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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: S6O-00228

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement part 3 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to allow local authorities to bring forward proposals to directly run bus services in their area.

Question reference: S6O-00231

Asked by: Neil Gray, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to close the poverty-related attainment gap, including in response to the reduction to universal credit.

Question reference: S6O-00225

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the capacity of on-street charging infrastructure as drivers switch to electric vehicles.

Question reference: S6O-00229

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the dualling of the A96.

Question reference: S6W-03270

Asked by: Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the COVID-19 vaccination certification scheme.

Question reference: S6W-02920

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve fracture liaison services.

Scotland is the second country in the world, after New Zealand, with 100 per cent Fracture Liaison Service provision across all 14 Health Boards.

Our NHS Recovery Plan, published on 25 August, outlines that the Centre for Sustainable Delivery will work collaboratively with Health Boards, health and social care partners, third sector, academia and industry to identify and implement improvements to care pathways across Scotland. This will include extending new approaches to delivering care that minimise the requirement for patients to travel, and provide services more efficiently – for example virtual appointments and virtual fracture clinics.

Question reference: S6W-02987

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Seafood Producers Resilience Fund have been (a) received, (b) approved and (c) declined, and how much funding has been distributed.

Question reference: S6W-02992

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it (a) can take and (b) is taking to support the approval of further COVID-19 vaccines.

The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) investment in NHS Research Scotland (NRS) clinical research infrastructure is supporting NHS Health Board participation in a number of COVID-19 vaccine trials to provide data for regulatory submissions for approval for use.

The CSO, NRS and health boards work closely with the UK Vaccines Taskforce to bring a range of vaccine trials to Scotland.

Regulatory approval and licensing conditions for the use of COVID-19 vaccines is a statutory responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

More information about the trials being supported by NHS Research Scotland is available at: COVID-19 vaccine studies | NHS Research Scotland | NHS Research Scotland .

Question reference: S6W-02917

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason regular cervical screening tests have been changed from every three to every five years.

Question reference: S6W-02852

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments by Homes for Scotland regarding the Programme for Government that planning and regulatory systems "are in need of increased resources to enable local councils to cope with the levels of demand for new homes".

In 2021-22 the Scottish Government allocated £11.7 billion to authorities and it is the responsibility of individual councils to manage their own budgets and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

The resourcing and performance of the planning system remain key priorities, and we are aware that authorities across the country are under financial pressure, and that this has impacted on planning departments. That is why in 2019 we published a consultation which proposed making changes to the planning fee regime to increase the financial resources available to authorities. That work was paused during the pandemic but has recently been recommenced and we will work with the High Level Group on Planning Performance to take it forward.

The performance of the system is not the sole responsibility of planning authorities and everyone involved in planning must play their part in ensuring that the system functions effectively and efficiently.

Some planning applications will have longer decision times due to their scale and complexity. Planning decision timescales have also inevitably been affected by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020-21, despite these impacts, authorities determined 4,293 planning applications for housing.