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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-35166

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to taxi licensing, which local authorities currently have a requirement for taxis with tinted windows to have CCTV installed.

Question reference: S6W-34878

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it first became aware of the reported allegations of mistreatment at Skye House, and what action it has taken since.

I was first informed about the BBC Disclosure Programme on 24 January 2025.

Since I was made aware of the specific allegations in the programme, my officials have been in regular contact with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to seek assurances about current practice.

On Wednesday 26 February, myself and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care met with the Chief Executives of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside, where inpatient units are located. They provided me with assurance that the allegations in the programme are being taken very seriously, that internal and external review processes are underway, and that appropriate governance arrangements are in place.

To provide further external assurance, I have asked NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Mental Welfare Commission to carry out a series of joint visits to all three adolescent inpatient units in Scotland, as well as the National Child Inpatient Unit.

HIS and the Commission will use these visits to recommend what is required to ensure the quality and safety of our CAMHS inpatient units in the future.

Question reference: S6W-34930

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations have become rural housing bodies each year under section 43(6) of the Title Conditions (Scotland) Act 2003.

The following organisations were prescribed as rural housing bodies in the following years. Please note that there is no requirement to notify Scottish Ministers when a rural housing body is wound up or ceases to operate.

2004

Albyn Housing Society Limited

Barra and Vatersay Housing Association Limited

Berneray Housing Association Limited

Buidheann Taigheadais na Meadhanan Limited

Cairn Housing Association Limited

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Dunbritton Housing Association Limited

Fyne Homes Limited

Isle of Jura Development Trust

Lochaber Housing Association Limited

Muirneag Housing Association Limited

Orkney Islands Council

Pentland Housing Association Limited

Taighean Ceann a Tuath na’Hearadh Limited

The Highlands Small Communities’ Housing Trust

The Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust

The Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust

The North Harris Trust

Tighean Innse Gall Limited

2005

Buidheann Tigheadas Loch Aillse Agus An Eilein Sgitheanaich Limited

Ekopia Resource Exchange Limited

Rural Stirling Housing Association Limited

West Highland Housing Association Limited

2007

Colonsay Community Development Company

Community Self-Build Scotland Limited

Dumfries and Galloway Small Communities Housing Trust

Fyne Initiatives Limited

2008

Argyll Community Housing Association

HIFAR Limited

North West Mull Community Woodland Company Limited

West Highland Rural Solutions Limited

2009

Craignish Community Company Limited

The Highland Housing Alliance

2013

Down to Earth Solutions Community Interest Company

West Harris Trust

2014

Yuill Community Trust C.I.C.

Mull and Iona Community Trust

2017

Kilfinan Community Forest Company

Dormont Passive Homes (Scotland) Ltd.

2019

Arran Development Trust

2023

Argyll and Bute Council

Hebridean Housing Partnership Limited

Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn

2024

Shapinsay Development Trust

Tayvallich Initiative Ltd

Question reference: S6W-34884

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had any discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde following the recent BBC programme, Disclosure: Kids on the Psychiatric Ward, and, if so, what outcomes have resulted from any such discussions.

Since I was made aware of the allegations in the programme, my officials have been in regular contact with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, asking a series of questions around how complaints and incidents during the time period were handled; how Mental Welfare Commission recommendations were addressed; and how staff are trained and supervised. There were also important questions about leadership and governance.

From NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s response, I am satisfied that appropriate review and assurance processes are in place and that improvements have been made since the events described.

As I set out in my answer to question S6W-34878 on 27 February 2025, NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Mental Welfare Commission will carry out a series of joint visits. I will also be carefully monitoring the outcome of the internal and external reviews that have been commissioned by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and – as the Board would expect – holding them to account. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Further to this, on Wednesday 26 February, myself and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care met with the Chief Executives of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside, where inpatient units are located. They provided me with assurance that the allegations in the programme are being taken very seriously, that internal and external review processes are underway, and that appropriate governance arrangements are in place.

