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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-06542

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-06543

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-05790

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the SQA will communicate the key areas to be covered within the forthcoming exam diet to (a) teachers and (b) pupils, in light of reported concerns regarding disruption to learning as a result of staff and pupil absences due to COVID-19 and the impact of the availability of subject specialists in secondary schools on the completion of courses.

As I confirmed on 1 February, based on the ongoing disruption arising from Covid, the SQA has taken the decision to invoke the Scenario 2 contingency and revision support will be made available in early March.

This revision support will complement the significant modifications to courses and assessments that the SQA have already made to take account of the expected disruption to learning this year.

The timing of the revision support gives learners the opportunity to complete the learning for their courses and focus on their coursework before their attention moves more fully to preparing for exams. It is important that teaching and learning is not narrowed too far in advance as this would negatively impact the learners’ breadth of knowledge and understanding as well as the next steps in their learning. In addition, the timing allows SQA to fully align the revision support with the question papers which are still being finalised.

Further information regarding the 2022 exam diet preparation, including the approach to exceptional circumstances, grading and appeals as well as support for learners, was included in my statement on 1 February 2022 and can be found at: Meeting of the Parliament: 01/02/2022 | Scottish Parliament Website .

Question reference: S6O-00748

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to maximise the growth opportunities for the renewables sector in East Lothian.

Question reference: S6W-05468

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of what is meant by "relevant legal conditions" in relation to the designation of new national parks, as referred to in its shared policy programme with the Scottish Green Party.

The National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 defines the conditions which the Scottish Ministers must be satisfied or may be satisfied before an area may be proposed for designation as a National park. Under Section 2(2) of the Act the Conditions are:

a. that the area is of outstanding national importance because of its natural heritage or the combination of its natural and cultural heritage,

b. that the area has a distinctive character and a coherent identity, and

c. that designating the area as a National Park would meet the special needs of the area and would be the best means of ensuring that the National Park aims are collectively achieved in relation to the area in a co-ordinated way.

Question reference: S6W-05469

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the concepts of progressive land use and progressive development, as referred to in its shared policy programme with the Scottish Green Party regarding the designation of new national parks, relate to sustainable land use and sustainable development.

Scotland’s land and the natural capital it supports is one of our most valuable assets, vital to our national prosperity and to our wellbeing as individuals and communities. By addressing the twin climate and biodiversity crises while improving individuals public and community wellbeing, progressive land use and development brings many positive benefits to Scotland by combining sustainable land use/development and people’s requirements in a fair and accountable way. As such it is in line both with our long standing vision and objectives for sustainable land use in Scotland as set out in our Land Use Strategy and the overarching principles of our Just Transition.

Question reference: S6W-05467

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to include any new national parks as a national development in the forthcoming National Planning Framework 4, in light of the national spatial strategy, which is set out in the draft framework.

Question reference: S6W-05470

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it expects future national parks to be smaller in scale than existing national parks, as referred to in its shared policy programme with the Scottish Green Party.

Question reference: S6W-05466

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 31 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to go further than the commitment it made in its shared policy programme with the Scottish Green Party to designate "at least one new National Park", and designate more than one new national park by the end of this parliamentary session.

The process for identifying and designating one or more new National Parks in Scotland will involve a fair and transparent bidding and evaluation process to identify the area or areas which will be put forward to obtain National Park status and allow the statutory process to begin. The Scottish Government remains open minded about the number of areas which will be progressed to National Park designation during the lifetime of this Parliament.

Question reference: S6O-00694

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it will undertake with COSLA and individual local authorities on the COVID-19 Strategic Framework that is currently being developed.