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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: S6W-22956

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken any steps to support NHS boards in implementing a scheme for free period products for NHS workers.

In February 2022, we wrote to Chief Executives of territorial Health Boards asking that they provide free period products for their staff, if they did not already do so. All of them confirmed that these products were available for staff.

As part of the annual Staff Governance Standard Monitoring exercise for 2022-23, Health Boards have been asked how they are ensuring all staff have access to emergency period products in the workplace. Returns from this, are expected on 4 December 2023.

NHS staff can also access period products, free of charge, as and when they are required from either the local authority in which they live or in which they work.

Question reference: S6W-22967

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of its engagement with Equinor regarding potentially scaling up production of hydrogen.

Question reference: S6O-02780

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of HPV home testing and plans to prevent and eradicate cervical cancer.

The Scottish Government continues to progress work towards the elimination of cervical cancer in Scotland, in line with the targets set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This work has included the introduction of a one-dose schedule of the HPV vaccine, increasing screening uptake and continued investment in treatment.

In 2024, the UK National Screening Committee is expected to make a recommendation on the use of cervical self-sampling in the screening programme. In Scotland, a working group is assessing potential models and understand any changes that would be required to the screening programme to support an initial roll-out. This work continues to be informed by the wider UK and global research.

Question reference: S6O-02825

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its priorities are for COP28.

Question reference: S6W-22755

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 16-25 Railcard cannot be used before 10.00 am, and whether there are any plans to remove this time restriction.

Question reference: S6W-22699

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with local authorities regarding the upcoming Celtic Connections festival.

The Scottish Government does not engage directly with local authorities regarding the Celtic Connections Festival. The Scottish Government provides Celtic Connections financial support through EXPO funds, administered through Creative Scotland, to help Celtic Connections meet key strategic objectives linked to the fund.

In 2023/24 Celtic Connections received £101,000 to help them raise their international profile and promote Scottish artists by enabling Celtic Connections to enhance their programmes through exciting and innovative co-productions and collaborations. The EXPO application process and allocation of EXPO funding is managed through Creative Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22205

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to increase the amount of high conservation value forest through (a) greater rates of restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites and (b) improvements to the condition of ancient semi-natural woodlands on estates managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, in light of reports that areas of high conservation value forests and land were reduced by 7,000 hectares due to a change in accounting methods in Forestry and Land Scotland’s latest publicly available Corporate Performance Report.

The area of High Conservation Value Woodland (HCVW) on Scotland’s national forests and land has not decreased in real terms. The method used to calculate HCVW area has been refined to more accurately reflect where native trees would naturally occur.

Plans are in place for Forestry and Land Scotland to increase the amount of HCVW they manage through (a) greater rates of restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites from funding awarded by SG totalling £2.8M between FY 2022-23 & FY 2023-24. This will be used to commence a programme of rainforest restoration works, as part of the Programme for Government commitment to support the restoration and expansion of Scotland’s rainforests, and establish a National Register of Ancient Woodlands. This funding has enabled FLS to underpin the restoration of 658 hectares of priority rainforest area in Cowal, Argyll (Kintyre & West Loch Awe), Loch Lomond Basin, Wester Ross and the Isle of Arran (North Sannox). Activity includes INNS control, clearing non-native tree regeneration and deer management.

And (b) improvements to the condition of ancient semi-natural woodlands. This will be achieved on 4,663 ha of Ancient Semi-natural woodland areas on Scotland's national forests and land within the Rainforest Zone. Work is underway to remove non-native tree regeneration and invasive non-native species from prioritised areas.

Deer management will continue to increase, with positive benefits for PAWS restoration and ASNW condition already being observed. It is anticipated natural tree regeneration will occur within PAWS under restoration and colonisation more generally throughout rainforest habitat following a reduction in deer densities, buffering zones for natural colonisation are being planned within Land Management Plans .

Additionally improvements to the condition of ancient semi-natural woodlands areas in upper Spey-side are being achieved through participation with the Cairngorms connect project.

Out with the Rainforest Zone, alternative funding streams are being explored to support the continued restoration of iconic landscapes such as Glen Affric and the Black Wood of Rannoch.

Question reference: S6W-22206

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Forestry and Land Scotland's £15.5 million project to remove rhododendron from 50,000 hectares of land, which began in 2010, how much of the £15.5 million was spent in total, and from how many hectares of land rhododendron was eradicated between 2010 and 2020.

All £15.5 million plus an additional £4.5 million was spent by Forest Enterprise Scotland (the predecessor to Forestry and Land Scotland) on rhododendron control between 2010 and 2020.

The area treated was in the region of 16,000 hectares. Complete eradication of this highly invasive plant is not realistic due in part to the continued reinvasion of seedlings from adjacent uncontrolled sites. FLS considers successfully controlled sites as those in the ‘maintenance phase’ where rhododendron no longer threatens the conservation interest on a site and recolonisation will be slow.

FLS continue to control rhododendron in priority sites on Scotland’s national forests and land, and where possible in collaboration with other land managers at the landscape scale.

Question reference: S6W-22207

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the overall budget was that was allocated for (a) new rhododendron eradication and (b) the ongoing treatment of existing areas of rhododendron on estates managed by Forestry and Land Scotland over the last five years, and from how many hectares of land managed by Forestry and Land Scotland rhododendron has been eradicated in each year since 2020.

Forestry and Land Scotland accounting systems do not differentiate rhododendron control from other environmental expenditure such as Invasive Non-Native Species control. Therefore, figures of expenditure on a) new rhododendron and b) ongoing treatment cannot be provided.

It is not possible to say how many hectares of land managed by Forestry and Land Scotland rhododendron has been eradicated in each year since 2020.

For FY 2023-24, £1.0 million has been budgeted for INNS and rhododendron follow-up control over a minimum of 440 hectares.

Most of this expenditure will be targeted at ongoing treatment of existing areas of rhododendron.

Question reference: S6W-22387

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 20 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15639 from Elena Whitham on 6 March 2023, whether it will provide an update on (a) what action it will take and (b) the timescales for any such action, in response to the finding by the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee that Scotland was not in full compliance with access to justice requirements of the Aarhus Convention.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (“ACCC”) has previously welcomed significant progress made by Scotland in addressing the concerns identified by the ACCC. Officials worked with Defra to submit an action plan to the ACCC on behalf of the UK in July 2022, in response to the ACCC’s decision VII/8s issued in October 2021. Work is ongoing in order to strengthen Scotland’s compliance and address the areas of concern raised by the ACCC. A progress report was submitted to the ACCC in October 2023, again following liaison with the UK Government and in particular Defra.

In July 2022 the Scottish Government introduced an exemption from court fees for Aarhus Convention cases in the Court of Session. The Scottish Civil Justice Council (“SCJC”) is undertaking a review of court rules relating to Protective Expenses Orders. As the SCJC is an independent body, the Scottish Government cannot commit to a timeframe for completion of the rule review. The SCJC have however noted it in their annual report and work programme as a priority for completion in 2023/24. Policy development is ongoing in relation to a new Human Rights Bill for Scotland, which is to include a right to a healthy environment.

The deadline for addressing areas of concern and submitting a report to the ACCC is October 2024.