Question reference: S6W-34883

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints of mistreatment at Skye House have been made in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34601

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing steps it is taking to monitor which potential trunk road building or upgrade projects would provide the highest economic return on investment.

Transport Scotland completed the second Strategic Transport Projects Review which sets-out the Scottish Government’s priorities for future capital investment, including new investment in the trunk road network.

Alongside the design development process of any major transport capital project there is a need to develop the appropriate level business case. These project specific business cases are developed in line with the Guidance on the Development of Business Cases in Transport Scotland, the latest transport scheme assessment and evaluation criteria and the Scottish Public Finance Manual. These cover the 5 Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria of Economy, Climate Change, Environment, Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Equality and Accessibility as well as any Transport Planning Objectives and the process checks that projects remain in line with the initial assessment on which decisions were made.

Question reference: S6W-34393

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party 2021 manifesto commitment to fund the refurbishment of playparks, how many of these are located in the Rutherglen constituency, and how much it will cost to refurbish these.

The Scottish Government is investing £60 million to renew play parks in Scotland, so children have access to free, high-quality outdoor play in their own communities. We have already committed £35 million since May 2021. The funding is distributed to local authority partners to manage play park renewals based on local needs and priorities.

The allocation per year for South Lanarkshire is:

Local Authority	Allocation for 2021-22	Allocation for 2022-23	Allocation for 2023-24	Allocation for 2024-25
South Lanarkshire Council	£298,000	£296,000	£597,000	£896,000

The Scottish Government does not hold play park information by constituency. Local authorities report annually every April on the number of play parks that they have renewed. Local authority partners have confirmed that all funding provided to date is allocated to the current and future renewal of play parks that have been identified by the local authority in need of improvement. To date, the figures reported for South Lanarkshire are:

Local Authority	Play parks renewed in 2021-22	Play parks renewed in 2022-23	Play parks renewed in 2023-24
South Lanarkshire Council	0	0	12

Question reference: S6W-34223

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many food businesses have been closed following Food Standards Scotland inspections in each year since 2018, broken down by local authority.

The following table provides the detail of Local Authority enforcement actions that have resulted in business closure. The data relates to the use of Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices, Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Orders and Voluntary Closures.

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	Grand Total
Aberdeen City Council	17	10	2	1	14	20	10		74
Aberdeenshire Council	5	4				1	4		14
Angus Council	1				2	4			7
Argyll And Bute Council				1	1	2			4
City of Edinburgh Council	30	36	17	7	30	39	34	2	195
Clackmannanshire Council	5	4	1	2		1			13
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar	3	3		1					7
Dundee City Council	5	6	1	6	9	4	5		36
East Ayrshire Council				2	1		3	4	10
East Dunbartonshire Council	7	7	1	3	1	4	8	2	33
East Lothian Council	5	1				3	9		18
East Renfrewshire Council	2	1			1				4
Falkirk Council	11	5	1	1	3	6		1	28
Fife Council	7	4		4	8	5	16	1	45
Glasgow City Council	10	4			8	2			24
Inverclyde Council	1		1				1		3
North Ayrshire Council	2	1							3
North Lanarkshire Council	13	10			2	1	2		28
Orkney Islands Council						1			1
Renfrewshire Council	12	3	3	2	6	2	3	1	32
Scottish Borders Council		3			1				4
South Ayrshire Council		1							1
South Lanarkshire Council	4	2	2	6	5	4			23
Stirling Council	3	2				3	3		11
The Highland Council	4	3		3			3		13
The Moray Council	2	2				1			5
West Dunbartonshire Council	4	2	1		2	5			14
West Lothian Council					2				2
Grand Total	153	114	30	39	96	108	101	11	652

Question reference: S6W-34199

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what role (a) telehealth and (b) remote consultation technologies play in delivering community audiology services, particularly in rural areas served by NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S6W-34193

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current staffing levels are for community audiology services in (a) NHS Grampian and (b) Aberdeen, and how these compare with the recommended levels.