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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-17662

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17639 by Neil Gray on 27 April 2023, how many jobs in Scotland it estimates this development will create; whether a site or sites have been identified for this development; when it will open, and whether it committed to any financial support for the development prior to the announcement.

The Scottish Government welcomes Sumitomo’s proposed investment in Scotland and is working closely with our enterprise agencies and other partners to support the investment and ensure it delivers maximum benefit for Scotland. Sumitomo has confirmed more than £200m in investment and the creation of 150 highly skilled green jobs. The specific location and opening dates have yet to be confirmed. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has agreed to the principle of financial support should it be required to help realise Sumitomo’s ambitions, but no funding commitment has been made.

Question reference: S6W-17569

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the statement by the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity on 20 April 2023, how many of the 200 new green jobs are located in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Motherwell.

Circularity Scotland is developing and constructing the logistical network that will support the effective operation of the scheme when it launches on 1 March 2024. It has secured a number of sites across Scotland to deliver the scheme and Circularity Scotland’s website provides details of approximately how many jobs will be located at both the Aberdeen and Motherwell sites.

Circularity Scotland website information:

Figures	Location	Article
140 jobs	Motherwell	6 March 2023 available at: 140 jobs created in multi-million pound Deposit Return Scheme project in Motherwell \| Circularity Scotland Ltd
60 jobs	Aberdeen	6 February 2023 available at: 60 jobs created in £7.7m Deposit Return Scheme in Aberdeen \| Circularity Scotland Ltd

Question reference: S6W-17792

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the forthcoming 10-year cancer strategy improves survival and outcomes for the less survivable forms of cancer, such as liver cancer.

Our ambitious 10-year cancer strategy, due to be published in early summer, will be under-pinned by action plans which will evolve with the changing cancer landscape. The strategy will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

It will encompass a new earlier cancer diagnosis vision for Scotland and will continue to focus on those cancer types that are the largest burden and have poorer survival, in particular the less survivable cancers, including liver cancer.

Question reference: S6W-17821

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to Phase 1 of ScotRail's procurement programme, what progress has been made towards procuring a new fleet of suburban trains to enter passenger service between 2027 and 2030.

Question reference: S6W-17762

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the University of Dundee report, Senior Hospital Doctors' Intentions to Retire in NHS Scotland, which states that nearly half of all senior hospital doctors in Scotland aged 50 and over intend to retire before normal pension age.

I welcome this report and the valuable insight it has given us. The report highlighted that pension taxation was the main driver for Consultant’s seeking early retirement, which is why we continued to press the UK Government to resolve this issue. I am pleased they listened and brought forward changes at the UK Budget on 15 March to the annual and life time allowances that resolve this issue for the vast majority of Senior Doctors, ensuring they have an alternative choice to retiring early and leaving the service.

The report gives NHS Employers a clear understanding of the issues facing our highly valued Consultant staff. It will allow us to work in partnership with BMA Scotland and NHS Boards through our established structures to address the issues raised in this report, ensuring that NHS Scotland is able to attract and retain doctors at all stages in their career.

We have already established the Improving Medical Retention Advisory Group who have made recommendations to improve the retention of senior doctors and are continuing to implement these actions.

Question reference: S6W-17647

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-12519 and S6W12628 by Ivan McKee on 5 December 2022, as part of its role in ensuring that submarine cables are protected and in engaging with affected stakeholders, what assessment it has made of the reported claim that the major communications outage in Shetland on 20 October 2022 may have been deliberately caused by a Russian vessel, rather than being the result of accidental damage by a UK registered fishing vessel.

Telecommunications is reserved to the UK Government. Security and resilience of sub sea telecommunication cables, as well as the whole network, is therefore UKG responsibility. UKG are aware of the incident and the cause. As noted in the responses to your previous questions S6W-12519 and S6W-12628, The Scottish Government received confirmation from the UK Government’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency that a UK registered fishing vessel was the cause of damage to the subsea cable affecting telecommunications on Shetland.

Question reference: S6W-17770

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many students are currently enrolled in the Rural Skills National Progression Award (NPA) at SCQF level 5, broken down by campus.

The following table shows the number of entries to the Rural Skills National Progression Award at SCQF Level 5 for the 2022-23 academic year broken down by centre.

Entries to Rural Skills NPA at SCQF 5, 2022-23

Centre Name	Entries
Ardrossan Academy	15
Argyll College	9
Borders College	9
Breadalbane Academy	21
Dundee and Angus College	35
Falkirk High School	12
Keith Grammar School	9
North East Scotland College	10
Orkney College	18
SRUC Scotland's Rural College	7
Stranraer Academy	5
Wallace Hall Academy	15
Webster's High School	7
Total	172

Source: Scottish Qualifications Authority

Note: Figures are up to and including 30 April 2023.

Question reference: S6W-17767

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15766 by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023, how many unclaimed deposits are currently in each of Scotland’s rental deposit schemes, and what their financial value is.

The following table provides how many unclaimed deposits are currently in each of Scotland’s rental deposit schemes, and what their financial value is at end February 2023.

	No. of unclaimed deposits	Financial value of unclaimed deposits
Letting Protection Service Scotland	2,191	£699,647
mydeposits Scotland	7,425	£1,810,399
SafeDeposits Scotland	4,413	£1,192,858

There is currently no definition in law of what an unclaimed deposit is. As part of the New Deal for Tenants: Draft Rented Sector Strategy we consulted on proposals to make use of unclaimed deposits and the period after which the funds should be available for reinvestment.

Question reference: S6W-17765

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17105 by Paul McLennan on 27 April 2023, whether it is aware that SafeDeposits Scotland has two versions of its Scheme Rules on its website, both dated 12 December 2022, which have different wordings for scheme rule 22.5, and whether it will investigate this irregularity.

SafeDeposits Scotland annually check the scheme rules and some wording changes were made for clarity. There have been no significant changes to the revised scheme or original proposal referred to the Scottish Government for approval. Any considered changes would be discussed as part of routine monitoring discussions.

SafeDeposits Scotland have confirmed that there is only one version of the Scheme Rules available on the website.

Question reference: S6W-17753

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has examined the reported evidence linking diets high in ultra processed foods with a range of negative health outcomes, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

The Scottish Government and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) remain committed to using the latest scientific consensus of established evidence to inform our view on ultra-processed foods.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) considered ultra-processed foods at a meeting in June 2022. SACN is now carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health. I understand SACN aims to publish a position paper on processed foods and health this summer.

Scottish Government and FSS await the outcome of this evidence review.