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 43731 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-25537

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many seizures of illicit drugs have occurred in prisons in each of the last five years, also broken down by (a) establishment and (b) drug type.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The health and wellbeing of those who live and work in our prisons is a key priority for the Scottish Prison Service and we continue to work with numerous organisations to offer those in their care a suite of support to address both their addiction and recovery journey.

1. The total number of Drug Recoveries from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023 are appended in the following table. This data includes both in prison and preventative finds.

Establishment	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	Total
Addiewell	252	624	476	412	237	2,050
Barlinnie	458	277	389	237	286	1,363
Bella				1	2	1
Cornton Vale	17	19	22	12		99
Dumfries	31	59	111	60	29	676
Edinburgh	290	733	1,158	339	415	2,660
Glenochil	34	180	715	90	140	1,251
Grampian	127	144	182	244	232	767
Greenock	87	159	132	98	70	611
Inverness	141	119	156	112	135	1,041
Kilmarnock	535	929	1,102	519	513	3,087
Lilias					2	265
Low Moss	190	336	264	232	265	1,071
Open Estate	63	57	60	19	49	477
Perth	161	371	506	285	278	1,764
Polmont	90	256	407	574	441	1,597
Shotts	131	309	673	196	270	1,321
Stirling					12	3,376
Total	2,607	4,572	6,353	3,430	3,376	16,962

1. SPS work in partnership with Dundee University and Police Scotland to help identify and understand the illicit substance market. The continued change in drug compounds and poly-substance detections makes it difficult to categorically confirm substance types found and as such SPS is unable to accurately identify the drugs recovered.

Question reference: S6W-25556

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many vessels are currently licensed to fish for wild wrasse, and how many of these use creels for other species in addition to wrasse traps.

The wrasse fishing season is open from 1 May to 30 November, so at present no vessels hold a derogation giving permission from Scottish Ministers to fish for wild wrasse. Applications are assessed on a year by year basis, and do not automatically carry over. In the 2023 season, 67 vessels were issued with a derogation and of those 51 used creels to fish for other species at some point over the course of 2023.

Question reference: S6W-25396

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to tackling fuel poverty in the (a) Scottish Budget for (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22, (iii) 2022-23 and (iv) 2023-24 and (b) draft Budget for 2024-25.

We have committed to a £1.8 billion investment over the course of this parliamentary term to make our homes warmer, greener and more efficient. This includes an allocation of £350m to heat, energy efficiency and fuel poverty measures in 2023-24, including £119m targeted at fuel poor households. This is delivered through two long-standing energy efficiency programmes – the Area Based Schemes and Warmer Homes Scotland - that have already supported over 150,000 households in or at risk of fuel poverty.

In addition, since the winter of 2020 the Scottish Government has allocated funding for the Fuel Insecurity Fund which has been providing support to households who were at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing their energy use. Further funding has been allocated for wider fuel poverty action. Among other things, this budget line has supported the costs of the previous non-statutory Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel and our current statutory, Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel.

The following table sets out the allocations towards tackling fuel poverty across the consecutive years from 2020-21 to the draft Budget for 2024-25:

Allocations	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25 (draft)
Energy Efficiency Delivery Programmes: Area Based Schemes & Warmer Homes Scotland	87m	114m	119m	119m	119m
Fuel Insecurity Fund	7m	10m	20m	30m	0
Wider Fuel Poverty action	-	-	250k	320k	320k

Question reference: S6W-25285

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to improve the accessibility of GP appointments.

In November Scottish Government published The General Practice Access Principles. This report, which sets out a clear framework for the core principles of how GP services should be delivered – equitably, sensitively, reasonably and appropriately, making the most effective use of resources and systems currently available.

The main principles are:

1. Access to General Practice is inclusive and equitable for people, based on the principles of Realistic Medicine and Value Based Health & Care. Care will be person-centred and based on what matters to the individual.

2. People should have a reasonable choice about how they access services.

3. Services should be approachable, sensitive, compassionate, and considerate to need.

4. General Practices should help people to get the right care from the best and most appropriate person or team to care for them (Right Care, Right Place, Right Time).

We continue to work together with all relevant partners to effectively implement these principles, including through our commitment to the ongoing recruitment of primary care multi-disciplinary teams as well as Phase Two of the GMS Contract.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Primary Care Access Programme has already worked with over 100 general practices to improve access arrangements and continues to run with excellent uptake.

Question reference: S6W-25271

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the gross value added (GVA) of the oil and gas industry in Scotland has been in each financial year from 2014-15 to date (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of Scotland’s total GVA.

Financial year (April to March)	(a) Oil & gas extraction in Scottish adjacent waters, GVA in current prices (£ million)	(b) Oil & gas extraction in Scottish adjacent waters, GVA as a percentage of total GVA for Scotland
2014-15	11,182	7.9%
2015-16	7,354	5.3%
2016-17	8,900	6.2%
2017-18	12,451	8.1%
2018-19	17,170	10.6%
2019-20	16,137	9.8%
2020-21	9,468	6.4%
2021-22	19,295	11.2%
2022-23	20,636	10.8%

Source: GDP Quarterly National Accounts: 2023 Quarter 3 (July to September) - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) (31 Jan 2024) calculations based on data in Supplementary Tables 10 and 3.

Question reference: S6T-01830

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Police Scotland's Proportionate Response to Crime pilot, in which not all reported crimes were investigated, is to be extended across Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-01818

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure optimum ferry capacity to and from Arran, in light of reports that repairs to the MV Caledonian Isles are not expected to conclude before mid-June.

Question reference: S6F-02869

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-02861

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the number of people living in temporary accommodation in Glasgow has increased by 25%.

Question reference: S6F-02874

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the latest reported figures highlighting the impact of livestock worrying in Scotland.