Chamber and committees

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-02315

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received a different COVID-19 vaccine for their second dose than the one they received for their first dose, broken down by the circumstances in which this has occurred.

As of August 23rd there are 8,220 records flagged receiving 2 doses of mixed COVID-19 vaccine products in the National Clinical Data Store (NCDS).

There are 7,697,632 total records ( first and second doses ) in the NCDS relating to COVID-19 vaccinations therefore this number is 0.11% of records flagged.

The circumstances for these are not recorded.

Data completeness and accuracy checks have not yet been carried out on each of these records, therefore some of these records may be duplicates, or in fact relate to more than a single individual.

Question reference: S6W-03016

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided to bus operators in receipt of government funding on returning services to pre-pandemic levels.

Throughout the pandemic we have supported bus operators to keep Scotland moving, and have made up to £210 million in additional financial support available since June 2020. Operators receiving this funding enter into public service contracts and are required to meet certain conditions including running a specified level of service mileage set at 95% of pre-COVID levels unless otherwise agreed with Transport Scotland. Some operators are running less bus mileage due to constraining factors such as bus driver shortages. Given reduced patronage and changing travel patterns, operators are also required to adapt services to meet demand as it now arises. When doing so, operators are required to consult and cooperate with local transport authorities, have regard to public transport connectivity, and keep services under review. The model public service contract, setting out the full terms and conditions, can be found on the Transport Scotland website: https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/covid-19-support-grant/

Question reference: S6W-03011

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to enforce the wearing of face coverings on ScotRail trains.

By law, you must wear a face covering on trains and inside railway stations in Scotland.

ScotRail has clearly communicated this message to customers via prominent signage and announcements on trains and within stations, social media messaging and joint media releases with the British Transport Police (BTP) and Network Rail Scotland.

Enforcement of the wearing of face coverings on the railway rests with the BTP. BTP officers continue to conduct join initiatives with ScotRail and deploy to non-compliance hotspots.

Question reference: S6W-02763

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to promote the wearing of helmets by cyclists.

The wearing of a cycle helmet is not a requirement in the UK and remains a matter of personal choice.

The wearing of cycle helmets is covered by the Highway Code and is a matter reserved to the UK Government, however the Scottish Government is committed to improving the safety of vulnerable road users including cyclists. Scotland’s Road Safety Framework endorses the Highway Code, which recommends that cyclists wear a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened.

Many local authorities’ operating procedures insist on the use of helmets during Bikeability cycle training in schools. In others, it is left as a parental decision, in line with the absence of a legal requirement to wear a helmet when cycling.

Question reference: S6W-03018

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on banning greyhound racing.

The Scottish Government considers that the provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, as amended, are sufficient to ensure that action can be taken if the welfare of greyhounds, whether still racing or retired, is not being met. The provisions of Part 2 of the Act apply to all people responsible for animals, including breeders, trainers and owners of racing greyhounds.

As a result of the Scottish Government’s introduction of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 a person convicted of the offence of causing an animal unnecessary suffering can currently be sentenced for a period of up to 5 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

Question reference: S6O-00228

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement part 3 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to allow local authorities to bring forward proposals to directly run bus services in their area.

Question reference: S6W-02324

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to tackle the issue of nuisance gulls in town centres in situations where growing gull populations are impacting on the quality of life of residents.

Question reference: S6O-00138

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the number of prisoners who are on remand.

Question reference: S6O-00113

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported shortage of housing in rural areas.

Question reference: S6O-00078

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported proposals by ScotRail to no longer run 300 train services from May 2022.