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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: S5W-15674

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken regarding the impact of mobile phones on (a) public and (b) children's health.

In line with our approach to other public health issues, the Scottish Government receives evidence-based advice from Health Protection Scotland (HPS), our national health protection experts, and also from Public Health England (PHE). They have the expertise to assess the scientific literature available on this topic, and keep it under review.

At the current time, there is not sufficient evidence to conclude that exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) within the international guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) have negative health impacts and the resulting evidence from UK and international research is reassuring.

Question reference: S5W-15720

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to promote the safe disposal of syringes.

The Scottish Government Guidelines for Services Providing Injecting Equipment (2010) specify that NHS Boards should ensure that all services in their area have robust policies and procedures in place in relation to the safe disposal of used injecting equipment.

In particular, Injecting Equipment Provision services should:

Educate staff and clients to safely handle and dispose of used injecting equipment;
Provide multiple options and locations for safe disposal of used injecting equipment;
Inform staff and clients that they could be prosecuted if they are found disposing of used injecting equipment in a way that could put the public at risk.

Prescribers are also required to provide needle-clipping devices and/or sharps boxes as necessary for the disposal of sharps waste generated in the community through self-administration of medication. Black sharps boxes are available for domestic/personal use.

Question reference: S5O-02031

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action schools take to protect children from knife crime.

Question reference: S5W-15681

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken regarding the modes of public transport that are the (a) most and (b) least accessible to people on low incomes.

Data on transport used by income level focuses on bus and train. Of the two, the bus is the most frequently used mode of public transport for those on the lowest incomes. The ongoing review of the National Transport Strategy is being conducted in collaboration with a wide range of key stakeholders with an interest in the issues of affordability and accessibility regarding public transport. The review will be published in summer 2019 following a formal public consultation.

Question reference: S5W-15677

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken regarding the incomes of people who use (a) (i) bus and (ii) train services, (b) the Glasgow underground and (c) CalMac ferries.

a) We are investing over £1 billion annually in public transport and other sustainable transport options. Our publication, Transport and Travel in Scotland (September 2017), shows that people in lower income households were more likely to walk or take the bus and that adults in lower income households were much more likely to have used the bus in the past month than the train. Employed adults travelling to work were more likely to take the bus than the train at all levels of household income except for those earning more than £40,000 per annum. Train use by employed adults for travel to work is highest for households within an income of £30,000 to £40,000 and more than £40,000 per annum.

b) The Glasgow Underground is the responsibility of Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

c) The roll out of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) was completed on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services network in October 2015. RET has brought significantly lower fares for passengers, cars, small commercial vehicles and coaches. Evaluation reports of the RET pilots are available on the Transport Scotland website and Transport Scotland will be conducting a network-wide evaluation of RET over the coming years.

Question reference: S5W-15663

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what cost- (a) benefit and (b) utility analysis it has undertaken regarding concessionary railcards for 16 to 25-year-olds.

The 16-25 Railcard is provided by the UK rail industry and not by the Scottish or UK governments. Therefore, the Scottish Government does not hold details on the cost, benefit or utility of this scheme. The scheme offers a discount of one third off most fares for an annual fee of £30, with some restrictions (such as a minimum fare before 10 am on weekdays). More information is available at www.railcard.co.uk .

The Scottish Government offers a further rail discount scheme, the Scottish Youth Railcard (SYR), for those in Scotland aged 16-18 and for full-time volunteers aged 19-25. This scheme helps to connect young people with business, education and leisure opportunities. It is free to access the scheme with a Young Scot Card and, in addition to one third off most fares, it offers half-price Season tickets. There were 2,337,203 journeys made using the SYR in 2016-17, at a cost of £529,152 to the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5W-15664

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have had concessionary railcards in each year since 2012.

Question reference: S5W-15442

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of how ride-sharing apps could be used to (a) reduce CO2 emissions, (b) reduce surface deterioration on congestion roads and (c) better facilitate public services.

Question reference: S5W-15493

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken regarding the (a) costs and (b) benefits of the bike sharing scheme in (i) Glasgow and (ii) Edinburgh.

Decisions on bike sharing schemes are a matter for local authorities, and therefore also their responsibility to analyse costs and benefits for their local areas. The Scottish Government is supportive of such schemes that increase active travel and make our towns and cities friendly and safer.

I would encourage local authorities to speak to Forth Environment Link who run the Stirling bike sharing scheme which has received funding from Scottish Government and as part of their grant conditions carry out research into the costs and benefits of the scheme. Both Glasgow and Stirling schemes have been very successful in getting people more active. Edinburgh does not yet have a bike sharing scheme but I understand Councillors are considering the different models.

Question reference: S5W-15669

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 20 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of crimes relating to (a) Islamophobia, (b) racism, (c) homophobia and (d) anti-Semitism in each year since 2012.