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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-33329

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) is aware of and (b) had any role in the UK Government’s review into how gamebird releases on or near European protected sites are managed, the conclusion of which was announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 October 2020.

Question reference: S5T-02565

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its involvement with BiFab, following reported comments from the company’s owner that ministers’ statements had been “inaccurate or untruthful”.

Question reference: S5O-04817

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what changes to taxation it can make to address the reported widening inequality between small retail businesses and large corporations as a result of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-33325

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Scottish Government has a long-standing policy of opposition to the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are morally, strategically and economically wrong. They are indiscriminate and devastating in their impacts; their use would bring unspeakable humanitarian suffering and widespread environmental damage.

While the Scottish Government is unable to become a Party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, we strongly support the principles of the Treaty. I have congratulated Ireland on their leadership in the development and ratification of the Treaty and the Scottish Government thanks and congratulates all the states which have ratified the Treaty. An independent Scotland would be a keen signatory of the Treaty and we hope the day we can do that is not far off.

Question reference: S5W-33326

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what implications the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into effect on 22 January 2020 will have for Scotland.

The UK Government has not ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and has indicated that it has no intention of doing so. This is an extremely disappointing position; the Scottish Government is firmly opposed to the possession, threat and use of nuclear weapons and we are committed to pursuing the safe and the complete withdrawal of all nuclear weapons from Scotland.

We look forward to the Treaty coming in to force and will monitor developments with interest.

Question reference: S5W-33327

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the recent ratification of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Scottish Government has called repeatedly on the UK Government to cancel its plans for the Dreadnought Programme (the Trident Successor Programme) as nuclear weapons do not provide a meaningful deterrent to modern day threats such as terrorist attacks, and there are no realistic short or medium term threats which justify the possession, the costs or the potential use of Trident and its successor. The UK Government has not discussed its decision to not sign or ratify the Treaty with the Scottish Government, however we will continue to raise our firm opposition to nuclear weapons with the UK Government.

Question reference: S5W-32685

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the exemptions in the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2020 have expired or been extended, and what review process has taken place on the impact of this policy.

Question reference: S5W-33036

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of means-testing the Self-Isolation Support Grant on its effectiveness in encouraging and enabling people to self-isolate.

The Self-Isolation Support Grant provides a payment of £500 to workers who would otherwise face a loss of income when they self-isolate. Many people will be able to work from home and should continue to be paid as normal by their employer while they are doing so. Some people who cannot work from home will face a significant loss of income as a result of self-isolation.

Research undertaken for SAGE indicates that while willingness to self-isolate is high among all income groups, the self-reported ability to do so is three times lower in those with incomes less than £20,000.

Whilst not all workers will be eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant, within the resources available, we are ensuring that support is targeted at the people who are at the highest risk of losing income, and for whom loss of income is most likely to be a barrier to self-isolation.

We expect to publish management information on the early operation of the Grant in early December.

Question reference: S5O-04770

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how the provisions in its proposed EU Continuity Bill will stay aligned with EU principles on animal sentience.

Question reference: S5W-32699

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance and support is available to encourage schools to host Bikeability training programmes given COVID-19 restrictions.

Cycling Scotland has issued updated guidance to all participating authorities on the support available to re-commence Bikeability Scotland training delivery in primary schools. This guidance highlights the benefits of cycle training in enabling outdoor learning and includes sample risk assessment templates. The guidance issued reflects experiences of delivering Bikeability Scotland in over 70 childcare hubs across 15 local authorities during the lockdown period. As of October 2020, 25 of 30 participating authorities had re-commenced training, with some restrictions in place.

To support Bikeability Scotland delivery during 2020-21, Cycling Scotland is in the process of awarding participating authorities grant funding totalling £500,000. It has introduced flexibility to standard delivery guidelines in response to the pandemic, including support for intensive delivery over 1-2 days and increased flexibility of funding to support direct delivery, recognising constraints on teacher capacity.