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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-18629

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government in how many instances A8 compensation has been awarded to ScotRail passengers in each year for which data is available, as per ScotRail’s Accessible Travel Policy document.

Question reference: S6W-18535

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the growing needs for dentistry and GP services in Lothian, in light of data showing that, for example, the population of East Lothian has increased by 21.5% compared to Scotland’s average of 8.2% between 2001 and 2021.

Health and Social Care Partnerships are responsible for planning for the health and social care needs of their residents.

Funding for general medical services is based on population level data about registered patients and practice shares are continuously adjusted to reflect the movement of patients.

Scottish Government continually reviews in conjunction with all Boards, including NHS Lothian, areas for inclusion within the Scottish Dental Access Initiative. This provides funding to dentists who wish to establish a new practice, or extend an existing practice in areas where access to dental services is challenging.

Scottish Government will continue to liaise with NHS Lothian and local Health and Social Care Partnerships to understand all their service-related infrastructure plans and priorities.

Question reference: S6W-18622

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much revenue ScotRail has received from charging fees for returning recovered lost and found items in each year for which data is available, and how many lost items have been returned in the same period.

Question reference: S6W-18474

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects contracts to be awarded totalling at least £200 million as part of the rail enhancement project to reduce the average journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt by 20 minutes by 2026.

Question reference: S6W-18576

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider adopting universal salt iodisation (USI) as a public health measure to address any iodine deficiency in the population.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to adopt universal salt iodisation.

Food Standards Scotland advises that adults need 140 micrograms (µg) of iodine a day and most people should be able to get all the iodine they need by eating a varied and balanced diet. Children need proportionally less depending on their age group.

Good food sources of iodine include cows' milk and dairy products, eggs, sea fish and shellfish. Iodine can also be found in varying levels in plant foods, such as cereals and grains.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) considered ‘Maternal iodine status, birth outcomes and child development’ at its horizon scanning meeting in June 2022. Members agreed that this would be added to the SACN work programme. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor this work as it progresses.

Question reference: S6W-18847

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that the Scottish Chamber Orchestra has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and, if this is the case, what the cost was, broken down by building.

Question reference: S6W-18848

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any investigations that Scottish Opera has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; whether any public funding was used to conduct any necessary repairs, and, if this is the case, what the cost was, broken down by building.

Question reference: S6W-18855

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcomes have been of the engagement by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs with the Scottish Sentencing Council regarding the review of sentencing guidelines produced by the council, and what action the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Scottish Sentencing Council will be taking as a result of this engagement.

I met with the Chair of the Scottish Sentencing Council on 17 May. At that meeting, we discussed a range of matters relevant to the work of the Council. This included the approach that the Council plans to take to the review of guidelines that it produces. It was outlined that when reviewing offence or offender-specific guidelines, the Council will carry out an interim review when a guideline has been in effect for a year, considering data on relevant cases and engaging with sentencers to assess whether the guideline has had the intended effect and identify any unintended consequences. This will be followed by a full review after three years which the Council will publish, setting out the impact of the guideline in the medium term. The review of sentencing guidelines is a role that the Council undertakes independently.

Question reference: S6W-18644

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Age Scotland report, Making Adaptations Work for Older People in Scotland, and its recommendations, which was published in May 2023.

I had the pleasure of attending the launch event for this important report. The Scottish Government welcomes the Age Scotland report and recognises that living in the right home with the right support, including housing adaptations, can be the key to enabling older people to live safely and independently at home.

We know that there are issues with the way in which adaptations are being accessed and delivered locally, so we are considering how the process can be streamlined and made easier for people who need adaptations.

We are also working to increase the supply of accessible and adapted homes. Whenever possible, all new affordable homes are built to Housing for Varying Needs accessibility standards. Housing for Varying Needs offers good practice in the design of homes to help them achieve a good standard of accessibility and flexibility so that they meet people’s needs as they change over time.

We plan to launch a formal consultation on proposals to update the Housing for Varying Needs design guide, and on proposals for introducing the Scottish Accessible Homes Standard, over the coming weeks.

Question reference: S6W-18641

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress on its plan to provide free bikes for all children of school age who cannot afford them, and how many bikes have been purchased for school children in each year since 2021.

The pilot period for the commitment ran from August 2021 to August 2022, and a final evaluation report has been published on the Transport Scotland website . Support was provided to delivery organisations to continue activities until 31 March 2023.

The total number of bikes issued during the pilot period was 2600, the total figure until March 2023 was 3800 and the final figure is due to be calculated next month.

Cycling Scotland, in collaboration with a number of community cycling organisations and national charities representing young people, have developed a programme for 2023/24 that has received £900,000 to continue offering cycles to young people facing financial barriers. As part of this years programme, they will work with Circular Communities Scotland to continue refining the model for delivery to ensure we can make the most out of reconditioned and recycled bikes and ensure as little waste as possible.