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-06762

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a voluntary additional COVID-19 booster programme to enable people to meet international travel requirements, where a destination country requires the last vaccine to have been administered within a certain number of days before travel.

Since its beginning, the aim of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been to reduce the number of severe COVID-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths. From its outset it has been guided by the expert advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). We have no plans to provide booster vaccines beyond those which have already been announced. The provision of any further booster doses will therefore continue to be based on any future advice the JCVI should wish to provide.

We cannot provide advice on the rules for other countries. Before travelling you should check the up to date entry requirements for the destination country.

As ever, we encourage all those who are eligible to take up the existing offer of vaccination, if they have not yet done so.

Question reference: S6W-06965

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is reportedly investing £28.75 million of funding through the Scottish 4G Infill programme for up to 55 4G masts, in light of policy relating to telecommunications currently being reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish 4G Infill Programme (S4GI) was established in 2017 to address clear market failure and mitigate the absence of any policy from the UK Government at the time to tackle rural notspots. When we established S4GI, the UK Government’s earlier Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP) had failed to deliver meaningful outcomes for Scotland. Of 84 planned MIP sites in Scotland, only three were ultimately delivered. S4GI forms part of our wider 2016 Mobile Action Plan, which committed to exploring direct intervention in delivery of mobile coverage in areas of market failure.

Question reference: S6W-06945

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether kitchens with a log burner should have a smoke and heat alarm installed, or only a heat alarm.

Question reference: S6W-07058

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it encourages British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders from Hong Kong to resettle in Scotland, what information it has on how many have done so in the last five years, and how such numbers can be monitored.

Yes, Scotland is a welcoming nation and tose who decide to come to Scotland from Hong Kong and elsewhere will be welcomed for the positive contribution they will bring to our communities, economy and society. The Scottish Government have published a dedicated British National (Overseas) welcome pack, in both English and Cantonese, on our website and linked to the Moving to Scotland website.

The British National (Overseas) visa scheme was launched on 31 January 2021 and as of the end of December a total of 103,900 applications have been received. The Home Office have said it does not publish location data, have it in the immediate underlying data or collect intended locations for Hong Kong applicants. They have completed a small scale survey of British National (Overseas) visa holders which indicates 2% intend to settle in Scotland but due to the small sample size were unable to provide any further data. The Scottish Government will continue to press the UK Government for further information on numbers.

Question reference: S6W-06946

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether fluoride will be added to the public water supply in Scotland.

There are currently no plans to add fluoride to the public water supply nationally. However, the Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985 continues to enable Health Boards, with the support of local communities, to ask Scottish Water to introduce water fluoridation. Where a Health Board with the support of its local communities wishes to ask Scottish Water to fluoridate the water supply, Scottish Government would be supportive of such a move.

Question reference: S6W-07009

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on capacity at substations for connections for renewable projects over 50Kw.

The capacity of any substation within Scotland’s Network distribution licence areas is directly available to the public for the higher voltages sections of the network and by enquiry for the low voltage domestic end.

Information on this can be found at – Long Term Development Statement - SP Energy Networks and Detailed Long term development statements - SSEN.

Further information on the capacity for primary substations is published in a distribution heat map at Distributed Generation Heat Maps for SP Energy Networks and at Network Maps for SSEN. Along with connection quotations that are available to all stakeholders.

All enquiries can be made at Getting Connected - SP Energy Networks and Our Services - SSEN .

Question reference: S6O-00877

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of removing rates relief on small businesses after the first quarter of 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-06453

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to legislate regarding “Ready to Burn” certification for firewood and briquette suppliers, and when will any such legislation come into force.

The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to introduce such legislation. However our new air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' sets out a series of actions intended to deliver further air quality improvements over the period to 2026. Amongst these actions are several which focus on reducing emissions from domestic fuel combustion.

An expert working group, which met for the first time in January 2022, has been established to advise the Government on taking forward these actions. Further information will be made publicly available as this work proceeds.

Question reference: S6W-06926

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how a complaint can be raised when private care homes are believed not to be providing proper services.

Anyone concerned about the standard of care provided by a registered service can raise a complaint with the Care Inspectorate, the independent scrutiny and improvement body for social care and social work across Scotland. The Care Inspectorate have a statutory duty to deal with complaints made about registered care services, including private care homes. Complaints upheld are published on the Care Inspectorate’s website.

Question reference: S6W-06928

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what role the Care Commission plays in the distribution of (a) public and (b) private funds across care homes.

The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (the Care Inspectorate) was established on 1 April 2011 following the commencement of the Public Services Reform (Scotland Act) 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) and encompassed other bodies such as the Care Commission. The statutory role and functions of the Care Inspectorate are as set out in the 2010 Act and does not extend to a role in the distribution of public or private funding across care homes.