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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: S6F-02180

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the First Minister what priority the Scottish Government gives to protecting Scotland's environment.

Question reference: S6F-02175

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02174

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-18126

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what licensing provisions Forestry and Land Scotland has in place regarding the disturbance of red squirrels during commercial forestry operations.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) take the protection of priority species within our woodlands, such as red squirrels, very seriously, and when appropriate conduct their operations out with the Red Squirrel breeding season to avoid disturbance.

FLS adhere to the industry guidance set by the Scottish Government forestry regulator, Scottish Forestry, and where necessary apply for and follow the species licencing process regulated by NatureScot. They are recognised as a trusted and competent land manager and have an agreed licencing process in place that reflects that recognition.

FLS have rigorous planning systems, checks and procedures with accompanying guidance to ensure all regulations and licence requirements to protect species are followed.

Question reference: S6W-17958

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16779 by Patrick Harvie on 27 April 2023, who will be responsible for managing the coordination of suppliers at local level, to ensure that they have the skills and quality marks required, in time for the roll-out of delivery plans, and what it anticipates will be the role of local authorities in this.

Ensuring that we have a suitably qualified workforce in place will be imperative for delivering a smooth rollout of energy efficiency and zero emission heating measures which will support us to achieve our net zero ambitions.

We currently offer support to the sector through a number of schemes which includes the Low Carbon Skills Grant which is available to heating and plumbing apprentices’ to undertake heat pump training as part of their qualification.

To further ensure the quality of works carried out we also provide funding to assist Scottish SMEs installing heat pumps in achieving MCS certification for the first time through the MCS Certification Fund.

We will continue to keep our offers of support under review to ensure that they are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

Delivery partners for each scheme, including local authorities where relevant, are currently responsible for the coordination of suppliers to ensure they have sufficient capacity in place to deliver schemes. It is likely that this arrangement will continue but we are committed to working with delivery partners to support the development of local and national supply chains and skills.

Question reference: S6W-17923

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve access to clinical trials for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

The NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Cancer Network is funded by the Scottish Government to increase, support and sustain clinical trial activity in cancer care within NHS Scotland. The fundamental aim of NRS Cancer is to support the recruitment of cancer patients into clinical research and to thereby contribute to improving the quality of cancer care for patients across Scotland, including those diagnosed with ovarian cancer. https://nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/research-areas/cancer

The Scottish Government also works with Cancer Research UK to support the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC's) in Glasgow and Scotland. These are part of a UK-wide ECMC Network of 18 adult centres and 11 paediatric locations https://www.ecmcnetwork.org.uk/ Glasgow’s Adult ECMC and Paediatric ECMC, together with Edinburgh’s Adult ECMC receive around £1 million annually to help doctors and scientists develop the cancer treatments of the future for both adults and children, including in ovarian cancer. The funding is split 50:50 Scottish Government / Cancer Research UK

On 13 February 2023 we published an Independent Report on Improving Equity of Access to Cancer Clinical Trials. We will be working closely with the cancer research community here to prioritise the report’s recommendations.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/improving-equity-access-cancer-clinical-trials-scotland/

Question reference: S6W-17940

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17423 by Patrick Harvie on 9 May 2023, how much funding has been allocated for the loans to date, and whether it has a target for the number of private rented sector landlords that it hopes will use the scheme.

The Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme was launched in April 2020 to support landlords with the cost of installation for energy efficiency improvements, renewable systems and energy storage systems.

The funding allocated for the scheme is set out in the following table:

Allocated Budget for Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme
Year	Allocated Budget
2020 - 2021	£1,000,000
2021 - 2022	£500,000
2022 – 2023	£500,000
2023 – 2024	£500,000

The scheme is demand led and as such, there are no specific targets set for the usage of the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17927

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to mark Coeliac Awareness Week, which runs from 15 to 21 May 2023, and what strategies it has in place to raise awareness of the condition.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work of organisations like Coeliac UK who are already undertaking communications work to increase awareness and knowledge of coeliac disease. We supported their messaging on Coeliac awareness week by sharing their twitter campaign raising awareness of lesser-known symptoms of the disease.

NHSinform.scot provides clear and accessible information on Coeliac Disease including, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.

Question reference: S6W-17925

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Coeliac Awareness Week, which runs from 15 to 21 May 2023, what steps it is taking to tackle under-diagnosis of coeliac disease, in light of reports that more than 30,000 people in Scotland with the condition are undiagnosed.

Question reference: S6W-18025

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent reviews it has undertaken of data sharing across public services.

n line with the digital strategy for Scotland - A changing nation: how Scotland will thrive in a digital world , the Scottish Government is committed to the responsible use of data to transform the way that public authorities work together to reach some of the most vulnerable people in society and to improve services, increase efficiency and support delivery of the National Outcomes, set out in the National Performance Framework.

The Scottish Government is supporting data sharing across public services through implementation of Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 (the Act). The provisions enable data to be shared by specified public authorities for tightly defined purposes, to help them to deliver their responsibilities more effectively, while ensuring safeguards and protections are in place to prevent unlawful disclosure. As with any legislative framework, the Scottish Government is monitoring and reviewing implementation of the Act in Scotland.

The Scottish Government welcomes the findings of the Information Commissioner’s Office in The ICO’sreview into data sharing under the Digital Economy Act 2017 , published in March 2023. The report highlights that the Act provides a supporting framework for data sharing including robust safeguards that ensure organisations share data responsibly and in alignment with data protection principles, while also safeguarding people’s rights.

The UK Government is reviewing and consulting on the effectiveness of the debt and fraud data sharing powers in the Act. The Scottish Ministers have responded to the consultation in support of retaining the data sharing powers.