Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 43118 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6T-01964

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recently reported developments, what plans are being made to support the continued operation of the Grangemouth refinery.

Question reference: S6W-27095

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken, since the publication of Out of hospital cardiac arrest: strategy 2021 to 2026, to ensure that defibrillators are (a) placed in positions that are as accessible as possible to the public and (b) available 24/7.

The Scottish Government is a member of the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) Partnership. Through SALFS, work is ongoing to increase the strategic placement of defibrillators in Scotland.

The Scottish Government have provided funding to support the Resuscitation Research Group’s development of a tool to help defibrillator guardians make informed decisions about where to place their device in order to have most impact.

In order to maximise defibrillator availability they are usually best mounted on the outside of buildings, and placed in unlocked cabinets. SALFS partners work with defibrillator guardians across Scotland to encourage such placement and availability.

Question reference: S6W-27097

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding defibrillators in schools, what action it has taken to encourage the installation of defibrillators in publicly accessible positions for use by the wider community, rather than in locked rooms within the schools.

Question reference: S6W-27060

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the next routine maintenance is scheduled to be carried out on each junction of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

Programmes of routine maintenance on all trunk roads are developed based on need and are delivered on a prioritised based within the limits of available funding. On occasion other programmes of work, for example road safety, may recommend works that upgrade trunk road signage and road markings.

A number of schemes have been completed on the recently through this budget as part of a package of short term works to improve safety prior to the dualling of the remainder of the A9. Cyclic maintenance is also carried out across trunk roads. This work including grass cutting at junctions to keep visibility splays clear and bollard cleaning to maintain their reflectivity.

The following list highlights a diverse range of schemes currently being prepared for the A9:

A9 Pitlochry Hospital signs – sign renewal in advance of the southbound off slip and the northbound off slip to Pitlochry. This work is provisionally programmed between 29-04-24 and 03-05-24.
A9 Inshes countdown signs – replacement of countdown marker signs in advance of the Inshes junction (northbound off slip). This work is provisionally programmed between 27-05-24 and 31-05-24.
A9 South of Bogbain junction ditching. This drainage work is provisionally programmed between 08-07-24 and 12-07-24.

Additional routine maintenance schemes may be developed and delivered this financial year. This will depend on feedback from weekly inspections and perceived need.

Question reference: S6W-27052

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of rail passenger numbers, and what impact this has had on progress of recommendation (a) 15, (b) 16 and (c) 17 of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

ScotRail, in public ownership, regularly monitors passenger numbers which enables it to deliver services which respond to the needs of people of Scotland.

Since ScotRail moved into public sector, we have added over 200 additional services each weekday, offering seven per cent more seats. Passenger numbers have increased by 75% from 46.7 million in 2021-22 to around 82 million in 2023-24.

In respect of STPR2, Transport Scotland’s programme of works continues to be reviewed against priorities in the context of available funding. This ensures Transport Scotland can deliver the right projects at the right time as we seek to progress our rolling programme of decarbonisation, whilst also delivering rail passenger and freight services that meet user expectations.

Question reference: S6W-27048

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that recommendation 12 of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be progressed.

The delivery of many of the STPR2 recommendations is not the sole responsibility of Transport Scotland and will require a collaborative approach with Regional Transport Partnership and Local Authorities. This approach is already being taken in the other two mass transit recommendations for Glasgow (STPR2 Recommendation 11) and Aberdeen (STPR2 Recommendation 13).

Whilst STPR2 provides the strategic business case for enhancing the cross-boundary mass transit public transport system for the whole Edinburgh and South East region, the outline business case for Recommendation 12 remains to be developed.

The next appropriate step in this process will include agreement on a suitable way forward for development of the project, therefore Transport Scotland continues to work collaboratively with and advise the local authorities and SEStran on the mobilisation of this recommendation.

Question reference: S6W-27065

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will update its economic assessment of Air Departure Tax in Scotland in order to better reflect the current state of the Scottish economy.

We continue to explore all options to implement Air Departure Tax in a way that protects Highlands & Islands connectivity and complies with the UK Government’s subsidy control regime.

Options identified will be thoroughly assessed and the findings will be set out at the appropriate time.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all options presented will protect Highlands and Islands connectivity, along with the communities and business that rely on this to prosper.

Question reference: S6W-27064

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the potential impact upon Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sector of using Air Departure Tax for "demand management".

Question reference: S6W-27062

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with its New Deal for Business Group regarding using Air Departure Tax for "demand management".

Question reference: S6W-27011

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, into the number of people who are rough sleeping in cars in each local authority area.

The Scottish Government collects information on whether any member of a household making a homelessness application to a local authority slept rough:

(a) during the three months preceding and b) the night before the application.

This data is collected from all local authorities as part of the homelessness application (HL1) data collection. Annual totals of rough sleeping reported by applicant households, broken down by local authority, are published in the main tables supporting the main annual publication, available at Supporting documents - Homelessness in Scotland: 2022-23 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The data collection defines rough sleeping as any member of the applicant household who has slept outside, in the open air (such as on the streets, or in doorways, parks or bus shelters) or slept in a building or other place not designed for habitation (such as barns, sheds, car parks, cars, derelict boats, stations etc.). As households making an application for homelessness assistance are not specifically asked to define what form of rough sleeping they experienced, no specific figures relating to numbers of people rough sleeping in cars are available.

Data is not gathered for any household or individual rough sleeping who does not make a homelessness application to a local authority in Scotland and for this reason the statistics do not necessarily cover the entire homeless population. Those people who are experiencing homelessness but who do not appear in official statistics are often referred to as ‘hidden’.

It is not currently possible to estimate the scale of hidden homelessness in Scotland because of known complexities in reaching this population group. We are collaborating with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) researchers who are carrying out research which has potential to improve data collection in Scotland and across the UK on hidden homelessness, information available at "Hidden" homelessness in the UK: evidence review - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)