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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-06126

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02085 by Maree Todd on 23 August 2021, whether a date has been set for the resumption of over-70s breast cancer screening, and, if not, (a) for what reason and (b) whether it will commit to this service restarting in any form in 2022.

The Scottish Government is committed to resuming the pause to self-referrals for those aged 71 and over as soon as it is feasible. The Breast Screening Programme Board (BSPB) agreed that the option for women over 70 to self-refer into the breast screening programme should resume once all screening centres are able to offer those aged 53-70 their breast screening appointments within 39 months of their previous screening. However, in recognition of the anxiety the pause is causing, the screening programme is exploring whether there are other options that will accelerate the restart without unduly impacting appointment times for the eligible screening population. Any decision will be informed by clinical advice and the on-going pandemic.

In the meantime, the programme is working hard to increase capacity, including by deploying additional mobile units and offering appointments at evenings and weekends.

Regardless of their age, women should remain symptom aware and report any symptoms to their GP immediately for these to be investigated.

Question reference: S6W-06127

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) longest current waiting time is for breast cancer screening for women aged 50 to 70.

a) There are six breast screening centres across Scotland. For women aged 53-70 years who were screened between 1st April 2020 and 31st January 2021, the average interval between screening episodes was 41 months across Scotland.

The average interval between screening episodes, broken down by screening centre, was as follows:

East – 46 months

North – 40 months

North East – 42 months

South East – 41 months

West – 38 months

South West – 39 months

b) It is not possible to provide information on the current longest interval between screening episodes; however, within the period between 1 April 2020 and 31 January 2021, 2% of those screened had an interval between screening rounds of greater than or equal to 51 months.

It should be noted that the data provided to answer this question is management information that has not been subject to quality checks applied on an official publication.

Question reference: S6W-06031

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02968 by Graeme Dey on 28 September, when it anticipates it will publish provisional findings from the Ernst & Young review of the ferry network.

Question reference: S6W-06897

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-06339

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place to inform its proposed plans to accredit new providers for the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme, and whether people who have already been allocated a vehicle under the scheme will be affected by the change.

The 2016 Consultation on Social Security in Scotland asked correspondents if the new Scottish social security system should continue to support access to the Motability scheme. Of the 200 respondents, 97% answered 'Yes'. During the subsequent consultation on Disability Assistance in 2019, the Government confirmed that a scheme equivalent to the Motability scheme would be put in place in advance of the delivery of Disability Assistance.

The Scottish Government believes that giving disabled people a range of suppliers to choose from will encourage value and promote choice. When the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme was launched in 2019, we therefore set out an intention to invite further applicants at regular intervals. Work to re-open further accreditation rounds will begin later this year.

Any future accreditation of providers under the Scheme will not affect people who have already leased a vehicle under the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-06234

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it works with the Department for Work and Pensions to monitor the satisfaction and employee retention levels of (a) Universal Credit staff and (b) staff supporting Universal Credit service users in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-06493

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider instructing Historic Environment Scotland to assess the site of HMP Barlinnie for listed status.

Question reference: S6W-06524

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S6O-00736 by Ben Macpherson on 9 February 2022, during which the minister referred to the "greater provision of renewable energy - which...has had a significant positive impact on the reliability of supply here in Scotland", whether it will set out in detail what this definition of “renewable energy” is; what the generation source is of the energy that has had a positive impact on reliability, and whether it will publish any data that (a) shows an increasing "reliability of supply", as opposed to an increasing amount of energy supplied, and (b) shows a correlation and direct "impact" of the greater provision of renewable energy, as defined, on the reliability of supply.

This is a reserved policy area. Responsibility for security of supply sits with National Grid ESO (the GB electricity system operator).

Renewable capacity in Scotland includes onshore and offshore wind, hydro, solar, marine technologies, bioenergy and waste. Other sources of power generation and interconnection to the rest of GB electricity system are also critical in terms of maintaining secure electricity supply, particularly at times when renewables output is low.

The UK government has now included renewables in the Capacity Market to recognise their “measurable contribution” to security of supply. Renewables sites in Scotland have been successful in securing contracts in the latest T-4 and T-1 Capacity Market Auctions.

The equivalent of 98.6% of gross electricity consumption in Scotland (around 30 GigaWatt hours, GWh) comes from renewable sources.

Question reference: S6W-06459

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05508 by Michael Matheson on 4 February 2022, in light of it not being able to detail what impact the closure of Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power stations will have on consumer energy bills, whether it can state what the price of electricity generated by each of them is.

Question reference: S6W-06304

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it will ensure that local authorities are resourced and supported to tackle the climate emergency.

As set out in the answer to question S6W-05390 on 25 January 2022, the Scottish Government regularly engages with local authorities and the wider public sector, including through COSLA and the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN), where current opportunities and challenges within local authority climate action are frequently discussed. Scottish Government officials also engage with the Improvement Service on the capacity needs of local authorities in delivering net zero.

For further detail on local authorities and the climate emergency, I refer the member to the answers to questions: S6W-05387 on 11 January 2022; S6W-05388, S6W-05389 and S6W-05390 on 25 January 2022; S6W-05391 on 11 January 2022; S6W-05627 on 21 January 2022; S6W-05753 on 3 February 2022; and S6W-05754 and S6W-05755 on 7 February 2022.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: Written questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Website