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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-16273

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its funding of £200 million for the north east through the Aberdeen City Region Deal to reduce the ScotRail journey time between Aberdeen and Edinburgh by 20 minutes, on what measures, and where, geographically, will the funding be spent.

Question reference: S6W-16226

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14079 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023, how many potholes were (a) reported to and (b) repaired by Transport Scotland in Skye in each month of (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The following tables show how many potholes have been reported and repaired by Transport Scotland’s Operating Company, BEAR Scotland, in Skye in each month of (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

2021	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Potholes Reported	14	13	15	17	10	5	8	2	6	6	4	4
Potholes Repaired	14	12	15	17	10	5	8	2	6	6	4	4

2022	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Potholes Reported	3	8	12	10	16	9	8	4	1	7	8	11
Potholes Repaired	3	8	11	10	16	9	8	4	1	7	4	6

The number of reported potholes may differ to the number repaired within the same month. Reasons for this include delays due to severe weather, restrictions on the network, although temporary repairs will have been made, and repairs being completed the following month while still meeting the requirement to be permanently repaired within 28 days.

Question reference: S6W-14638

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what provisions it has introduced to address train delays between East Lothian and Edinburgh.

Performance (reliability and punctuality) at Musselburgh, Wallyford, Prestonpans, Longniddry, and Drem on the North Berwick Line compare favourably with the ScotRail average, which in turn compares well with the GB average. Nonetheless, it is the responsibility of Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail to work in partnership with Network Rail in Scotland to continue to improve performance.

For Dunbar in East Lothian, many of the services are provided by LNER, Cross Country and Transpennine Express, which are UK Government train operating companies.

Question reference: S6W-14637

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what provisions it has introduced to address train delays between Tweedbank and Edinburgh.

The Borders railway line between Tweedbank and Edinburgh has been affected by ongoing issues with poor performance and the availability of diesel trains in ScotRail’s fleet. Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail are working to address this via an Improvement Plan. The reliability of ScotRail trains on this route has also been impacted by the poor performance of UK Government-managed train operating companies, which interact with Tweedbank services on the East Coast Mainline closer to Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6W-16588

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12940 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 December 2022, whether it will provide an update on the service continuity plan for the transfer and timetabling of services from Troon.

The service continuity plans for the Ardrossan-Brodick/Campbeltown route are currently being reviewed by CalMac following the recent announcement of the delivery date and deployment of the MV Glen Sannox to the route. CalMac are engaging with relevant partners including the Isle of Arran Ferry Committee on the Troon timetables and are expected to publish the Timetable Consultation Report (as part of a public consultation exercise undertaken in August and September 2022) in the coming weeks.

Question reference: S6W-16181

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the number of jobs that sustainable aviation fuel could create in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-16182

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the future value of sustainable aviation fuel in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-16099

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of fires attended to by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service that were caused by, or suspected to have been caused by, electric (a) scooters, (b) bikes and (c) cars, in each year since 2017.

This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are working with key stakeholders and partners to understand the risks that lithium-ion batteries (LIB), contained within most electric vehicles, present to communities across Scotland. A bespoke working group is focused on these risks, and its findings will strengthen SFRS’s community safety work going forward. SFRS urges users of LIB technology to take the appropriate steps when disposing of spent battery units to ensure reduced risk of fire.

Question reference: S6W-16045

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of primary care provision in Gilmerton.

Question reference: S6W-16048

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15589 by Elena Whitham on 14 March 2023, whether it will list the stakeholders that it (a) has already consulted and (b) plans to gather views from on potentially raising the legal age of marriage to 18, in line with the recommendation of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Scottish Government officials have met with the following groups and organisations on the minimum age of marriage and related matters:

AMINA- Muslim Women’s Resource Centre

Article 12 in Scotland

Association of Registrars of Scotland

Caledonian Humanist Association

Evangelical Alliance

Hemat Gryffe Women’s Aid

Humanist Society Scotland

IKWRO Women’s Rights Organisation

Independent Humanist Ceremonies

JustRight Scotland

Karma Nirvana

Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities

Saheliya

Scottish Women’s Aid

Shakti Women’s Aid

Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights)

UNICEF UK

They have also met with some Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament and with two Scottish family law academics.

I intend for these meetings to continue. My officials are planning to meet representatives of the following bodies, some of which will have received invitations to discuss the issues.

The Baptist Union of Scotland

The Church of Scotland

The Free Church of Scotland

The Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland

Glasgow Central Mosque

Hindu Forum of Britain

The Methodist Church

The Muslim Council of Scotland

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers in Scotland)

The Roman Catholic Church (The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland)

The Salvation Army

The Scottish Association of Mosques

The Scottish Episcopal Church

Sikhs in Scotland

The Scottish Unitarian Association

The Synod of Scotland of the United Reformed Church

The United Free Church of Scotland

The member is welcome to write to me with details of other interested groups who want to be involved.