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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-29991

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29551 by Gillian Martin on 17 September 2024, whether the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy will commit to meeting the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance at COP29.

Question reference: S6W-29990

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29551 by Gillian Martin on 17 September 2024, when it last directly engaged with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in relation to joining as a core member.

Question reference: S6W-28513

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of public transport provision, particularly bus services, for accessing grassroots music venues, in light of reported concerns that a lack of access can negatively impact the sector and the wider small business economy.

Question reference: S6W-29552

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23975 by Mairi McAllan on 18 January 2024, whether the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy will commit to meeting with representatives of (a) the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), (b) core member nations of BOGA and (c) the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative.

Question reference: S6W-29397

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lanarkshire regarding the prevention of monkeypox.

Question reference: S6W-29398

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the prevention of monkeypox.

Question reference: S6W-28610

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reconcile any discrepancy between the targets for residential rehabilitation, which it set in 2021, and the current status of residential rehabilitation services.

In November 2021 we committed to increasing residential rehabilitation capacity from 425 to 650 beds and to increasing the number of statutory-funded placements by 300%, so that by 2026 1,000 people are publicly funded for their placement.

From a baseline of an estimated 425 beds in 2021, we provided funding for 140 additional residential rehabilitation beds through our Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Fund. Of this amount, 36 are now operational, with a further 34 due to open across Aberdeenshire and the Highlands and Islands in the coming months. The remainder will become operational over 2025-2026.

The increased investment has also led to a number of privately-funded developments within the sector, which contribute towards our overall bed target. Scottish Government analysts are collecting updated data about current capacity in Scotland, including these wider developments, which when published will provide a public record for progress against our commitments by March 2026.

Public Health Scotland's June report found ‘the available evidence suggests that the Scottish Government is on track to hit its target of 1,000 individuals per year publicly funded to go to rehab by 2026.’ The statistics show that in the full financial year 2023-24, 938 placements were approved.

Question reference: S6W-29551

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26809 by Mairi McAllan on 25 April 2024, whether it will detail any work that it has undertaken in relation to exploring joining the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) as a core member.

Alongside finalising the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP), the Scottish Government continues to engage with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance as part of a wider programme of analysis and engagement with a range of organisations and stakeholders. The final ESJTP will also build from the substantial independent evidence base on domestic energy transition in the context of the global Paris Agreement goals that was developed and published in support of the draft version.

Question reference: S6W-29527

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29077 by Gillian Martin on 2 September 2024, whether, in principle, it is opposed to deep sea mining, and whether it will prohibit deep sea mining in a similar way to unconventional oil and gas extraction.

Deep sea mining refers to the exploration for - or extraction of - minerals from the seabed at depths greater than 200 metres. Most of Scotland’s waters of this depth or greater fall within existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Current Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) conservation and management advice for the West of Scotland MPA, which covers the majority of Scotland’s deep waters and seamounts, advises against seabed mining in such waters.

In 2019 the Scottish Government finalised its policy position of ‘no support’ for Unconventional oil and gas development: our position - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) unconventional oil and gas (UOG) development in Scotland. This policy position relates to onshore unconventional oil and gas development. This means development connected to the onshore exploration, appraisal or production of coal bed methane or shale oil or shale gas using unconventional oil and gas extraction techniques, including hydraulic fracturing and dewatering for coal bed methane.

As yet, the Scottish Ministers have not received any marine licence applications for deep sea mining in Scotland’s inshore or offshore waters. All marine licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis. Any licensing application relating to seabed mining within Scotland’s seas would be subject to the licensing requirements set out in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 for inshore waters (between 0 and 12 nautical miles), and the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 for offshore waters (beyond 12 nm). Statutory environmental assessment requirements and policies set out in Scotland’s existing National Marine Plan would have to be factored into any potential licensing request and considered on the best available evidence.

Scotland’s National Marine Plan 2015 states that decision makers should ensure all the necessary environmental issues are considered, and safeguards are in place when determining whether any proposed marine aggregate dredging is considered to be environmentally acceptable. Any licensing request relating to seabed mining in Scotland’s seas would be subject to this policy.

Question reference: S6W-28512

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that public transport is available to enable people to access entertainment venues.

As you will be aware, the majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a purely commercial basis by operators who use their own commercial judgement on service routes and frequencies. Local authorities can identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and can subsidise these at their discretion however this is entirely a matter for the local authority to consider and action as appropriate.

In relation to rail travel, the Scottish Government brought ScotRail into public ownership to ensure that ScotRail focuses its delivery on the needs of Scottish passengers. ScotRail keeps its services under continued review to ensure its services meet passengers requirements as much as possible.