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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-22564

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on developments regarding access to bus travel.

On 28 October 2023 the Scottish Government announced that £2 million will be made available in next year’s budget to progress free bus travel for people seeking asylum in Scotland. Work will continue to establish the most appropriate way to extend this support, given that in broad terms immigration is reserved to the UK Government.

This announcement is the next step in making sure our transport system, and our country, is fair and accessible to all. In taking these next steps we will consider the impact on people we are seeking to support.

Question reference: S6W-22403

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for the funding it provided to Big Hearts Community Trust in 2022.

During Phase 5 of the CashBack for Communities (CashBack) programme (2020 – 2023), funding was awarded to the Scottish Professional Football League Trust (SPFL Trust). Their ‘Off the Bench’ project worked to provide young people in need of support with opportunities to access education, employment and build better futures.

The SPFL Trust provided onward funding to the Big Hearts Community Trust to support 23 young people in 2022. The main objectives set for Phase 5 CashBack projects were to:

• Support people, families and communities most affected by crime

• Support those most at risk of being involved in antisocial behaviour, offending or reoffending into positive destinations

• Support young people most at risk of entering the justice system

• Provide intergenerational support for parents, families and children impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences

All CashBack projects are evaluated against their objectives. The independent evaluation of Phase 5 of the CashBack for Communities programme is due to be published by December 2023.

Question reference: S6W-22230

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many freight sailings there were on routes from Aberdeen on the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract with Serco NorthLink, from January 2019 to date, broken down by month.

Freight Sailings from Aberdeen

	Jan-19	Feb-19	Mar-19	Apr-19	May-19	Jun-19	Jul-19	Aug-19	Sep-19	Oct-19	Nov-19	Dec-19
Aberdeen - Lerwick	13	18	18	14	14	13	13	14	11	14	12	8
Aberdeen - Lerwick via Kirkwall	5	4	4	4	5	7	9	9	7	8	9	6
Aberdeen - Kirkwall	2	4	5	5	4	5	4	4	13	7	4	6

	Jan-20	Feb-20	Mar-20	Apr-20	May-20	Jun-20	Jul-20	Aug-20	Sep-20	Oct-20	Nov-20	Dec-20
Aberdeen - Lerwick	10	11	15	17	18	15	18	14	13	13	11	9
Aberdeen - Lerwick via Kirkwall	3	3	3	1	0	3	5	7	9	9	7	6
Aberdeen - Kirkwall	4	4	7	8	9	5	4	5	11	6	6	6

	Jan-21	Feb-21	Mar-21	Apr-21	May-21	Jun-21	Jul-21	Aug-21	Sep-21	Oct-21	Nov-21	Dec-21
Aberdeen - Lerwick	6	8	22	11	13	12	19	14	13	13	10	12
Aberdeen - Lerwick via Kirkwall	4	3	5	5	4	9	4	7	8	8	8	6
Aberdeen - Kirkwall	4	4	4	3	4	3	4	5	12	8	4	5

	Jan-22	Feb-22	Mar-22	Apr-22	May-22	Jun-22	Jul-22	Aug-22	Sep-22	Oct-22	Nov-22	Dec-22
Aberdeen - Lerwick	12	10	16	15	13	14	13	13	13	13	10	12
Aberdeen - Lerwick via Kirkwall	4	4	6	7	6	10	9	9	7	8	7	6
Aberdeen - Kirkwall	4	6	4	4	5	3	5	4	12	10	5	3

	Jan-23	Feb-23	Mar-23	Apr-23	May-23	Jun-23	Jul-23	Aug-23	Sep-23
Aberdeen - Lerwick	12	15	19	13	13	13	15	13	13
Aberdeen - Lerwick via Kirkwall	7	6	7	8	9	9	10	10	9
Aberdeen - Kirkwall	5	5	4	5	9	8	6	4	12

Question reference: S6W-22228

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the (a) crewing levels and (b) frequency of ferry services between the mainland and the Orkney Islands.

A transport appraisal of passenger and freight ferry services between the Northern Isles and the Scottish mainland, in line with the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG), was undertaken in 2016-2017 to inform the specification of the Northern Isles Ferry Services contract awarded in 2020. The study report is published here:

final-report-appraisal-of-options-for-specification-of-2018-northern-isles-ferry-services-april-2018.pdf (transport.gov.scot)

Crewing is a matter for the ferry operators.

