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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-03520

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce legislation to put into effect the decision to move ScotRail into the public sector when the current ScotRail franchise ends in March 2022.

Further to the answers provided to S6W-00200 on 3 June 2021 and S6W-00776 on 1 July 2021, Scottish Ministers have to work within current UK rail legislation, principally the Railways Act 1993 (the 1993 Act), which neither the Scottish Ministers nor the Scottish Parliament have powers to change.

The Scottish Ministers already have a duty under section 30 of the 1993 Act to provide or secure the provision of passenger rail services where a franchise agreement comes to an end and no further franchise agreement had been entered into in respect of the services. It is this duty that will enable the Scottish Ministers to arrange for a company wholly owned by the Scottish Government (ScotRail Trains Ltd) to provide ScotRail services when the current ScotRail franchise expires. The Scottish Ministers do not need to introduce additional legislation to put this into effect.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-03844

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-35805 by John Swinney on 15 March 2021, how many counsellors are currently in place to provide counselling services to schools.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.

Access to counselling support services through secondary schools are in place across Scotland. As highlighted in the answer to S5W-35805, there is variation in how the counselling service is being delivered across authorities. Twenty four authorities are providing a specific resource in schools and eight authorities are providing an authority wide service according to need across their region.

A summary of information provided by local authorities on the school counselling service in their area is available at: Access to counsellors in secondary schools: summary report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-03843

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many on-street bike hangars (secure, covered spaces for residents to park their bikes) are available across Scotland, and what demand there is for bike hangars.

Question reference: S6W-03687

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce an initiative similar to the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme Demonstrator that has been introduced by UK Government and, if so, by what date.

The Heat Networks (Scotland) Act sets statutory heat network deployment targets, requiring 2.6 terawatt hours of output by 2027 and 6 terawatt hours by 2030. To help achieve this, we have committed to invest at least £400 million over this parliamentary session in large scale heat and energy efficiency projects, including zero carbon heat networks. Detail on how we will meet the ambitious heat network targets will be provided in the Heat Networks Delivery Plan, which we will publish for consultation in due course.

As outlined in our recently launched Heat in Buildings Strategy we will launch a Heat Network Pre-Capital Support Unit in 2021, expanding on the previous role of the Heat Network Partnership to provide enhanced support to public and private sector in developing a pipeline for delivery.

The Scottish Government has awarded £37 million of financial support to heat networks through the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme since its launch in 2015. The programme is now closed to new applications, with a successor scheme due to be launched by the end of 2021. This new scheme will have a focus on low carbon heat projects, including large-scale heat networks. As well as supporting new projects and network extensions, the scheme will look to provide assistance to improve the efficiency of current heat networks and convert those powered by fossil fuels to low carbon options.

Question reference: S6T-00241

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to businesses and residents affected by recent flooding.

Question reference: S6T-00245

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that six prisoners overdosed on drugs in two days at HMP Shotts.

Question reference: S6F-00418

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is working to ensure that, during COP26, it provides a platform for unheard voices, including citizens, young people and those from the Global South.

Question reference: S6F-00412

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to Glasgow City Council cleansing workers taking strike action from 1 November and throughout COP26 due to low pay.

Question reference: S6F-00411

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what public advice the Scottish Government has issued regarding the discharge of fireworks, given that new regulations came into force on 30 June 2021.

Question reference: S6F-00410

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the First Minister what immediate steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported continuing inequalities in cancer mortality rates across Scotland.