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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-08135

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether an assessment has been made, or there are plans for one to be commissioned, of the welfare implications of the use of an estimated up to 10 million cleaner fish in the UK salmon farming industry each year.

All farmed fish, including cleaner fish, are protected by the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, which places a duty on fish farms to ensure their needs are met. Fish farms must keep mortality and veterinary records by law and these are inspected by the Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate. Significant cases of poor welfare observed during inspection are reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), receives public funding and supports research on the health and welfare of cleaner fish, and how their natural environment and behaviours can be encouraged on fish farms.

The Farmed Fish Health Framework Steering Group, which includes fish vets, regulators, the sector, and Scottish Government and which is chaired by the Scottish Government Chief Veterinary Officer, provides the appropriate forum within which future policy relating to the health and welfare of farmed fish will be developed.

Question reference: S6W-08139

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to consider local health needs alongside population growth and infrastructure expansion, to ensure that growing towns and cities have adequate coverage by GP surgeries.

Question reference: S6W-08130

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards will have any future role and responsibility for vaccination and immunisation services once the deadline has passed for them to complete the Vaccination Transformation Programme (VTP).

The Vaccination Transformation Programme covers all routine immunisations that are delivered in Scotland. From the 1 st of April, NHS territorial Health Boards have responsibility for the delivery of vaccination programmes, with models varying across Scotland to align with local requirements. This allows Health Boards the flexibility to arrange vaccination centres at community venues, delivering through existing health teams (such as Midwives or Community Pharmacies), or establish new clinics to meet local needs. Some Health Boards may continue to utilise GP practices to provide vaccination services by local arrangement.

Question reference: S6W-08205

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle digital poverty.

Since May 2020, the Scottish Government has invested over £48 million in our Connecting Scotland programme, which provides people on low incomes with a device, connection with unlimited data for two years, as well as training and support. Since programme launch 60,000 digitally excluded people in total have been brought online. We are now working on an extension to the programme to reach 300,000 people by the end of this Parliament.

The programme is part of our wider package of support to help everyone in Scotland benefit fully from the advantages of the digital world – from broadband connectivity to digital skills training and support for schools and business.

Question reference: S6W-08174

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Ukrainian-language speakers are employed with local authorities; how many vacancies for such individuals remain to be filled, and what steps are being taken to recruit more individuals who are fluent in Ukrainian.

Question reference: S6W-07875

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential financial impact on local authorities of its proposed licencing scheme requirements for short-term lets, in light of any inflationary pressures as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Question reference: S6W-08197

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost has been of housing individuals and families in temporary accommodation in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the cost to local authorities for housing homeless households in temporary accommodation. This information would need to be requested from each local authority directly.

Funding for local authorities is provided by way of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, including any funding to combat homelessness, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Question reference: S6W-08175

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Ukrainian-speaking lawyers it has recruited to ease the resettlement process of Ukrainian refugees in Scotland.

Scottish Government lawyers provide legal services and advice to the Scottish Government and its agencies only. As such, Ukrainian-speaking lawyers have not been specifically recruited in order to assist the resettlement process.

To support the settlement process of Ukrainian refugees, the Scottish Government has provided £36,000 to JustRight Scotland to provide free, confidential legal advice to Ukrainians and their family members seeking safety in Scotland. We have also provided £7 million to Local Authorities to meet longer term needs. In addition, we have provided £1.4 million to the Scottish Refugee Council for the expansion of its Refugee Integration Service.

Question reference: S6W-08238

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to provide Care and Repair with further funding, in addition to the £500,000 previously committed, to support older and vulnerable people to upgrade their fire alarms in line with new regulations, in light of reports that some people contacting Care and Repair for support are being told it has no funding available to support them with installing new fire alarms.

In order to support older and disabled people in meeting this new legislation, we have provided a total of £1.1 million in 2021-22 to Care and Repair Scotland.

We also provided £1 million to SFRS for their Home Fire Safety visits to help those most vulnerable to the risk of fire to meet the new standard. The general principle is that owners are responsible for the cost of looking after private property. Our targeted funding is reaching those most at risk and least able to do the work themselves. There are no currently plans to provide further funding.

The Scottish Government published a statement in partnership with COSLA on 21 January 2022 confirming that local authorities will take a proportionate and measured approach to compliance and individual circumstances will be taken into account.

Whilst we encourage homeowners to install these alarms at their earliest opportunity to protect lives and possessions, we have emphasised consistently that there will be no penalties for non-compliance.

Question reference: S6O-01056

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering any reforms to the justice system in relation to convicted and incarcerated persons who own and control property in Scotland.