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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-34164

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what penalties have been imposed following convictions for assaults on doctors in each year since 2018, broken down by the (a) type of penalty and (b) NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-34436

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's decision to bring forward secondary legislation that would allow the Genetic Technologies (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 to take effect, what it anticipates the potential impact on Scotland will be in relation to (a) devolved competencies (b) (i) regional and (ii) international trade, (c) consumer choice and (d) the integrity of GMO-free supply chains, such as organic.

We are aware of the UK Government’s planned secondary legislation following its Genetic Technologies (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and are looking carefully at the implications of their proposals. As our closest trading partner, any changes in England may have implications for Scottish businesses.

Regulation of genetic modification is an area of devolved responsibility, and the Scottish Government expects full cooperation from the UK Government in matters where any related legislation will impact upon the interests of Scottish businesses and consumers.

The views of stakeholders in Scotland – scientists, farmers, food producers, but especially, consumers and the public as a whole – will inform any future changes in relation to the regulation of genetic technologies in Scotland. On 27 March we will hold a roundtable event to better understand the views and concerns of stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-34074

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported findings of the True North survey that 53% of respondents in Scotland support the Clean Power 2030 target but only 35% believe that it is achievable.

Question reference: S6W-34134

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many speeding offences have been recorded on each trunk road, in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-34066

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities and other stakeholders on how to engage with the Scottish Government Resilience Room during an emergency.

“Preparing Scotland” is a set of national guidance documents, currently under review, to assist stakeholders, including local authorities, in planning for, responding to and recovering from emergencies. It consists of a “Hub” which sets out the philosophy, principles and good practice for emergency response in Scotland, and “Spokes” that provide detailed guidance on specific matters. The spoke on “Responding to Emergencies” describes how resilience partnerships and SGORR activate, and how they meet, report and share information. In an emergency, and where the structures have been activated, local authorities engage with SGORR as part of a resilience partnership.

Question reference: S6W-34062

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for coordinating with local authorities and public bodies through the Scottish Government Resilience Room during emergencies.

During the response to a civil contingencies emergency, the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) will usually engage with resilience partnerships formed by relevant categorised responder agencies (e.g. local authorities and other public bodies relevant to the response). SGORR engages with these resilience partnerships via liaison officers and/or through direct engagement with responders. Members of the Civil Contingencies Division Civil Contingencies Liaison Team and/or SGORR may deploy as Scottish Government Liaison Officers (SGLOs) to the partnerships, supporting the two-way flow of information and situational awareness so that emerging issues and trends are quickly identified and handled as appropriate.

Question reference: S6W-34061

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how often exercises or drills are conducted to test the effectiveness of the Scottish Government Resilience Room’s crisis response capabilities.

The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) takes part in a number of exercises every year to test its response protocols and overall effectiveness, train its staff and ensure a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities with partners. These exercises range from Tier 1 exercises (organised by UK Government and simulating a UK-level response) to SGORR-internal training exercises. The number of exercises SGORR participates in varies from year to year. To date in 2025, SGORR has completed six SGORR training exercises, and is currently planning to participate in a Tier 1 exercise later this year.

Question reference: S6T-02340

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, in light of reports by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine that the number of people waiting in A&E for over 12 hours is almost 100 times higher than in 2011.

Question reference: S6T-02350

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Scottish Water continues to pay bonuses to its executives, when public sector pay policy reportedly prohibits this.

Question reference: S6F-03803

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.