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: S6T-00001

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the ongoing disruption to lifeline ferry routes served by CalMac.

Question reference: S6W-00054

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason frontline police officers have reportedly been prioritised for their COVID-19 vaccination by age profile rather than their risk of contact with the public.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that the risk increases exponentially with age.

The Scottish Government greatly values the work of Scotland’s police officers and staff in keeping communities safe throughout this pandemic. They have been at the frontline of this public health response, and we are so grateful for the work they have undertaken.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions are guided by the independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

We are adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from COVID-19 and is estimated to address over 90 per cent of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is important that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost.

Question reference: S6W-00043

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s plan to give financial support to farmers for animal welfare enhancements, how it plans to financially support farmers in Scotland to ensure and improve on-farm animal welfare.

Question reference: S6W-00035

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities will be able to retrospectively draw down funding under the phase three timetable of the Scottish Schools for the Future programme.

Question reference: S6W-00041

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 May 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a ban on (a) enriched cages for hens and (b) farrowing crates for sows.

Question reference: S6W-00013

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to produce a Fuel Poverty Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-00023

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government by what date taxi (a) drivers will receive their second COVID-19 grant of up to £1,500 and (b) operators will receive their £10,000 COVID-19 payment.

Question reference: S6W-00094

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether, similar to Wales and Northern Ireland, it will produce guidance on school uniform supplies, regarding (a) reducing costs, (b) preventing exclusive suppliers and (c) making uniforms affordable for all, and if so, when the guidance will be delivered.

The Scottish Government recognises the cost of buying a school uniform can be considerable for many families. In 2018, in partnership with local authorities, we introduced the national minimum school clothing grant of £100 for all eligible children and young people.

We are committed to developing guidance to ensure consistency on school uniform policies across all of Scotland, ending expensive insistence on exclusive suppliers and to support the automation of school clothing grants in every local authority area in order to remove barriers to application and to boost uptake. We will work with our partners in local government on the development of guidance and on measures to support the automation of school clothing grants during 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-00017

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will publish the outline business case for its proposed publicly-owned energy company.

Question reference: S6W-00008

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) survey and remodelling work in the R100 North of Scotland lot area and (b) estimated timetable for the roll-out of superfast broadband in this area.

The Scottish Government provided Openreach with a finalised speed and coverage template (or SCT) for the R100 North lot contract at the end of March 2021 as outlined in response to S5W-36133 on 23 March 2021. The remodelling exercise to finalise their coverage footprint is ongoing and will be subject to rigorous review through Scottish Government governance and assurance structures, and those of Building Digital UK (BDUK). The full picture across the R100 North lot contract area is expected to be available by Summer 2021.

Survey vessels have begun detailed survey work in preparation for the deployment of 16 new subsea cables.

The roll-out of R100 build in the North lot – and the associated survey work – will be completed in phases, and build plans will be reflected in our online checker at scotlandsuperfast.com.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers