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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: S6O-03173

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the improvement plan for the Fife Circle railway line.

Question reference: S6W-25436

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) turned down requests from the professor of criminology, Joe Phoenix, to participate in its policy review on the management of transgender people in custody on three occasions, whether the SPS did turn down such requests, and, if so, for what reason.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Protecting the health, safety, and wellbeing of all people in Scotland’s prisons is at the heart of SPS’ newly published Policy for the Management of Transgender People in Custody (2023).

The SPS engaged with approximately 400 people during the review of the SPS Gender Identity and Gender Reassignment Policy (2014), and the SPS has no record of any communication from Professor Jo Phoenix during this period.

Question reference: S6W-25411

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has made available to Fife Council from the Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund.

Question reference: S6W-25407

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to mark the 40th anniversary of the miners' strike in Scotland.

The Miners' Strike of 1984-85 is considered to be the most bitter industrial dispute in living memory. The Scottish Government recognises that the impact of the strike still runs deep in Scotland's former mining heartlands. Scotland is at the forefront across the UK in recognising the need to provide reconciliation, dignity and comfort to those communities still affected. That is why the Scottish Government brought forward legislation to provide a symbolic pardon to miners and other participants in the strike in relation to various offences committed during the dispute. We also continue to call on the UK Government to undertake a full UK-wide public inquiry into the strike.

The Scottish Government is therefore considering how best to raise the profile of the strike and its legacy in former mining communities, as the 40th anniversary of the dispute approaches.

Question reference: S6W-25051

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24401 by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2024, regarding the additional capital funding spend in the Scottish Budget 2024-25, which budget line covers each of the projects listed in the answer.

Question reference: S6O-03046

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with Fife Council housing officials and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-24401

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which health and social care projects will receive capital funding from the additional capital spending allocation of £81.1 million in the NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care budget as outlined in the Scottish Budget 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-24448

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19193 by Siobhian Brown on 27 June 2023, regarding the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, when it plans to introduce the relevant commencement regulations.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with justice partners for the effective implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 (‘the Act') and to ensure a 1 April 2024 commencement date. This is to provide enough time to allow justice partners to complete a number of key IT change programmes and for the delivery of a robust package of training and guidance for police officers prior to commencement.

In November 2023, we published the Hate Crime Strategy Delivery Plan which sets out our immediate actions to implement Scotland’s Hate Crime Strategy. Activity includes improved support for victims, improving data and evidence on hate crime and developing effective approaches to preventing hate crime and promoting community cohesion. It will also support the implementation of the Act.

Question reference: S6O-02997

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the importance of the salmon industry for Scotland’s economy.

Question reference: S6O-02957

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the new medical centre for Lochgelly.

As set out in our draft budget the capital funding position is extremely challenging, with a UK Government cut of some 10% in our capital budget over the next five years. That has inevitably led to some difficult decisions on what capital projects will be progressed.

Lochgelly Medical Centre was not included within the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26, which identified the priority health capital projects for funding within that period. A revised Infrastructure Investment Plan is being considered for publication in Spring 2024 and all due consideration will be given to what projects can be included within that revised Plan.