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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: S6W-08620

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it has made for the use of e-scooters on public roads in Scotland, and whether legislation will be required in order to regulate this.

E-scooters are currently illegal to use in any public spaces in Scotland but they are legal to sell and own, resulting in an increasing number in illegal use in Scotland.

E-scooters are covered by the same laws and regulations that apply to all motor vehicles. This means e-scooters need to meet the various requirements of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to use public roads lawfully (e.g. road tax, technical safety standards).

Whilst the use of powered transporters and decisions around their introduction and associated legislative changes are primarily a matter for the UK Government, additional legislation and associated guidance would be required for Scotland.

The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to me in April 2022 about his proposals for a new framework for micro-mobility in UKG’s forthcoming Transport Bill. We will fully participate in that and I expect UKG to seek the Scottish Parliament’s legislative consent in a timely manner, and respect the outcome of the Scottish Parliament’s decision on consent.

I am aware that DfT carried out trails in England to develop e-scooter regulatory framework.

The DfT had not factored into its trial programme the legislative changes that would be required in Scotland to allow trials to take place here. Consequently, the trials which took place in England could not be hosted by Scottish local authorities.

Currently, we have received no data from the trials in England. My officials will continue to push for sight of the data to gain a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of legalising e-scooters.

Question reference: S6W-08603

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

Question reference: S6W-08602

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the restoration of Troon station following a fire in 2021, how much (a) has been spent on work already undertaken and (b) it anticipates the full restoration will cost in total.

Network Rail is undertaking restoration works following a serious fire, in July 2021, which caused extensive damage to Troon station building as well as overhead power equipment.

To date (a) £900,000 has been spent on Troon to make the station safe following the fire and to undertake temporary works to bring the station back into use for passengers.

The full cost of rebuilding the station will be dependent on the design selected for the new station building. Options for the new building will be publicly available later this summer.

Question reference: S6W-08579

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the number of board members needed for an organisation under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to specifically review the number of board members needed for an organisation under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. However, in our Programme for Government 2021-22, we have committed to review the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 to consider how we can give local communities more of a say over the things that matter to them in their community. This will provide an opportunity to consider many aspects of the Act including the number of board members.

Question reference: S6W-08583

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the detailed maps of route options for the proposed Clyde Metro that have reportedly been presented as advice to ministers.

Detailed maps on Clyde Metro have not been produced or presented to Scottish Ministers. Indicative maps were presented to Scottish Ministers as part of discussions on STPR2 in the lead up to the publication of draft recommendations in January 2022. The level of assessment work undertaken to date is not sufficient to produce detailed route options for publication or consultation, but of course will be in the future.

Question reference: S6W-08564

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to ensure that teachers and other professionals in statutory services who work with children, including those whose hearing was tested by NHS Lothian Paediatric Audiology Service between 2009 and 2018, are aware of the reported failings of the service, and that the opportunity exists for the children they work with to have a retest if there are concerns about their hearing.

The British Academy of Audiology (BAA) reports have been widely distributed amongst professionals, including all GP practices in NHS Lothian, ENT surgeons, community child health doctors, and speech and language therapists. NHS Lothian has had extensive communication with a range of partners including teaching staff and the Director of Education. As part of this process, those working with children who had any concerns about a child's hearing were encouraged to contact the Audiology department directly or to refer the child through the normal route.

The frequently asked questions, which was developed, has also been shared with specialised teams in education in the four local authority areas across NHS Lothian. My officials are also engaging with local authority heads of service for deaf education and NHS Lothian to address any additional concerns regarding support and education planning for families.

So far, 124 families have been contacted directly by NHS Lothian and offered a retest; 39 children have now had their retest with a further 11 with an appointment to date. From the 39 retested, 10 children have been found to have a new hearing impairment.

Officials continue to work closely with NHS Lothian regarding paediatric audiology, including communications. As highlighted, information has been widely circulated amongst professional staff groups working directly with children and their families, with clear mechanisms for children to be referred to the audiology department where there are concerns about their hearing. NHS Lothian established a telephone line in December last year and this continues to be operational to make it easy for families to make direct contact with the Board about any audiology concerns, the board is also working closely with the National Deaf Children Society.

Question reference: S6W-08826

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will provide a substantive answer to question S6W-04695, which received a holding response on 13 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-08580

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with energy providers regarding residents in Scotland whose developments have a single energy supplier that is classified as commercial rather than domestic, in light of these residents' energy bills reportedly not being subject to Ofgem's price cap.

Powers related to consumer protection, and to the energy price cap set by Ofgem, are reserved to the UK Government. However, I am concerned that energy consumers who are not registered directly with a licenced energy supplier may not be protected by the price cap and may not be eligible for the £400 rebate support announced by the UK Government. This affects those living in park homes, for example, in which a landlord bills households for their for energy use and is also a particular issue for heat networks.

The Scottish Government has raised the issue of unequal treatment of those households who do not have a domestic supply contract with the UK Government, who must ensure that any support for consumers is applied to all those that need it. I am also concerned by the current lack of regulation around the supply of heat via heat networks and I am clear that work to address this by the UK Government through Energy Security Bill is needed urgently, and suppliers must take action to support their customers ahead of any legislation coming into force.

Where concerns have been raised over affordability my officials have contacted the suppliers involved to highlight these and push for improved practice from those involved, we have also worked closely with Citizen’s Advice Scotland and others to support affected customers.

Question reference: S6O-01196

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on future road infrastructure projects in the north east.

Question reference: S6O-01194

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its target of generating 50% of energy use from renewables by 2030 is sufficiently ambitious in light of new opportunities arising for Scotland.