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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-24102

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the announcement to delay the reopening of Uig Harbour was made less than 24 hours before the scheduled recommencement of ferry services, and for what reason berthing trials for the harbour were not held before 14 December 2023.

The Uig second outage period was scheduled from 30 October until 11 December 2023, a period of six weeks. The vessel berthing trial of 10 December 2023 was not undertaken as outage works were hampered by severe weather; with the berthing trial re-scheduled to 14 December 2023. The Highland Council worked closely with CalMac during the trial on 14 however an issue was highlighted with the new restraint bollards and the re-opening was delayed until 22 December 2023. A press release confirming the delay was published by the Highland Council on 15 December 2023 – link is aside for ease of reference:

Second planned closure of Uig Harbour – Update 15 December | The Highland Council

Question reference: S6W-24083

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recognition in its Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement, published in November 2023, of "behaviours which are particularly linked to human trafficking and exploitation, such as commercial sexual exploitation", what action it will propose to criminalise men who purchase women for sex.

The Scottish Government will publish a Framework to challenge men’s demand for prostitution and to support those with experience of it, early this year. The Framework will form part of Scotland’s collective approach to tackling commercial sexual exploitation and is cognisant of its links to Scotland’s Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy.

Once published, our focus will be on the delivery of the Framework, which will also improve access to support for women with experience of prostitution, with the implementation of it helping to inform any future legislative considerations.

Question reference: S6W-24101

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the delayed opening of Uig Harbour, what action it is taking to ensure that the Uig-Tarbert/Lochmaddy ferry service resumes as a matter of priority.

Question reference: S6W-23890

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when NHS Western Isles will be required to renegotiate its contract with NHS Highland that covers multiple services, including cancer services.

It is primarily for the respective NHS Boards, including NHS Western Isles and NHS Highland who have a rolling arrangement based on associated financial projections, to negotiate and agree Service Level Agreements in the best interests of local people. Health Boards also regularly discuss and manage any associated issues in relation to service provision in visiting specialties, such as workforce and transport challenges.

Question reference: S6W-23889

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is making available to NHS Western Isles to improve patient travel support.

Scottish Government officials regularly meet all Health Boards including NHS Western Isles to discuss any challenges impacting services and to provide any necessary support.

Funding provided to NHS Boards is aligned to their NRAC shares of funding, which considers the population share of each Board adjusted for the demography including the relative health needs due to morbidity and life circumstances, and the excess cost of delivering healthcare to rural and remote areas.

Question reference: S6W-23840

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022, for what reason the coming into force date of sections 3, 7 and 8 is proposed to be changed from 31 December 2023 to 30 June 2024.

Section 3 of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (“the Act”) sets out the requirement to lay the proposed national Good Food Nation Plan before the Scottish Parliament. Section 3(2) stipulates that the Plan must be laid in front of Parliament not later than 12 months after the date that section 3 comes in to force. The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2023 set this date as 31 December 2023, meaning that there would be a legal requirement to lay the Plan before Parliament no later than 31 December 2024.

As the consultation process for the draft Plan will not be launched until early 2024, it is likely that it would not be possible to complete the consultation, analysis period, and necessary re-drafting in time to meet this deadline. The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 (Commencement No. 1) Amendment Regulations 2023 amend this date to 30 June 2024. This means that the draft Plan must be laid before Parliament no later than 30 June 2025, providing some extra flexibility in the timetable. It will be possible to lay the Plan before this date.

Sections 7 and 8 of the Act relate to reporting and review requirements for the national Good Food Nation Plan. These have been grouped together with Section 3 in a single instrument for administrative convenience and to minimise the amount of secondary legislation required.

Question reference: S6F-02648

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent report by Highland Council, which reportedly warns of a “significant risk” of parts of its region being "drained" of people.

Question reference: S6W-23187

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what further action has been taken to reduce the number of cases that have to be transferred from island to mainland courts due to staffing challenges faced by GEOAmey.

We have been supporting Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and other partners in delivering an improvement in the GEOAmey contract which has resulted in early positive signs, with a slowdown in staff attrition and improved staff numbers.

SPS is continuing to monitor the performance of the contract carefully to ensure target thresholds are met and we see a level of service which properly meets the needs of the Scottish Justice system.

We fully recognise the importance of access to justice of all those who come into contact with the justice system. We are considering a range of practical options to support this, including increasing the use of virtual custodies. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) remain committed to returning business to the island courts and are engaged with their justice partners to achieve this.

Question reference: S6W-23427

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what models and approaches have been considered for delivering a public interest test for land reform.

The models and approaches that could be considered for delivering a public interest test for land reform were originally set out by the Scottish Land Commission in their discussion paper, Legislative proposals to address the impact of Scotland’s concentration of land ownership (published February 2021).

Based on the Scottish Land Commission’s recommendations, we put forward our proposals for a Public Interest Test on land transfers in our consultation document, Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation (published July 2022).

The consultation opened on 4 July 2022 and closed on 30 October 2022, asking a total of 51 questions. It also invited respondents to give us views on other ideas and proposals. Our proposals for the criteria which would determine the types of landholdings that would be in scope for the Public Interest Test, and how the Test would be applied, were set out in Parts 4 and 7.

Since the consultation we have commissioned analysis of the responses to it. The responses included a range of views on models for/approaches to a Public Interest Test. We have considered these carefully as we take forward development of our proposals. We have also engaged, and will continue to engage, with a range of internal and external stakeholders over the Test, along with the other measures proposed for the Bill.

Question reference: S6W-23426

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consultations have taken place to determine the parameters of a public interest test for land reform.

The consultation paper Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation sought views on several proposals for inclusion in a new Land Reform Bill. It included proposals for a Public Interest Test on certain land transfers, and set out the criteria for the type of landholdings that would be in scope for such a test. The consultation opened on 4 July 2022 and closed on 30 October 2022, asking a total of 51 questions. It also invited respondents to give us views on other ideas and proposals. Our proposals for the Public Interest Test were set out in Parts 4 and 7.

The consultation sought to gather views from a range of stakeholders and from members of the public across Scotland. As part of this we also undertook five in-person engagement events across Scotland with a further event taking place online.

Further information about the analysis of responses to the consultation, and the responses themselves, may be found here: Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space

The proposals for the Public Interest Test were developed in the light of a series of reports on the scale and concentration of land ownership in Scotland published by the Scottish Land Commission, which led to their discussion paper, Legislative proposals to address the impact of Scotland’s concentration of land ownership (February 2021).

Since the consultation we have commissioned analysis of the responses to it: these included a range of views and suggestions for the parameters of the Test. We have considered these responses carefully as we develop our proposals. We have also engaged, and will continue to engage, with a range of internal and external stakeholders over the Test, along with the other measures proposed for the Bill.