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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.

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Question reference: S6O-01574

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry to conclude.

Question reference: S6O-01596

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to help tackle fuel poverty in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, including for people with prepayment meters who are worried about rising energy costs.

Question reference: S6O-01592

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to bus companies that are currently facing driver shortages.

Question reference: S6W-11646

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11274 by Mairi Gougeon on 17 October 2022, whether any additional funding (a) is currently available and (b) will be made available to local authorities to assist them in the clearance of bird carcasses in the event of an outbreak of an avian disease, should a local authority wish to do so.

With regard to the safe collection and disposal of dead wild birds suspected of having been infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), current government disease control guidance is for carcases to be left in situ.

At present there is no scientific evidence that the removal of carcases significantly reduces the risk of onward spread of the current strain of HPAI H5N1 amongst wild birds. However, this matter continues to be under review, including currently being the topic of a veterinary risk assessment carried out by the Centre of Expertise on Animal Disease Outbreaks (EPIC), commissioned by the Scottish Government.

Without such evidence, there is no animal disease control reason for the collection and disposal of wild bird carcases and, as such, no additional funds have been, or are planned to be, allocated. Collection and disposal of such carcases are carried out at the local council’s discretion.

Question reference: S6W-11610

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 28 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many high rise buildings with aluminium composite material cladding that are owned by registered social landlords (a) have been remediated, (b) are currently being remediated and (c) remain un-remediated.

Question reference: S6W-11597

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11363 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022, whether all jobs, including the current terms and conditions, will transfer to the new operator of the Caledonian Sleeper when the current franchise terminates in June 2023.

As the member knows, in accordance with the requirements of UK Railway legislation – namely, the Railways Act 1993, and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services. It is our firm intention, should it be required, that all current jobs and post holders will transfer, should they wish to.

Question reference: S6W-11620

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated date is for the implementation and customer use of CalMac's new Ar Turas ticketing system.

Question reference: S6W-11668

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the reported freeze of Modern Apprenticeship funding on the childcare sector.

Question reference: S6W-11959

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the National Shipbuilding Office on developing Scottish workstreams in the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

The Scottish Government engaged with the UK Government throughout the development of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh and continues to engage with the National Shipbuilding Office through the National Shipbuilding Strategy Board, which is scheduled to meet again in December.

Scottish Government agencies are also members of wider structures that support the strategy. For example, representatives of Skills Development Scotland are members of the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, chaired by Dr Paul Little of City of Glasgow College.

The Scottish Government will continue to contribute to these forums and ensure that Scotland’s world class shipbuilding industry remains well represented.

Question reference: S6W-11980

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is reviewing whether to incorporate provision for “low-noise” or “silent” fireworks into the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 via regulation.

During the development of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 (“the Act”) the possibility of exempting “silent” or “low noise” fireworks from the provisions which aim to address the noise and disturbance associated with fireworks was considered. However engagement with a range of stakeholders, including industry experts, has confirmed that at present there is no recognised standard or specification for identifying, and therefore distinguishing, such fireworks. It is therefore not possible to exempt “low noise” fireworks from provisions within the Act at this time.

The Act does, however, include a regulation making power to enable this to be amended in future should such standards or specifications make this possible. We are continuing to engage with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regarding the results of noise level testing undertaken on common firework products. This will improve our understanding of whether any common firework products can be considered as low noise fireworks, as well as the scope to move towards such recognised standards or specifications.