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: S6O-01227

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is prioritising the national mission to tackle child poverty.

Question reference: S6W-07343

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the most recent level of an average household water bill in Scotland, and how this compares with (a) England and (b) Wales.

Question reference: S5W-17348

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay for consultation the proposed draft regulations providing for the disclosure of information about persons who have controlling interests in land in a public register as required by Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Scottish Government today laid for consultation in the Scottish Parliament proposed draft regulations (SG/2018/103) and a proposed explanatory document (SG/2018/104) for a new Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land as required by Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. It has also laid a draft partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and a draft Privacy Impact Assessment of the draft regulations within the proposed explanatory document.

In addition the Government has published on its website a consultation document to support the consultation, which will run until 8 November 2018.

Question reference: S5W-17047

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 13 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the benefits of migration to the Scottish economy and society.

Migration is crucial to the development of Scotland as an inclusive, fair, prosperous, innovative country. It is essential to our economic prospects and our demographic sustainability that Scotland continues to attract the level and nature of migration it needs.

Following the EU referendum we published a report summarising and evaluating the recent literature on the impacts of migrants and migration on Scotland’s economy, labour market, public services, communities and culture. In November last year we set out the evidence about the importance of migration to Scotland, in our submission to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). We followed that earlier this year with a discussion paper on Scotland’s Population Growth and Migration Policy detailing the unique challenges facing Scotland’s population and the potential economic gains if migration was sustained. The paper also outlines how a tailored approach for Scotland, with new powers for the Scottish Parliament, could operate.

Question reference: S5W-17005

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Food Supply Chain Manifesto, which calls on the UK Government to guarantee continued access to permanent and seasonal workers for the farming and food production sector.

Reducing access to labour and skills by ending free movement will damage businesses in every sector of the economy in Scotland, and Scottish Ministers are clear that we need a solution for future migration that meets the needs of the agriculture sector.

However, evidence published by the Migration Advisory Committee shows that every sector of the economy - agriculture and fisheries, tourism and culture, healthcare and education - faces labour and skills challenges due to Brexit. We therefore need a migration system which meets the needs of all sectors of the economy, and we need an approach which is simple for employers and individuals to navigate and is flexible enough to meet changing needs.

Most importantly though we need the UK Government to start engaging on this issue. We have set out this Government’s position on the benefits of free movement of people and the need for new powers for the Scottish Parliament on migration. UK Ministers should now meet with the Scottish Government to discuss how we develop solutions tailored to Scotland’s needs.

Question reference: S5W-16960

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 31 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when the annual progress report on the Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme will be published.

The Scottish Government published its fourth Climate Change Adaptation Annual Report today.

The Report sets out the context for climate adaptation in Scotland, highlighting that we are already experiencing climate change, that there are a range of future risks and opportunities, and that we have a developing evidence base that is informing action.

The Report provides a summary of the core content of the Programme, the highlights to date, and the findings of the first Independent Assessment of the Programme in 2016. Finally, this Report refers to the development of Scotland’s second five-year Adaptation Programme which is to be published in 2019.

The Fourth Annual Report highlights include the latest on flood management, the Peatland ACTION Fund, the new Climate Change Plan’s commitments on woodland creation, the Fourth UK Forestry Standard 2017, a new Centre of Expertise in Plant Health launched in February 2018, Scotland’s National Coastal Change Assessment, Historic Environment Scotland’s climate change risk assessment, Green Infrastructure Fund, A82 Steep Ground Harvesting Project, Edinburgh Adapts, Aberdeen Adapts, Climate Ready Business, NHS Scotland Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool, and the third European Climate Change Adaptation Conference held in Glasgow.

Copies of the Annual Report have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/74.

Question reference: S5O-02139

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the introduction of average speed cameras on the A90 has had on road safety between Dundee and Aberdeen.

Question reference: S5W-15933

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 18 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its guidance regarding engaging communities in decisions relating to land, as required under Part 4 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

Question reference: S5W-15699

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Land Commission will lay its revised Programme of Work in the Parliament.

The Scottish Land Commission will lay its revised Programme of Work in Parliament today, in advance of the first anniversary of the Commission’s establishment on 1 April. Extensive engagement and scoping work in the last six months has enabled the Commission to more sharply focus the Programme of Work to ensure the most positive impact in the short and long term. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, laying number SG/2018/35.

Question reference: S5O-01944

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that any additional funding it provides to councils for specific purposes is used in that way.