Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 1346 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-05316

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise on 15 December 2021 on Dalzell Historical Industrial Transactions, what parties comprise the "wider group" that he referred to.

Question reference: S6W-05314

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the typical environmental remediation costs for sites of former steelworks such as Ravenscraig; what sites it has considered in this regard, and whether it has calculated historic costs adjusted for inflation.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an overarching assessment of the typical environmental remediation costs for sites of former steelworks in Scotland. Due to Scotland’s long history of iron and steel making such activity has taken place in a range of locations and circumstances over differing time periods and has involved many different processes and scales of production. Hence land remediation costs at any particular former steelworks site will depend on a multitude of site-specific factors and the owners’ planned future uses of the land.

Question reference: S6W-05311

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned on the total potential environmental remediation cost of the Dalzell steelworks.

A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016.

A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government website here

( https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2021/07/foi-202100216003/documents/foi202100216003---information-released-2/foi202100216003---information-released-2/govscot%3Adocument/FOI202100216003%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B2.pdf ).

Question reference: S6W-05326

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it received in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, and whether it contained a single view or range of views on whether it complied with state aid rules.

Question reference: S6W-05323

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans, for any reason, to refer the issue of the possible breach of state aid rules, in relation to the facilitation of the sale of the Dalzell steelworks, to the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Question reference: S6W-05307

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Tata Steel’s reported statement on 15 December 2021 that the contract it holds with the Scottish Government in relation to the Dalzell steelworks is “valid and binding in all aspects”.

Question reference: S6W-05708

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all secondary school pupils are offered the opportunity to study psychology.

The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is about providing young people with a well-rounded education that prepares them to thrive in today’s world.

Where available, psychology is most likely to appear as a standalone subject in the senior phase and national qualifications are available. Many schools also offer ‘elective’ courses in psychology for senior phase learners, not always leading to a specific qualification. Outside the senior phase, aspects of psychology may well be explored within different curricular areas.

Schools and Local Authorities are encouraged to consider innovative ways to ensure that there is a wide choice of subjects available to their learners; CfE empowers schools and teachers to design their curriculum in ways which best suit all their learners. It would be for schools and Local Authorities to plan what subjects are available in their areas and how these may be accessed.

Question reference: S6W-05437

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the debate on motion S6M-02625 (A New Deal for Tenants), how it plans to increase its ambitions for the building of more homes for social rent, and on what date any increased ambition will be announced.

As set out in our Programme for Government, the Scottish Government has already increased its ambition and commitment to deliver more social homes by increasing our affordable homes target from 100,000 to 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 70% of these being for social rent.

Housing to 2040 sets out our long term vision for Housing in Scotland. While a longer-term ambition allows for greater foresight, it does present challenges with predicting how circumstances might change or what unforeseen events might arise. That is why we will carry out a review at the mid-point of the target period, to assess if plans should continue unchanged or be adapted.

Question reference: S6W-05346

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported ongoing alterations to the functionality of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app, whether users are (a) notified and (b) required to consent when there is an update to the (i) privacy policy agreement and (ii) personal information that is provided and displayed by the app.

Question reference: S6W-05348

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what user, personal and medical information is currently provided and displayed on the NHS Scotland Covid Status app, and whether that information is explicitly outlined in the user privacy policy agreement.

The information displayed on the NHS Scotland Covid Status App is described in detail in the privacy notice .

Venues are required to display a privacy notice in areas where the app will be used. This will help members of the public understand the purpose of the data processing that will be done by the app and provide assurance about how their personal data will be safeguarded by the venue staff. A privacy notice template can be found here .

Rigorous data minimisation controls have been put in place, including the use of the “Green Tick” for domestic purposes, to ensure that as little personal data is displayed as possible, through the NHS Scotland COVID Pass Verifier app.