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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: S5O-04893

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to the calls for young people living on Scotland's islands to be given first refusal for available housing in order to tackle depopulation.

Question reference: S5W-33707

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners were moved to the Open Prison system from elsewhere in the prison system (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Question reference: S5W-33708

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been released (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Question reference: S5W-33709

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many electronic tagging orders have been issued (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Electronic monitoring provides an important function in monitoring those at various points in the justice system, including for those on release from prison (for HDC or as part of a parole licence), or those on a community order (e.g. Restriction of Liberty Order).

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across all services within the justice system including within courts and prisons. The number of electronically monitored orders made during this period reflects this.

In response to the specific questions:

(a) the number of all electronically monitored orders (in practice court orders and licences) made between 1 January 2020 and 3 December 2020 is 3569.

A breakdown of the total orders received is 3160 court orders, 390 release from prison (24 of which were released to Scotland from a prison in England or Wales). Additionally 19 orders were imposed by the Children’s Hearing panel.

(b) the number of orders made between 23 March 2020 and 3 December 2020 is 2389.

A breakdown of the total orders received is 2047 court orders, 326 release from prison (18 of which were released to Scotland from a prison in England or Wales). Additionally 16 orders were imposed by the Children’s Hearing panel.

Question reference: S5W-33710

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many community disposal orders have been issued (a) during 2020 to date and (b) from 23 March 2020 to date.

Question reference: S5W-32401

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many environmental health officers from each local authority area have been seconded to NHS Test and Protect teams.

Question reference: S5W-32719

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of care-experienced 18- to 26-year-olds received support from the extension to them of eligibility for free NHS dental care that was announced in the 2019-20 Programme for Government.

Covid-19 has put us all in an unprecedented, challenging situation, and the current pandemic has had a significant impact on the delivery of dental services.

As a result of the pandemic we have had to defer our work to extend free NHS dental care to care experienced 18-26 year olds. However we are still dedicated to delivering this commitment and can confirm this will be taken forward as part of recovery and remobilisation programme for NHS dentistry.

Question reference: S5W-32721

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of care-experienced young people benefited from the discretionary housing payments linked to qualifying benefits that were announced in the 2019-20 Programme for Government.

Work to better understand and support care-experienced young people with their housing costs through Discretionary Housing payments was paused as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. However, care experienced young people remain eligible for discretionary housing payments (DHPs) if they are in receipt of qualifying benefits.

We have provided Who Cares? Scotland with £106,754 to maintain the helpline established as a response to COVID 19 and deliver an advertising campaign to promote discretionary housing payments. The helpline provides care experienced young people with advice and helps eligible individuals make an application for a DHP.

Question reference: S5W-32718

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of care-experienced young people received support from the Job Start Payment linked to qualifying benefits that was announced in the 2019-20 Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-32784

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it is consulting stakeholders and politicians regarding the COVID-19 Strategic Framework.

Scotland’s Strategic Framework sets out an approach to applying restrictions only where necessary, and removing them as soon as they have achieved their effect. Ministers have set out the framework with an open mind, and committed to engaging with Parliament, Local Government and others on its implementation.

The Scottish Government has consulted with relevant stakeholder organisations, including sectors such as hospitality, that are subject to specific measures, both in advance of the publication and during the development of supporting guidance. This included direct engagement with representative organisations, from both Scottish Government officials and Ministers.

We also engaged with local authorities through both COSLA and Society Of Local Authority Chief Executives in advance of the publication of the strategy. This included correspondence from the Scottish Government’s Director General Constitution and External Affairs with the Chief Executive of COSLA on 26 October that sought her support in engaging local government leaders on reaching decisions on initial levels for local authority areas; understanding how these levels will affect areas, and identifying the sectors, areas and issues where a partnership approach with the Scottish Government, Local Authorities, Health Boards and others can be most effective; as well as other comments.

To ensure proper parliamentary scrutiny, the final framework was also subject to the views of the Scottish Parliament. We engaged with all political parties on the detail of the framework, and put this to a debate and vote in Parliament on 27 October.

This illustrates our clear commitment to engage on the nature and application of this Framework, including full Parliamentary scrutiny of any future amendments to the Framework. However, it is ultimately for Scottish Ministers to make decisions to apply or amend the Framework, including allocation of levels, in line with their statutory powers to protect public health.