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: S6F-00519

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what discussions have taken place between the Scottish Government and the postal and banking sectors regarding the continued access to everyday services, particularly for rural, digitally excluded and vulnerable consumers.

Question reference: S6F-00522

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether nuclear power is an essential part of Scotland's transition to net zero.

Question reference: S6F-00501

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to a SEPA investigation uncovering the single largest illegal export of household waste from Scotland, resulting in Saica Natur UK Limited being fined £20,000.

Question reference: S6F-00500

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to Rape Crisis Scotland's Survivor Reference Group: Police Responses in Scotland Report.

Question reference: S6F-00494

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-00493

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6T-00301

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to NHS boards that are under pressure.

Question reference: S6T-00296

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools are currently shut due to staff shortages resulting from COVID-19 cases.

Question reference: S6W-04042

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s seventh quinquennial review of schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, what assessment it has made of the potential removal of schedule 5 legal protection for (a) pine martens, (b) adders, (c) basking sharks and (d) other wildlife species in Scotland that (i) have not had a relevant International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessment and (ii) are in decline but have had a relevant IUCN assessment that did not signal imminent threat of national extinction, and whether it would support a recommendation to remove schedule 5 protection for any of these species.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) published a stakeholder consultation , including a list of provisional recommendations regarding the addition, retention, regrading or removal of each species on 8 November 2021. Those proposed recommendations do not include the removal of schedule 5 legal protection for pine martens, adders or basking sharks.

We will carefully consider the findings of the JNCC seventh Quinquennial review prior to implementing any recommendations. Before making any changes regarding species removal from schedule 5 we would have to be satisfied that there would be no detrimental impact to the individual species or to the wider biodiversity and environmental landscape in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-04130

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with a registered learning disability are currently in prison, broken down by (a) institution and (b) sex.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The SPS does not hold the requested data. Since 2013, SPS has asked all persons on admission to custody to self-declare any known disability. The response is recorded on SPS’ internal system as either: yes, no or prefer not to disclose. However, the type of disability it is not specifically recorded.

Every individual in SPS custody is interviewed by a Healthcare Professional on admission in order to assess their healthcare needs. Where there is an identified need for additional support or reasonable adjustments whilst in custody, SPS, NHS and our education service partners will work in partnership to facilitate this.