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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-18555

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many women in prison were registered as having a disability in each of the last five years, and, of those, how many had a (a) physical and (b) learning disability.

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

The information is not held in the format requested.

The following table provides information on the number of women who have disclosed on admission into custody that they consider themselves as disabled.

Year	Number of Women who disclosed a disability
2018	130
2019	129
2020	102
2021	100
2022	121
2023	71

SPS do not hold medical information about individuals in its care. This information is held by NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18567

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of alleged illegal fishing were made to Marine Scotland in each year since 2009.

Prior to 2017, reports of alleged illegal fishing held by the Scottish Government were routinely disposed of in line with data protection legislation where – following investigation - no offence was found to have been committed, such reports were otherwise found to be unsubstantiated, or where there were no other legitimate operational grounds for retention.

No information on reports of alleged illegal fishing are therefore held for the period from 1 January 2009 to 25 February 2017 inclusive.

Recognising increased public and parliamentary interest in such information, however, and in compliance with Part 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018 the Scottish Government began the retention of some information relating to reports of alleged illegal fishing on a strictly limited basis.

In line with that, the following table shows the number of reports of alleged illegal fishing made to the Scottish Government between 26 February 2017 and 6 June 2023.

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Alleged Illegal fishing reports	467	363	318	390	477	704	406

Question reference: S6W-18556

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many women currently in prison have mental health issues.

This is a matter for individual health boards who are responsible for providing prisoner healthcare. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

To ensure that changes to prison mental health services are evidence-based and person-centred, the Scottish Government commissioned a Mental Health Needs Assessment of Scotland’s prison population which was published in September 2022. It includes estimates of the likely prevalence of several mental health problems in Scotland’s prison population using academic research and modelling from the non-prison population. It estimated that the prevalence of these problems is generally higher for women relative to men, except for alcohol use disorder and depression.

Question reference: S6W-18128

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Forestry and Land Scotland has any plans to facilitate licensed management of (a) raptor nests, (b) red squirrel dreys and (c) other protected woodland fauna during the harvesting of commercial woodlands at the time of the breeding season.

Scotland’s national forests and land are important habitats for many species. For example, Scottish crossbills, goshawks and large populations of songbirds and woodpeckers all use Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) plantations. In advance of any tree harvesting operation, an environmental survey is carried out by qualified FLS environment staff. Any active nests are marked on operational maps and mitigation is deployed. Typically, this involves an alteration to the timing of the operation, or the demarcation of a buffer around a nest, wherein no work can be carried out during the nesting period. Furthermore, during harvesting operations, machine operators and site managers remain vigilant, and any additional nests are protected in the same way. Nest of birds listed on Schedule A1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) are protected and retained.

To inform all this work, FLS liaises with stakeholders on an ongoing basis. For example, FLS environment staff have strong links with local Raptor Study Groups (a good number of FLS staff are members), and FLS is a partner in the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme. Invaluable information on raptors is therefore shared freely and raptors are very effectively protected. FLS also works closely with a range of other stakeholders, on a range of other bird species – from nightjars and wood sandpipers to black grouse and capercaillie. Managed plantations are crucial for the forestry sector yet are overwhelming beneficial for woodland birds in Scotland. This is something to celebrate.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has the following plans in place to facilitate the licensed management of species on Scotland’s national forests and land in order to carry out their functions:

A. No.

B. Yes. Where necessary, FLS will work under Licence No. 222884.

C. At present FLS have management plans in place for three other protected woodland fauna (Badgers) for the 2023 breeding season.

Question reference: S6W-19163

Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Withdrawn

Question reference: S6T-01455

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what economic impact it expects businesses across Scotland to experience as a result of its decision to not provide compensation for the delayed Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6T-01438

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an impact assessment of the reported withdrawal of appliances by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service from stations across the country.

Question reference: S6F-02252

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to mark Clean Air Day.

Question reference: S6F-02247

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reported concerns that its proposals to ban gas and other direct emission heating systems in new build homes from next year could have a serious adverse impact on the housing sector.

Question reference: S6F-02243

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that Scotland’s leading animal welfare charity, the Scottish SPCA, is in financial crisis.