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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: S5W-31426

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has determined a date for the safe reopening of indoor trampoline parks.

The First Minister outlined in her statement on 20 August that from Monday 31 August indoor sport and leisure facilities can reopen with physical distancing and enhanced hygiene measures in place.

The Scottish Government have produced new guidance for the opening of indoor sport and leisure facilities with physical distancing and hygiene measures. This new guidance, created in collaboration with the sport and leisure sector will provide staff and customers with the confidence that it’s safe to return. To view the guidance please visit the Scottish Government website

Question reference: S5T-02357

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Welfare Fund is reportedly being underutilised.

Question reference: S5W-31110

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking in partnership with (a) Highland Council and (b) rail network operators in response to flooding on the Highland Mainline near Kingussie station; how many such flooding incidents it is aware of in the last five years, and when did they occur.

Transport Scotland meets regularly with the Office of Rail and Road and Network Rail to review the performance and resilience of the rail network in Scotland, including the Highland Mainline. The Office of Road and Rail is responsible for monitoring the safety and performance of the network and holds Network Rail to account for these matters.

The Scottish Government does not hold records of infrastructure failures, including flooding, as this is the responsibility of Network Rail.

Question reference: S5W-31111

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Network Rail, (b) ScotRail and (c) Highland Council regarding flooding on the Highland Mainline at Gynack Burn at the north end of Kingussie station.

Question reference: S5W-31112

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Highland Council and (b) rail partners regarding dredging at the Gynack Burn near Kingussie station for the purpose of flood prevention.

Question reference: S5W-30892

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in the light of reports that a member of staff at a care home in the Highlands re-tested as positive for COVID-19, what plans it has to review whether non-essential visits by friends and relatives should not take place until 28 days after the last case of COVID-19 in each home was dealt with.

The Scottish Government recognises how hard it has been for care home residents and their families not to have regular face to face contact during the pandemic.

On 8 August, we announced a move to stage 3 of the visiting pathway from 10 August. Stage 3 allows for weekly outdoor visits from up to 3 visitors from no more than 2 households, subject to certain conditions; one of those conditions is that the care home must have been COVID free for at least 28 days from the last date of a positive test or symptoms of any resident or staff member.

Indoor visits have been reintroduced for one designated visitor. Care homes will need to develop a plan to support this and the plan must be signed off by the local Director of Public Health before indoor visits can resume. The plan will only be signed off if the condition on the home being COVID free for 28 days since a positive test or symptoms in residents and staff members has been met and that the care home participants fully in weekly testing programme.

The safeguard requiring a care home to be COVID free or fully recovered for 28 days is based on the UK Government Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) advice that 28 days is twice the extreme incubation period for the virus and, given the possibility for asymptomatic carriage, is the safest estimate for allowing visits. This safeguard will remain as scientific evidence indicates that it is safe to progress to the next stage. It will then be for local Health Protection and Care Home and Clinical Oversight teams, led by the Director of Public Health to make the decision on whether restrictions can be relaxed for care homes in their area.

Question reference: S5W-30894

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that every care home has an internal area where friends and relatives can safely meet residents when garden-based visits become impracticable at the end of the summer.

Question reference: S5W-31167

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the work and remit of its Population Taskforce will be expanded due to the changing nature of work in the wake of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-31168

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Population Taskforce is now gathering additional information about (a) the potential to increase homeworking and (b) marketing the Highlands and Islands as a destination to live, work and study following the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote working.

The Scottish Government understands that since the outbreak of COVID-19, many businesses and organisations have put a lot of time and effort into supporting their staff to work remotely. This has seen some positive outcomes with some stating that they have had an increased ability to engage with partners due to online meetings becoming the norm.

We know from the 2019 Office for National Statistics Annual Population Survey that working from home is at least twice as prevalent amongst those living in rural communities compared to urban communities.

Through the implementation of the National Islands Plan we will ensure that infrastructure can support any increase in remote working and we have committed to display leadership in the public sector by demonstrating that jobs and careers progression can be successful on islands.

Further to a recommendation at the Convention of the Highlands and Islands (COHI) meeting in October 2019, the Scottish Government agreed to undertake analysis to explore the benefits and challenges of workforce dispersal and remote working. In particular, to assess how future workforce dispersal policy could support the repopulation of Scotland's rural and island communities. This work has been deferred as a result of COVID-19 resourcing pressures.

The Scottish Government has continued to gather information on the various challenges facing our Highlands and Islands communities. Recently published research including the Scotland's Rural College's Case Studies of Islands and Rural Repopulation Initiatives provides strong examples of the positive outcomes of marketing areas as places to live, work and study.

In addition to the Scottish examples such as the Rural Resettlement Fund launched by Argyll and Bute Council in October 2016, the Scottish Government is also considering International examples such as the Friederikshavn experience economy and Settlement Service in Denmark and from the Faroe Islands, the Vgur experience.

The Brand Scotland programme aims to promote Scotland as an aspirational place to live, work and study, which includes promotion of rural and island areas. We remain committed to developing a Welcome to Scotland Resource, the creation of which is currently in progress and will attract and assist people moving to all parts of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands. This resource will provide practical information to those thinking about or who have decided to live, work or study in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-31165

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when its Population Taskforce last met, and whether it will provide an update on (a) that meeting and (b) progress made by the group since the beginning of 2020.

The Ministerial Population Taskforce last met on 23 January 2020. The minutes from this meeting will be published following the next meeting, scheduled for September. The meeting focused on education, planning and health together with the development of a National Performance Framework (NPF) population indicator and dashboard.

Since the beginning of the year, the work on population overseen by the Ministerial Population Taskforce has included engagement with a wide range of key partners and stakeholders including local authorities and working with the Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population to further develop the evidence base to inform future development as well as mapping how existing policies impact population. As part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to the Programme for Government to develop an action plan to support repopulation of our rural and island communities and to work with partners to test approaches using small scale pilots’ a workshop was held on 10 March in Aviemore to identify and develop potential repopulation interventions and the areas in which they may be piloted.

The dashboard and NPF indicator discussed at the January meeting were published in April, and can be used to monitor progress and understand the demographic challenges in Scotland. The dashboard includes the National Performance Framework (NPF) indicator as well as a number of other indicators focusing on population structure and population distribution.