Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 42583 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6F-00228

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking ahead of COP26 regarding the future of oil and gas exploration and securing a just transition for workers.

Question reference: S6F-00220

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with ScotRail and the trade unions regarding industrial action on the network.

Question reference: S6F-00211

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had regarding the functioning of Corporate Travel Management.

Question reference: S6F-00207

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-00206

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-02392

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address (a) the threat of (i) rhododendron ponticum invasion and (ii) overgrazing and (b) other key threats to native woodland condition.

The management of deer and invasive non-native species are fundamental to our efforts in tackling the twin challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Action to address threats to native woodland condition is being taken on a number of fronts, in particular to address key threats such as overgrazing and invasive species, principally Rhododendron .

While NatureScot and other public bodies take an operational lead supporting the control of invasive non-native plants in priority areas, the main responsibility for the management of invasive non-native species rests with landowners. The Scottish Government makes funding available for rhododendron control projects under the Scottish Rural Development Programme’s (SRDP) Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS). To date more than £730,000 has been committed for this purpose.

Scottish Forestry (SF) has worked with NatureScot to develop ‘ An approach to prioritising rhododendron control in Scotland ’ which encourages landscape-scale partnership work and helps guide funding to those areas where it will achieve the greatest benefit to biodiversity.

Since 2011 Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has undertaken rhododendron control in forests, mainly in protected areas. FLS’s future rhododendron control will be co-ordinated with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest and other land managers, with the aim of achieving effective long-term control at a landscape scale.

Addressing overgrazing by deer in woodland has been identified as one of the six Strategic Priorities for ‘ Scotland’s Wild Deer: A National Approach’ . This will require Government departments and agencies to work together with land managers to implement actions using a mixture of incentive and regulation to improve the health of our woodlands.

An independent review by the Deer Working Group into the management of wild deer sets out 99 recommendations to improve the management of wild deer in Scotland, including a number of legislative changes. The Scottish Government has set out our commitment to take forward recommendations in this parliamentary term.

SF offer a number of grants through the FGS that support the management of ecosystems. This includes support to restore plantations to native woodland and active management to expand native woodlands through natural regeneration.

Trees for Life are surveying Caledonian Pinewood remnants on Scotland’s national forests and land and FLS will develop a programme of management to address the threats it identifies.

Question reference: S6W-02337

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent media reports, whether it can confirm that Police Scotland has halted all training of Sri Lankan police, and under what circumstances such training would resume, and whether it will commit to publishing in full the outcome of the current review of Police Scotland’s training in Sri Lanka.

Question reference: S6W-02339

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether Sri Lanka is on Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit’s list of countries for which ministerial approval is required for training to take place there, and, if not, whether, for any other reason, ministerial approval is required for Police Scotland to provide training to Sri Lankan police.

Question reference: S6W-02331

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage and facilitate the safe disposal of disused flares and other time expired pyrotechnics (TEPs) in island and rural communities.

Disused flares and other time expired pyrotechnics are likely to be hazardous (special) waste and should be classified and managed as such. Advice on management of special waste is provided by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Guidance is provided on how to classify special waste, how to consign this waste, and how to pay for the waste to be moved safely.

Some manufacturers of flares and pyrotechnics offer takeback schemes. There are specialist hazardous waste disposal companies and operators who can manage this waste in the correct manner.

With regard to maritime flares, maritime safety is a reserved matter. Certain HM Coastguard locations are licensed to store flares, and will accept flares for disposal at their discretion. There are a small number of coastguard operations bases in island and rural locations in Scotland where flares can be taken for safe disposal.

Question reference: S6W-02217

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the funding in the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-2026 has been allocated to projects related to (a) utility networks, (b) transport and (c) digital communications.

The proportion of the total estimated Scottish Government investment at Annex D of the Infrastructure Investment Plan between 2021-22 to 2025-2026 in relation to a) utility networks, b) transport and c) digital communications is 8.7%, 27.2% and 5.4% respectively.

Further details relating to this estimated five-year planned investment are contained within the following table noting that gas and electricity network policy and regulation as well as digital infrastructure is reserved to the UK Government. The Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) funding covers a range of projects relating to low carbon infrastructure, some of which include heat networks. For the purposes of this answer, the full LCITP allocation has been included within the table as it is not currently possible to say what share is dedicated to utility networks.

SECTOR	PROJECT NAME	CAPITAL INVESTMENT (£M)
Utility Networks	Scottish Water Investment Programme	850
Utility Networks	Clyde Mission Low Carbon Infrastructure	25
Utility Networks	Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP)	405
TOTAL		1,280
Transport	Support for Sustainable and Active Travel	352
Transport	Active Freeways	50
Transport	Future Transport Fund - capital to support a range of low and zero carbon investment	287
Transport	Future Transport Fund – Bus Priority Investment	495
Transport	Support for zero-emission bus fleet transition	120
Transport	Road Adaptations Fund	60
Transport	A9 Dualling Programme	328
Transport	A96 Dual carriageway	20
Transport	A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan	136
Transport	A77 Maybole Bypass	5
Transport	A92/A96 Haudagain Junction Improvement	7
Transport	A737 Improvements at Beith	10
Transport	A801 Improvement project	22
Transport	STPR – potential pipeline projects	45
Transport	Rail Major Project Enhancements	1,200
Transport	Glasgow Subway Modernisation	104
Transport	CMAL – Two new 100 metre ferries	84
Transport	CMAL – Voted Loans – net vessel investment	281
Transport	Piers and Harbours Grants	306
Transport	Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd Air Traffic Control Services	28
Transport	Additional transport links alongside City Region Deals	68
TOTAL		4,008
Digital Communications	Digital Public Services Programme	110
Digital Communications	eHealth	25
Digital Communications	Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP)	122
Digital Communications	Reaching 100% programme (R100)	542
TOTAL		799