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-00827

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to people at risk of alcohol harm in the most disadvantaged communities.

Question reference: S6O-00825

Asked by: Jenni Minto, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how decisions are made regarding the location of dialysis units.

Question reference: S6O-00831

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the allocation of Discretionary Housing Payments in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-07056

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its vision for Scottish agriculture.

I am delighted to announce the publication today (Wednesday 2 March) of the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture which sets out the principles and values we will put at the heart of a robust and coherent framework to underpin Scotland’s future agriculture support regime from 2025 onwards.

We are committed to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Scotland will have a support framework that delivers climate mitigation and adaptation, nature restoration and high quality food production. Farming, crofting and land management will continue to play an important role in maintaining thriving rural and island communities, not least through the opportunities that change will create. Land management in Scotland will change as we tackle the twin biodiversity and climate crises which will present challenges and opportunities for farmers and crofters, building on their traditional leadership role in land management and stewardship.

In acknowledgement of the reliance that urban Scotland will have on rural communities and businesses to help deliver on our climate change targets and low carbon, net zero ambitions, we will support this change to ensure farmers, crofters and local communities can capitalise on the benefits and that there is a Just Transition.

The Vision is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804351154 where it sets out the principles, values and objectives. The Vision also outlines the approach to the National Test Programme which is being developed with and alongside members of the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB).

Question reference: S6W-06499

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent by each NHS board on external legal support in connection with cases of staff bullying, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-06381

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date NHS Scotland will resume face-to-face antenatal classes, in light of the reported resumption of private classes.

Group antenatal classes were able to resume from 31 July 2020. Current guidance for delivery of maternity and neonatal services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic states that antenatal and postnatal group sessions can continue virtually or in person, subject to local risk assessment in NHS Boards.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) delivering maternity and neonatal services through the pandemic: beyond Level Zero - guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-06069

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on data published by NatureScot reportedly stating that the deer population in Scotland now exceeds one million and is increasing.

The review of deer management by the independent Deer Working Group (DWG) found that deer populations in Scotland have grown significantly since 1990, when the population estimate was approximately 512,000 wild deer. The DWG estimated the current deer population to be in excess of one million animals through analysis of data published by NatureScot in recent years. We have no reason to doubt the credibility of this estimate.

The DWG report is also clear that high densities of deer cause not only serious environmental and agricultural damage, but may also have a detrimental effect on wild deer welfare. That is why we asked the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission to consider recommendations made by the report, and we considered their views alongside all other evidence when forming our response, published last year.

The Commission's consideration of the DWG recommendations can be found here: Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: response to deer working group report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The Scottish Government's response to the DWG report can be found here: Deer Working Group recommendations: Scottish Government response - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-06806

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish the results of its monitoring and evaluation of the Winter Support Fund.

Question reference: S6W-06718

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many restorative justice services it plans to have set up by 2023, broken down by the location of these services.

As set out in the Restorative Justice Action Plan, we have committed to make restorative justice services available across Scotland by 2023 to all those who wish to access it. We are working with stakeholders on creating a ‘hub and spoke’ model for service delivery. This will consist of a National Hub that will have a strategic, oversight role, with services delivered locally via Regional Hubs. The location where facilitated meetings will take place will be determined by the needs of those looking to access the service.

Question reference: S6W-06053

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new ScotRail operator, ScotRail Trains Ltd, will honour the commitment to staff, reportedly offered under the existing franchise agreement, to no compulsory redundancies until at least 2025.

We absolutely remain committed to our policy position, which remains that public bodies should work with their staff representatives to negotiate no compulsory agreements for 2022-23 where it is practical to do so.

For a new body like ScotRail Trains Ltd, which does not have an existing agreement on no compulsory redundancies, I would expect there to be negotiations on this as part of the Public Sector Pay Policy discussions, which are crucial to the change that is needed as ScotRail comes under Scottish Government control on 1 April 2022.