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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-32319

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist procurator fiscals are currently employed by the Aberdeen office of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), broken down by specialisation.

Question reference: S6W-32334

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many appeals against convictions have been handled by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in each year of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-32304

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average time is for the Aberdeen office of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to bring cases to court, broken down by case type.

Question reference: S6W-31644

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many seal licences have been issued in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by how many have been exercised.

Seal licences are not issued on a Local Authority basis. Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team (on behalf of Scottish Ministers) determine applications and issue licences to kill or take seals under Part 6 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 for the whole of Scotland. The regional consideration is of the designated Seal Management Areas (SMA), which allow applications to kill or take seals to be balanced against local seal population dynamics and the supporting data provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrew’s University). The data for seals licenced to be killed or taken and the licences subsequently exercised within each SMA is shown in the following table:

	East Coast	Moray Firth	Orkney North Coast	Shetland	Western Isles	South West	West Scotland
Issued 2014
Rivers	7	2	6	0	2	2	4
Fish Farms	0	0	2	6	9	2	13

Exercised 2014
Rivers	1	2	4	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	5	4	1	7

Total seals killed 2014
Rivers	11	31	53	0	6	0	5
Fish Farms	0	0	12	29	12	3	43
Combined	11	31	65	29	18	3	48

Issued 2015
Rivers	6	2	6	0	2	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	6	7	2	13

Exercised 2015
Rivers	2	2	4	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	3	1	7

Total seals killed 2015
Rivers	6	37	29	0	5	0	6
Fish Farms	0	0	10	10	8	1	50
Combined	6	37	39	10	13	1	56

Issued 2016
Rivers	5	1	5	0	2	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	5	8	2	13

Exercised 2016
Rivers	1	1	3	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	3	3	1	6

Total seals killed 2016
Rivers	2	18	5	0	1	0	12
Fish Farms	0	0	7	11	13	1	31
Combined	2	18	12	11	14	1	43

Issued 2017
Rivers	5	1	5	0	2	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	2	14

Exercised 2017
Rivers	2	1	1	0	0	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	1	3	1	5

Total seals killed 2017
Rivers	2	15	2	0	0	0	8
Fish Farms	0	0	1	8	17	1	22
Combined	2	15	3	8	17	1	30

Issued 2018
Rivers	4	1	5	0	3	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	2	13

Exercised 2018
Rivers	1	1	3	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	2	1	2	1	4

Total seals killed 2018
Rivers	1	18	8	0	2	0	7
Fish Farms	0	0	2	13	9	2	24
Combined	1	18	10	13	11	2	31

Issued 2019
Rivers	4	1	5	0	3	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	0	13

Exercised 2019
Rivers	1	1	3	0	2	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	2	2	3	0	5

Total seals killed 2019
Rivers	1	16	7	0	3	0	5
Fish Farms	0	0	5	8	28	0	19
Combined	1	16	12	8	31	0	24

Issued 2020
Rivers	5	1	5	0	5	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	2	9

Exercised 2020
Rivers	1	1	1	0	0	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	2	3	2	8

Question reference: S6W-32841

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many Baby Boxes have been issued in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Scotland since their introduction.

Registration opened on 15 June 2017, and delivery of Baby Boxes nationwide began on 15 August 2017 for all babies born and resident in Scotland.

The total number of Baby Boxes issued since the introduction of the Baby Box programme up to 3 January 2025 is 324,968. We are unable to provide the number of Baby Boxes delivered in the Aberdeen area as we only record the number of Baby Boxes distributed by Health Board area. Since the start of the programme 35,278 Baby Boxes have been issued in NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S6O-04184

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any potential impact on households experiencing fuel poverty in Scotland, particularly in rural and off-gas grid areas, what communication it has had with relevant third parties regarding the ending of the Radio Teleswitch Service.

The Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) is reserved, however the Scottish Government engages regularly with consumer organisations and fuel poverty charities on issues expected to arise from the upcoming switch-off.

I recently visited the Western Isles Citizens Advice Bureau to discuss the potentially devastating consequences on fuel poverty and access to energy if RTS meters are not upgraded on time, there and in many other communities. Consumers must not receive extortionately high or inaccurate bills or experience any interruption of supply.

To that end, I have written to the UK Government, and will seek further urgent engagement to ensure that Scottish communities are protected.

Question reference: S6O-04183

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to continue the Investing in Communities Fund into the 2025-26 financial year, in light of reported concerns that funding may not continue for supported community projects.

The draft Scottish Budget sets out our spending plans for 2025-26 to deliver progress for Scotland, and to improve the lives of the people of Scotland. It includes investment for regeneration of over £62 million to support communities most in need, which I can advise includes the Investing in Communities Fund supporting community-led projects across Scotland which are addressing poverty and disadvantage.

The draft Budget requires the support of Parliament before confirmation of funding for individual allocations can be provided. I would therefore urge all MSPs to support the budget to ensure that investment for community projects continues.

Question reference: S6O-04203

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of children and young people leaving school unable to swim.

Question reference: S6O-04202

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the steps that it is taking to tackle child poverty.

Question reference: S6O-04206

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on farmers giving the methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer to their cattle.