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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-25223

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24320 by Neil Gray on 19 January 2024, what the most recent (a) total cost is of the contract for Hull (i) 801 and (ii) 802 and (b) projected operational date is for Hull 801.

The Chief Executive of Ferguson Marine provided the most recent costs for completion of the vessels to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee in September 2023.

The Chief Executive also informed the NZET Committee in January that the estimated total cost to complete both vessels was being reviewed and the outcome would be notified to the Committee and Scottish Government before 23rd February.

Following a period of berthing trials and crew familiarisation the MV Glen Sannox (Hull 801) is set to be operational eight weeks after handover. The handover date is also in the process of being revised by Ferguson Marine and we expect this to be notified with the updated forecast costs.

Question reference: S6W-25104

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to reduce the average processing times for power of attorney applications.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is part of the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). As such, operational decisions regarding power of attorney applications are the responsibility of SCTS under the leadership of its independent board headed by the Lord President.

The Scottish Government has provided SCTS with additional funding since 2021 to support OPG recovery and further additional funding last year to support the replacement of the Office of the Public Guardian IT system.

Work on the new OPG IT system, which is expected to reduce processing times for power of attorney applications, is progressing as planned and it is expected that the first phase of the work will be completed this year.

The Scottish Government typically meets OPG once every 3-6 months to discuss ongoing business matters, including registration of powers of attorney.

Question reference: S6W-25213

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has been doing to prevent XL Bully-type dogs coming into Scotland from England and Wales since the Dangerous Dogs (Designated Types) (England and Wales) Order 2023 came into force on 31 December 2023.

The Scottish Government previously asked the UK Government to confirm whether XL Bully dog owners who live in England and Wales would be committing the offence of sale of an XL Bully dog if a dog owner sought to do that outside of England and Wales. The UK Government were unable to give a definitive answer indicating it would be ‘unlikely’ an offence would be committed in such a situation.

As a result and in a decision not made lightly, the Scottish Government considers it necessary to introduce similar safeguards in Scotland to address growing public safety and animal welfare concerns.

The Scottish Government has worked at pace to develop regulations to introduce the first stage of new safeguards on XL Bully dogs. Subject to approval by Parliament, from 23 February 2024 it will be illegal to rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully dog to another person.

Question reference: S6W-25019

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its Budget for 2024-25, whether it has published any reports or analysis on the effectiveness of the previous iteration of the surtax, which was in place from 2012 to 2015.

Question reference: S6W-25200

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with Public Health Scotland regarding the possible introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers prior to the announcement in its Budget for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-25018

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its Budget for 2024-25, whether it will provide further details of what its position is on whether the introduction of such a levy is consistent with the New Deal for Business Group’s Implementation Plan recommendation to maintain a competitive and less complex rates regime.

Question reference: S6W-25020

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its Budget for 2024-25, whether it has estimated the level of additional retail sales that would be required each year by retailers to offset the cost of the surtax.

Question reference: S6W-25593

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 February 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Emma Roddick on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to publish an Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, as committed to in the First Minister’s policy prospectus and in the Programme for Government 2023-24.

Today, the Scottish Government publishes its new Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, which sets out our approach to the issue of population decline affecting some communities in Scotland. The Plan builds on the work of the Ministerial Population Taskforce in delivering Scotland’s Population Strategy, which was published in March 2021.

This new Action Plan describes a range of work which will be delivered in partnership with local authorities, enterprise agencies, communities and other local actors, alongside a range of current and future Scottish Government national delivery priorities to support communities affected by population decline.

Building on this Action Plan, the next phase of our work will be informed by the small area outputs from Scotland’s Census 2022, which are due to be published in Spring 2024. These data will enable us to consider even more targeted and focused interventions in support of community sustainability.

The publication can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835217177 .

Question reference: S6W-25196

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the possible introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers as set out in the 2024-25 Budget, what assessment it has made of the potential impact of any new levy on the behaviour of retailers that are liable for the new levy and also become liable for a workplace parking levy, including whether such retailers may be more or less inclined to pass some or all of the cost of the parking levy onto their staff.

Question reference: S6W-25021

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its Budget for 2024-25, whether firms that are liable for the surtax would be subject to the highest non-domestic rates of any properties levied in the UK.