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-12175

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether section 9 (6) of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 has been successful in conserving and enhancing the natural heritage of National Park areas.

National Park Authorities are committed to conserving and enhancing natural heritage within Scotland’s National Parks and their decision making has been guided by the National Park aims set out in the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act and the principle set out in section 9 (6) of the Act. As an example of success in conserving and enhancing the natural heritage in the Cairngorms, over 5000ha of new woodland has been established over the last 5 years of which 96% is native and over half by regeneration.

The Scottish Government launched a public consultation in May to look at what people value about National Parks in Scotland and what they should deliver in future – in particular how they can help to protect and restore nature, tackle climate change and promote sustainable land use. This has been followed by a second consultation – organised by NatureScot – on the approach to National Parks in Scotland and the selection criteria for new National Parks. This consultation seeks views on section 9(6) of the Act, how it is applied and whether it is fit for purpose.

Question reference: S6O-01559

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of 2021 graduate probationary primary teachers have secured full-time employment in Scottish state schools after completing their probation.

Question reference: S6O-01512

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the outcome of both the statutory review of snaring and its additional review, which was considering a potential ban on snaring in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-10945

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding for the upgrade of the A75 and A77 has been committed by the UK Government.

To date, we are not aware of the UK Government committing any funding for the upgrade of either the A75 or the A77. The UK Government’s Union Connectivity Review (UCR) published its interim findings in March 2021 and identified both the A75 and A77 as critical road transport corridors connecting Northern Ireland with Scotland and England.

At the same time, the UK Secretary of State for Transport announced that a £20m Union Connectivity Development Fund was available for advance design / development on a select number of transport corridors, including the A75. It is not clear if any of that funding has been spent on preliminary work for the A75.

The Final UCR Report was published in November 2021 and recommended that the UK Government commit funding to support the significant upgrade of the A75. The failure to mention the A77 suggests it will no longer be considered a priority for upgrading.

Question reference: S6W-10944

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Transport Scotland has reportedly not pursued its proposed scheme to extend the National Cycle Network Route 73 between Stranraer and Cairnryan.

The Scottish Government has had no direct involvement in any scheme to extend the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 73 between Stranraer and Cairnryan. The NCN in Scotland is managed by Sustrans who, as custodians of the NCN, gave intentions to explore improvements to NCN 73 in the south west which are included within Sustrans’ 30 year National Cycle Network Plan. However, the Scottish Government is currently investigating the feasibility of a shared use path south of Cairnryan to the A751 junction from the new Trunk Road active travel budget.

The Scottish Government has funded Sustrans with £10.6 million in 2022-23 (increased from the £4 million award in 2021-22) to undertake National Cycle Network Plan work.

Programme for Government in 2016 and 2017 addressed potential transport issues in South West Scotland and extensive stakeholder engagement was undertaken to inform the South West Scotland Transport Study; the initial appraisal report was published in January 2020, and included 23 recommendations for consideration in Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), including one to develop the Strategic Active Travel Network in the South West of Scotland and better connect communities to key destinations with cycle paths parallel to trunk roads and improvements to the NCN. This intervention is currently subject to detailed appraisal as part of Phase 2 of STPR2.

Question reference: S6W-10294

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional public charging points for electric vehicles (EV) are planned for South Scotland, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government has invested over £50m in developing the ChargePlace Scotland Network. We are now working with the private sector to invest a further £60m in coming years. Through our investments, electric vehicle owners in the South of Scotland have access to 590 public charge points, and this number is set to grow significantly through a combination of public and private investment. In the year ahead, the Scottish Government is directly supporting the installation of a further 73 charge points, as set out in the following table.

Local Authority	Funded Charge Points to be Added to the Public Network	ChargePlace Scotland Existing Chargers
Dumfries & Galloway	24	97
East Ayrshire	9	66
East Lothian	6	121
Midlothian	3	41
North Ayrshire	7	40
Scottish Borders	1	47
South Ayrshire	10	40
South Lanarkshire	13	138
Total	73	590

Question reference: S6W-10293

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03448 by Graeme Dey on 29 October 2021, what plans it has to extend the National Cycle Network Route 73 between Stranraer and Cairnryan, and whether any steps have been taken to carry out any such extension.

The Scottish Government has no direct plans at present to extend the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 73. Sustrans manage the NCN in Scotland and have set out ambitions to improve and extend the NCN in their 2018 Paths for Everyone Document. The Scottish Government has funded Sustrans with £10.6 million in 2022-23 (increased from the £4 million award in 2021-22) to undertake this work.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) recommends creating new and improving existing active travel routes to connect Scotland’s cities, regions and major gateways, using high-quality active travel infrastructure that segregates users from busy roads, but makes use of quiet roads where appropriate. This will support long-distance active journeys, although it is anticipated that most benefit will arise from relatively short journey routes between or within the communities that the network would pass through.

The long-distance active travel network would enhance the existing National Cycle Network to create a strategic national network of active travel routes mirroring in part the Trunk Road and rail networks. The draft STPR2 report was published on 20 January this year for a three month consultation period. Feedback is now being considered and the final report is due later this year.

Programme for Government in 2016 and 2017 addressed potential transport issues in South West Scotland and extensive stakeholder engagement was undertaken to inform the South West Scotland Transport Study; the initial appraisal report was published in January 2020, and included 23 recommendations for consideration in STPR2, including one to develop the Strategic Active Travel Network in the South West of Scotland and better connect communities to key destinations with cycle paths parallel to trunk roads and improvements to the NCN. This intervention is currently subject to detailed appraisal as part of Phase 2 of STPR2.

Question reference: S6W-10295

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the responses to its consultation on mandatory calorie labelling in the out of home sector.

Question reference: S6W-09971

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when repair work on the A77 at Carlock Wall is anticipated to be completed.

Question reference: S6W-09521

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the use of anthelmintics through medicated grit to treat wild red grouse, what monitoring is in place for (a) how much is being used and (b) where it is being dispensed.

Medicated grit can only be used under licence administered by a veterinarian. A veterinary prescription is required to purchase flubendazole coated medicated grit and it is recommended following predetermination of worm levels in grouse .

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is the competent authority in the UK responsible for the testing of food producing animals for residues of authorised veterinary medicines products and prohibited substances. The National Residues Surveillance Programme is carried out by VMD in accordance with The Animal and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) (England and Scotland) Regulations of 2015. Food Standards Scotland collect samples on behalf of VMD in approved game handling establishments.

The testing of red grouse for the presence of anthelmintic compounds authorised for use in medicated feed, such as flubendazole, has been carried out since 2016 and VMD publish its annual figures on gov.uk.