Question reference: S6W-22043

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to include dementia as a key priority area in the next Women’s Health Plan, in light of recent data from the National Records of Scotland showing that dementia is the leading cause of death for women in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22025

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s reported plans to consult on stopping transgender people being treated in single-sex hospital wards, what its position is on implementing a similar policy in Scotland.

The Scottish Government expects everybody to be treated fairly and with respect when seeking health care. All health boards have policies in place to fulfil their duties under the Equality Act 2010.

The Scottish Government supports the appropriate use of single sex exemptions to services when it is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Equality Act rests with individual organisations. The responsibility for oversight of compliance with the 2010 Act, rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).EHRC has issued guidance on how the Regulations should be applied in practice, including on hospital wards.

The EHRC is independent, and it cannot be directed by Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-22040

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the monthly payment made to dentists was for each (a) adult and (b) child patient that is registered with them, in each year since 2007, also broken down by month.

Question reference: S6W-22174

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many dogs have been destroyed following a court of any type issuing a destruction order, in each year since 2012.

This information is not held centrally and relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body.

The SCTS have provided the following table detailing how many orders of destruction were issued by the courts. However, they don’t hold records of how many dogs were then subsequently “destroyed”. Following an order being issued by the court, appeals and other protocols can occur. Once the order is issued SCTS do not find out the outcome of whether the dog was destroyed or not, the specific information is not held by SCTS.

Destruction orders issued under both the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 at Scottish Courts

Financial Year	Destruction order	Contingent Destruction order
2012-13	8	6
2013-14	12	7
2014-15	11	10
2015-16	11	6
2016-17	13	5
2017-18	6	9
2018-19	11	10
2019-20	9	4
2020-21	4	1
2021-22	8	8
2022-23	11	12
2023-24 YTD	8	5
Total	112	83

Source: SCTS

Data Notes

1. Data is based on all cases disposed in the Sheriff, Justice of the Peace and High Courts from 1st April 2012 until 30th September 2023 where at least one charge falls under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 or the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010.

2. These orders are from the courts disposals that occurred within that period regardless of when the case was registered. This is at case/accused level where at least one order falls under the charges from Acts above. A distinct order is only counted once per person per case.

3. Contingent Destruction Orders are not a final destruction outcome and a breach of this order may not be subsequently recorded as such through the court disposal system. A contingent destruction order is a court order that allows a dog to be spared from being destroyed if the owner complies with the conditions set out in the order.

4. YTD is 1st April 2023 until 30th September 2023.

5. There is a possibility that text disposals may also exist that impose a destruction order. As this is a manual field all text disposals would require manual interrogation.

6. There is an option to proceed through the civil court system to acquire a dog destruction order, however as there is no specific case category, type and subtype which would allow SCTS to identify these cases, they are unable to electronically extract any information in relation to these.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service uses a live operational case management system for the processing of court business. The information held on the system is structured for these operational needs, rather than for statistical reporting or research purposes. The information provided is based on the best information available from the case management system as at 20-10-2023.

Question reference: S6W-22198

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that dementia is the leading cause of death among women in Scotland, what work the Women's Health Champion is doing to address the (a) cause, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of the illness in women, and whether further iterations of the Women's Health Plan will include dementia going forward.

Professor Anna Glasier is Scotland’s independent Women’s Health Champion, and her remit encompasses all of the aims of the Women’s Health Plan.

There are many other issues and conditions that are important to women and their health, and there is a range of work under way to help women affected by dementia.

This includes the Scottish Government’s New Dementia Strategy, published in May 2023. The Scottish Government is also working together with COSLA and a lived experience panel, which includes women with a diagnosis of dementia, to agree priorities for the first delivery plan for the strategy, which will be published in January 2024.

The priorities for any future Women’s Health Plan are not yet determined. Consideration for future areas of focus and priorities will be informed by evidence and developed in collaboration with women and girls, a women’s health lived experience group, clinical experts and relevant stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-22226

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a mechanism in place for local authorities to report any spikes in bedbug infestations.