additional £13 million resource and £5 million capital to support our police services and enhance community policing taking the total uplift next year to £60m;
£15 million to support preparations to introduce new concessionary free bus travel for young people aged 18 and under, with the aim if possible to begin in January 2021;
a further £45 million capital to support our net-zero ambitions, including £15 million for local government to support further investment in cycling, walking and safer routes, taking the total investment in active travel to £100 million, £25m for investment in local energy efficiency projects and £5m to explore rail enhancements.

This is a Budget which will deliver for all of Scotland and I encourage its support by all Members.

Question reference: S5W-27330

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2020
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken following suspected cases of the listed disease, Bonamia ostreae, in native oysters at new locations in Scotland.

The Scottish Government received information regarding the suspected presence of the parasite Bonamia ostreae at a shellfish farm located in the west of Scotland. There is no risk to human health associated with the disease, however it can cause mortality in native oysters.

Movement restrictions were immediately applied to the suspected site. Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate conducted an epidemiological investigation and has confirmed presence of the parasite at:

Confirmed Designation Notice

Sgeir Liath (Loch Nell Oysters)
Lamb Holm (Orkney Shellfish Hatchery (OSH) Ltd) – stock culled.
Dornoch Firth West (Heriot Watt University - DEEP Oyster Restoration)
John Muir Building (Heriot Watt University) – stock culled.
Initial Designation Notice [Presence suspected]
Dornoch Firth East (Heriot Watt University - DEEP Oyster Restoration)
Loch Craignish Native Oyster Restoration Project [to be revoked].

Confirmed Designation Notices have been published on the Fish Health Inspectorates website and can be viewed here;

https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Fish-Shellfish/FHI/monitoring/recent

Protection and surveillance zones have been established around two sites, Sgeir Liath and the Dornach restoration project, controlling the movement of native oysters into and out of those areas to reduce the risk of spread of the disease. Movements of pacific oysters are not affected.

The disease is not new to Scotland and is present in other parts of the UK, however we are committed to protecting Scotland’s disease free status to support trade and the health of the small native oyster industry and remaining wild populations. We will continue to work with Defra, the other devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies and the Scottish shellfish farming industry to promote biosecurity, reduce spread of the disease and minimise impacts to business’ where possible.

Question reference: S5O-04108

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the UK Government’s proposed immigration controls could have on Scotland’s food and drink sector.

Question reference: S5W-26942

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scotland-domiciled students have taken part in the Erasmus+ programme in the last five years.

Erasmus+ data covers students from the inception of the programme in 2014-15 to 2017-18, covering four years of data in total. It does not provide a breakdown for Scottish-domiciled only. We have instead provided numbers for outgoing students of all domiciles from a Scottish university.

Outgoing ERASMUS+ students from a Scottish HEI
Academic year	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18
No. Students	2,202	2,429	2,548	2,828
Source: ERASMUS+
Numbers include students on either Study or Work programmes
abroad through ERASMUS+ from a Scottish Higher Education Institution (HEI).
Does not include students in Scotland studying at Open University.

Question reference: S5W-26946

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding Scottish universities have received through the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme in the last five years.

Scotland continues to perform relatively well compared with other UK nations, Scottish organisations have competitively won almost 687 million from Horizon 2020, since the programmes launch in January 2014 up to December 2019, this reflects our research excellence and international outlook in Scotland.

Scotland’s higher education institutions continue to attract the majority of funds in Scotland, securing almost 75% (around 515 million) of the total funds awarded.

Scottish organisations are eligible to continue to fully participate in Horizon 2020 for the duration of the programme.

Question reference: S5W-26944

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many EU students have come to study in Scotland as part of the Erasmus+ programme since its inception.

Question reference: S5W-26945

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scotland-domiciled students are studying abroad through the Erasmus+ programme, broken down by institution.

Question reference: S5W-26943

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many EU students are studying in Scottish universities through the Erasmus+ programme.

Question reference: S5O-04051

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 23 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making to ensure that people with advanced dementia receive the health and nursing care that they require, as set out in the Alzheimer Scotland report, Delivering Fair Dementia Care for People with Advanced Dementia.

The Scottish Government welcomed Alzheimer Scotland’s Fair Dementia Care report.

The healthcare needs of people with dementia are of course provided free by the NHS.

We are working with partners to work to reform adult social care, launched in the summer and we are considering Alzheimer Scotland’s recommendations on social care charging as part of the work. Their report also calls for more consistency and transparency on social care charging and the adult social care reform programme is also addressing those issues.

We have increased our investment in social care support and integration of health and social care to more than £700 million in 2019-20– an increase of 29%, up from £550 million, in 2018-19.

We continue to support improvements in the quality of dementia care, and a consultation on a 4th National Dementia Strategy will take place in 2020.