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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-33188

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many junctions or road connections have been added to the A90 over the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-32980

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that the Energy Consents Unit’s decisions align with the principles of a just transition to net zero, particularly for rural communities.

Question reference: S6W-32921

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32555 by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025, in light of its guidance on answering parliamentary questions stating that “Where a question relates to operational matters, it should be referred to the relevant Chief Executive to prepare the substance of the response”, for what reason this guidance was not followed, and whether it will now contact the chief executive of Scottish Rail Holdings Limited to confirm how many free journeys have been taken by (a) ScotRail employees, (b) partners of ScotRail employees and (c) dependants of ScotRail employees over the last three years.

ScotRail Trains Limited is a train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings (a Non-Departmental Public Body) on behalf of the Scottish Government. ScotRail is not an Agency of the Scottish Government.

The guidance quoted by the Member relates to questions about Scottish Government Agencies. The relevant guidance has been correctly followed when preparing an answer to question S6W-32555.

Question reference: S6W-32937

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a centralised fee structure to cover multi-agency involvement in environmental authorisations, and, if so, what the timeline for its implementation is.

Question reference: S6W-32940

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the expansion of the fit-and-proper-person test to all regulatory regimes will address waste crime, and improve environmental compliance.

Applying the fit and proper person test in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 to all four of SEPA’s regulatory regimes will assist in keeping criminals and illegal operators out of the waste management industry.

The test will apply to more regulated activities than it does today. For example to those offering collection services online and to waste management sites which are currently exempt from waste licencing, making it harder for waste criminals to get a foothold in the industry.

Additionally, the test is broader than before, enabling SEPA to take a wider range of factors into account when determining whether a person is fit and proper. For example, SEPA will be able to take non-environmental offences that indicate a history of using crime for profit making, a history of dissolving companies to avoid environmental liabilities as well as violence and aggression towards its staff, into account in the future.

Question reference: S6W-32939

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are included in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill to ensure that land development aligns with its net zero commitments.

The Bill will place legal responsibilities on owners of large landholdings to set out how they use their land and how that contributes to key public policy priorities, like addressing climate change and protecting and restoring nature.

Also, in addition to my answer to S6W-32938 on 17 January 2025 about the new land management tenancy, tenant farmers and small landholders will have more equality of opportunity to deliver net zero improvements to the land they farm and cultivate. This will enable them to become more sustainable and productive in their farming and be rewarded for their investment of time and resources.

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-32680

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what specific measures are being implemented in Aberdeen to protect pedestrians, including vulnerable groups, from the reported risks posed by illegally modified e-bikes.

Whilst not aware of any specific actions at this time with regards to illegally modified e-bikes on our road network in Aberdeen, we are aware that the matter has been raised and discussed within the Road Safety North East Scotland (RSNES) Lead Officer Group, and at a national level via the Motorcycle Focus Group in conjunction with discussion on e-motorcycles. At this group, Transport Scotland statisticians were asked to obtain more specific casualty data about e-motorcycles to help understand the extent of the issue at a national level.

Addressing the role of modified e-bikes/e-motorcycles in antisocial behaviour, and serious and organised crime, is a matter for Police Scotland.

I would also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32685 on 13 January 2025. 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-32941

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to retrospectively apply the fit-and-proper-person test to existing permit holders under the jurisdiction of SEPA.

The transitional arrangements in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 mean the fit and proper person test under the draft Regulations will automatically apply to all relevant activities without SEPA needing to take any action.

SEPA will include fit and proper person checks of existing authorisation holders as part of its targeted monitoring and inspection programme and where relevant in investigating environmental events and complaints. Where authorisations are varied SEPA must be satisfied that the person is a fit and proper person taking account of the changes being proposed to the authorisation.

Question reference: S6W-32943

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans SEPA has to mitigate any digital delays during the transition by SEPA to the new regulatory framework.

SEPA has been preparing for implementation of the new regulatory framework for several years, investing in new systems, people, processes and support mechanisms to ensure a smooth transition in November 2025.

Implementing the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 and bringing the integrated authorisation framework into effect is identified as a key priority in its 2024-27 Corporate Plan.

A dedicated project implementation team has been working since 2023 to support the work that needs to be done before the draft Regulations come into force. This team comprised of technical, IT and legal expertise apply robust project management principles towards developing risk mitigations and contingencies that might arise.

Question reference: S6W-32936

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that SEPA’s digital systems are fully operational and robust by the time that the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 come into force.

SEPA has been preparing for implementation of the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 for several years, investing in new systems, people, processes and support mechanisms to ensure a smooth transition to the integrated authorisation framework.

Since 2021, SEPA has developed and launched on-line services for waste carrier registrations, existing private sewage treatment systems, simple waste exemptions, and radioactive substance notification. In July 2024, SEPA launched a new digital service for those who want to apply for an authorisation for a new small-scale sewage treatment system.

When the draft Regulations come into force, SEPA will have a system that will allow all new applications to be received, paid for and issued digitally. To ensure that this system will be ready, SEPA has been developing and testing prototypes of the systems and webpages that easily direct customers and stakeholders to the information they need and takes them through the application process.