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: S5W-29158

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans are in place should universities be unable to open in September 2020.

I will not be recommending to universities that they delay their term times - that is a decision for each university. Some universities may stagger certain parts of their operations for a few weeks or a few months. I am confident that most, if not all, of our institutions will be open for business come the new term.

I look to our colleges and universities to make appropriate decisions in relation to their operations, while prioritising the health of staff, students and the wider public.

Scottish Government's route map shows that universities and colleges can have a phased return next term, with a combination of remote learning and some limited on-campus learning. My officials are working closely with universities, colleges, the Scottish Funding Council, staff and student bodies on plans for this phased return.

As set out in Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis, we will consider a range of evidence on the progress of the pandemic in Scotland to judge whether, when and where restrictions can be changed.

Together with employers, trades unions and students, we will develop sector-specific guidance as appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-29157

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans and support measures are in place for parents and pupils should school closures and lockdown measures remain in place, or be restarted, in September 2020.

The Scottish Government will do its best to avoid a second wave of COVID-19. However, if the scientific evidence tells us that we are unable to contain the virus, it is possible that we may need to re-impose lockdown restrictions for schools and other education settings. Education Scotland and the teaching profession have worked tirelessly to deliver lessons to pupils in these new circumstances, at one of the education hubs or via home-learning. Whilst we recognise that this is not a replacement for face-to-face teaching in the classroom, we are confident that teachers are providing the best possible education in the circumstances, and we trust this would be repeated in the case of a second wave.

Question reference: S5W-29169

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many children are still attending educational outlets during the lockdown, also broken down by local authority.

On average, over the past week (Mon 18 – Fri 22 May) 8,216 children and young people attended local authority educational hubs, which is around 1.1% of all children and young people. A breakdown of these figures by local authority can be found in the following table.

Local Authority	Average number of children & young people who physically attended over the past week (Mon 18 – Fri 22 May) (excluding those that only attended for a free school meal)	Average percentage of children & young people who physically attended over the past week (Mon 18 – Fri 22 May) (excluding those that only attended for a free school meal)
Aberdeen City	203	0.8%
Aberdeenshire	407	1.0%
Angus	256	1.5%
Argyll & Bute	133	1.2%
Clackmannanshire	93	1.2%
Dumfries & Galloway	245	1.2%
Dundee City	524	2.6%
East Ayrshire	196	1.1%
East Dunbartonshire	192	1.0%
East Lothian	240	1.5%
East Renfrewshire	339	1.8%
Edinburgh City	350	0.6%
Falkirk	283	1.2%
Fife	404	0.7%
Glasgow City	870	1.1%
Highland	195	0.6%
Inverclyde	168	1.5%
Midlothian	184	1.3%
Moray	180	1.4%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	116	3.1%
North Ayrshire	107	0.5%
North Lanarkshire	600	1.1%
Orkney Islands	38	1.2%
Perth & Kinross	120	0.6%
Renfrewshire	308	1.2%
Scottish Borders	419	2.6%
Shetland Islands	41	1.1%
South Ayrshire	70	0.4%
South Lanarkshire	390	0.8%
Stirling	183	1.3%
West Dunbartonshire	117	0.8%
West Lothian	245	0.8%
Scotland Estimate	8216	1.1%

Question reference: S5W-29159

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what preparatory work it has undertaken on how schools could be reopened, and whether it envisages this would be done in different stages.

The Education Recovery Group was formed in April for the purpose of advising government on how to re-open schools and ELC settings once it is safe to do so. Formed of representatives from across the education and ELC sectors, and supported by ten workstreams, the group has contributed to the Strategic Framework which was published on 21 May. This framework sets out the proposed details of a phased return to face-to-face teaching. The document also highlights the need to strike the right balance between safety, wellbeing and learning for all of Scotland’s children and young people as lockdown restrictions are eased. Guidance on implementing the Framework has now been published.

Question reference: S5O-04380

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how its climate change targets could be supported by the recommendations in SSE's report, A Greenprint for Building a Cleaner More Resilient Economy.

Question reference: S5T-02181

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken a decision regarding reopening schools in the current academic year, in light of the plans in other parts of the UK.

Question reference: S5W-27860

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 6 April 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of the existing annual subsidy for the Gourock to Kilcreggan ferry service, which is provided by Clyde Marine Services Limited, under contract with SPT, and what the projected annual subsidy cost is when it is transferred to CalMac Ferries Limited.

In the 12 months to end March 2020 the total subsidy cost of operating the Gourock to Kilcreggan ferry service (operated by Clyde Marine Services Limited under contract to SPT) was £504,500. This figure includes a contribution from Transport Scotland for the 6 months to end March 2020.

Going forward, in the first full year under CalMac’s contract with Transport Scotland the subsidy cost of operating the Gourock - Kilcreggan service is anticipated to be some £857,000. Of this subsidy cost, SPT will contribute an increased amount of £387,500 per annum. This increase in operating costs includes the full cost of CalMac Ferries Limited chartering the vessel ‘Chieftain’ from Clyde Marine Services and all other relevant costs such as staffing provisions and maintenance.

After the first year of operation the costs of operating this service will be incorporated into the wider Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services subsidy provided by Scottish Ministers to CalMac.

Question reference: S5O-04332

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to IAM RoadSmart’s survey, which found that 90% of motorists in Scotland have been affected by potholes in the last year.

We appreciate the challenges facing road maintenance across Scotland and the importance of a safe, well performing road network. The Scottish Government expects to invest £471 million in managing, maintaining and safely operating the trunk road network in 2020-21, as set out in the Budget.

Local road maintenance is the responsibility of local authorities who allocate resources based on local priorities. Despite an £840 million real terms cut by the UK Government to Scotland’s discretionary resource budget since 2010-11, we have ensured that local government receives a fair funding settlement to support vital public services.

Question reference: S5W-27861

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) fares will be applied to the Gourock to Kilcreggan ferry route when the service is transferred to CalMac Ferries Limited.

Question reference: S5O-04271

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the firefighter pay negotiations.