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: S5W-31007

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 27 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to report on how stroke care has performed against the Scottish Stroke Improvement Plan over the last year, and whether there will be any changes to the (a) format of this year’s report and (b) scope or quality of the data collected that enables stakeholders to assess whether NHS services are meeting the needs of people who survive a stroke and enabling them to achieve their recovery potential.

Question reference: S5W-31013

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the patient experience and potential accuracy of COVID-19 tests conducted at self-testing stations.

On 17 August we published our revised/updated Testing Strategy: https://www.gov.scot/news/scotlands-covid-19-testing-strategy/ .

The Strategy sets out the circumstances in which people who are asymptomatic would be tested. This includes those identified (via our Test and Protect scheme) as contacts of people who have tested positive, and those working with vulnerable people in high risk settings such as care homes.

This strategy also includes improvements in access to testing and innovation in how we test.

Question reference: S5W-31011

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of an increased number of pedestrians and cyclists, what plans it has to work with Police Scotland to introduce an online reporting tool for road traffic incidents and offences, similar to the one used by the Metropolitan Police in London, in order to improve safety.

The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving our ultimate road safety vision of zero fatalities and a significant reduction in the number of serious injuries on our roads. We are continuing to liaise with a range of key stakeholders, including Police Scotland, as we develop our world-class road safety framework to 2030. Throughout the life of the framework we will be considering a whole range of measures which have the potential to further enhance the safety performance of Scotland’s road network.

Question reference: S5W-30968

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, provided appropriate social distancing rules are followed, what plans it has to review to 50-person limit on the number of people permitted to attend places of worship as part of the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown measures to allow more people to attend in (a) rural communities that are primarily reliant on the size of their church congregation and (b) large-capacity buildings.

I recognise how difficult it has been for Scotland’s faith communities to be unable to come together in places of worship at this challenging time, and understand the important role of congregational worship in supporting spiritual wellbeing. We do not want any restrictions to last any longer than is necessary but must ensure that people who enter places of worship to undertake congregational activities will be safe.

Our guidance on safe capacities for places of worship reflects evolving scientific and health advice and has been developed in discussion with our faith communities and we will continue to work closely with our faith communities as we move towards fully reopening places of worship as soon as it is safe to do so.

The 50 person limit will be reviewed on 20 August as part of our commitment to review restrictions every three weeks, as outlined in the Framework for Decision Making.

Question reference: S5F-04285

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking in response to Police Scotland’s reported budget overspend during the COVID-19 crisis.

Question reference: S5O-04462

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the additional UK Government funding to support Scotland’s people and businesses through the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-31036

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-30761

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is no specific guidance for niche businesses regarding the lifting of lockdown restrictions, and what its position is on whether the categorisation of businesses in its route map for exiting lockdown should mirror the classification for business rates, and not another categorisation determined by the local authority.

We are making changes at a pace and at a level that we think is right and safe for our current circumstances in Scotland. As we have taken decisions about what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown, we have been guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making.

We are taking a partnership approach to create the conditions for business, trades unions and regulators to share expertise and work together to create safer workplaces. This partnership approach is also being used to develop sectoral guidance and endorse industry specific guidance. On 13 July we published guidance for small and micro businesses, across a variety of industries and sectors, to ensure the safety of staff and customers as they re-open.

We have already published guidance for over 25 specific sectors including manufacturing, labs and research, culture and creative industries, retail, transport, and energy. We will continue to prepare guidance in consultation with relevant stakeholders for sectors re-opening as we move through our Route Map out of Lockdown.

We are also working with partners to develop more comprehensive standalone guidance to provide a detailed set of health protection and Infection, Prevention and Control measures that could be applied to a different types of businesses.

Question reference: S5W-30390

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out since July 2019 to prioritise locations to improve the connectivity, accessibility and safety on the trunk route network for (a) cyclists and (b) other road users; when this work (i) was and (ii) will be completed, and how it is being taken forward.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of a safe, accessible and connected trunk road network for (a) cyclists and (b) other road users throughout Scotland. Therefore, as part of the wider management and maintenance of the trunk road network, when developing maintenance programmes and schemes, Transport Scotland and its maintenance agents explore the opportunities to address any existing connectivity or accessibility issues. We also work closely with local authorities and other external parties to facilitate related works which they are seeking to deliver on, adjacent or intersecting the trunk road network.

This has included the delivery of a variety of schemes including footways, cycleways, pedestrian barriers, lighting and pedestrian crossings. This covers a wide range of schemes and programmes.

We also continue to work with Sustrans and local authorities to explore proposals for active travel measures brought forward as part of the National Cycle Network or through the Scottish Government funded Places for Everyone and Spaces for People initiatives.

Looking to the longer term, the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) commenced in spring 2019 and will inform transport infrastructure investment in Scotland for the next 20 years. STPR2 will help deliver the vision, themes and outcomes for transport set out in the new National Transport Strategy (NTS2) published on 5 February 2020. Interventions will be considered in the context of the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy set out in NTS2. Further information is available at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/national-transport-strategy .

We remain committed to working with stakeholders to take forward STPR2, albeit in revised timescales, that take account of the Covid-19 impacts and as we work toward a green economic recovery. We will also need to understand how the impact of the pandemic may shape our future transport system and the demands placed on it. We will do that as part of an overall Government programme, before we can take decisions on future strategic transport infrastructure investment.

Question reference: S5W-30392

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it is providing during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the trunk road network is made safer for (a) cyclists and (b) other road users.

The Scottish Government has provided financial support through allocating £30 million to the Spaces for People (SfP) fund. This fund helps local authorities to put in place temporary measures which support physical distancing whilst keeping people who are walking, wheeling or cycling safe from traffic during transition out of the Covid-19 lockdown. Since the announcement of the SfP fund, a number of local authorities have intimated that they are looking to introduce SfP measures including temporary 20 mph speed limits on certain trunk roads, as part of their wider SfP scheme proposals. As the roads authority for trunk roads, Transport Scotland is engaging with relevant local authorities to consider these measures.

As part of Transport Scotland’s annual road safety review, we engage with stakeholders including the public to understand local priorities for safer active travel. Where an active travel scheme is identified and progressed on the trunk road, we liaise with Sustrans and local authorities to ensure that this is consistent with strategic plans for walking, cycling and wheeling in their area.