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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: S6T-01780

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments made by the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service that prisoners may need to be released early due to overcrowding.

Question reference: S6F-02821

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on what progress the Scottish Government has made towards implementing the recommendations of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee’s report, Long COVID.

Question reference: S6F-02810

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Who Cares? Scotland research report, Is Scotland Keeping the Promise?, which reportedly indicates that, on the fourth anniversary of the publication of The Promise, key pledges made to care experienced people are not being fulfilled.

Question reference: S6F-02813

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Scottish Information Commissioner’s intervention into its use and retention of informal communications, in light of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

Question reference: S6F-02798

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to strengthen enforcement powers in relation to long-term empty homes.

Question reference: S6F-02793

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02792

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-24696

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any plans by Scottish Water to create new woodlands or restore peatland; if so, how much of the land owned by Scottish Water in total will be used to (a) plant trees and (b) restore peatland, and over how many years; what the (i) size and (ii) location is of each piece of such land, broken down by local authority area; what annual budget it will make available for any such (A) planting of trees and (B) restoration of peatland; whether Scottish Water plans to apply for any Scottish Government grants to assist with any such (1) tree planting and (2) peatland restoration costs; what reports it has commissioned on any such (aa) tree planting and (bb) peatland restoration potential; what the carbon credits potential is from any such (AA) tree planting and (BB) peatland restoration, and whether it will make any related reports public.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Circa 684 Hectares (Ha) (as identified to date) of Scottish Water land is planned for peatland restoration and the work has been phased over three years – 23-24, 24-25 and 25-26. Locations identified are Lintrathen and Backwater (100Ha – Angus Council), Afton (190Ha – East Ayrshire Council) and Loch Katrine (394Ha – Stirling Council).

The annual budget will be based upon the current industry average price of restoration, some £1600 per hectare and therefore the annual budget is estimated to be £384,000 in 23-24, £464,000 in 24-25 and £262,400 in 25-26. Scottish Water will apply to the Scottish Government for grants to undertake peatland restoration. Each area has been subject to a feasibility study, ecological survey and archaeological survey in line with Peatland ACTION processes and as required for the planning application and other elements of undertaking a peatland restoration project. Scottish Water works with tenants, graziers and other interests to ensure it will deliver multiple benefits from this programme.

Scottish Water has also screened the vast majority of its landholdings for tree planting potential. This has considered water quality and water resources, land that might be needed for asset expansion, suitability of the land for tree planting and to ensure that tenant farmers activities are not adversely impacted. Potential projects are also subject to environmental and ecological assessments.

Loch Katrine represents the biggest single project across Scottish Water’s estate. Forestry and Land Scotland have submitted a Land Management Plan to Scottish Forestry for approval for the restoration of a natural woodland/open ground mosaic landscape. This will cover a 10-year period and see some 4,600 hectares of woodland creation, predominantly through natural regeneration, in addition to the 394Ha peatland restoration. The project is estimated at £4.8m over 10 years to the early 2030s and SW estimates it may to deliver up to 1 million tonnes of carbon benefit across this century through reduced losses from poor peatland and improved capture in vegetation and trees. It will also deliver improved water quality, catchment resilience to climate change and biodiversity gain.

Scottish Water’s other woodland creation is much smaller scale, predominantly associated with reservoirs and catchments. The gross cost of projects delivered to date is £650,000, which includes £123,000 funding from accessing woodland creation grants. The estimated cost of current projects is £1.3m with £480,000 woodland grant contribution expected.

Collectively across all of Scottish Water’s woodland creation projects it estimates the 60-year benefit to be circa 160,000 tonnes of carbon with additional climate resilience, water quality and biodiversity benefits.

Scottish Water’s publishes updates on its activities at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Energy-and-Sustainability/211223Biodiversityreport23FINAL.pdf and https://scottishwaternetzero.co.uk/ .

Question reference: S6W-24655

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 5 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment was conducted regarding the £63.4 million reduction to the “Future Transport Fund – Low Carbon” budget line in its Budget 2024-25.

In an extremely challenging financial climate, and following a worst case scenario UK Autumn Statement in which UK Ministers prioritised tax cuts over public spending, we have had to take difficult decisions in setting this budget. The amount Scotland has available to spend is still largely driven by the block grant, which is derived from the UK Government's spending decisions and continuing constraint on public expenditure. The block grant has fallen by 1.2% in real terms since 2022-23 and, because of the UK Government's failure to inflation-proof capital budgets, our capital spending power is due to contract by almost 10% in real terms over 5 years.

Despite this, I am pleased that this Government has committed £4.7 billion in capital and resource in 2024-25 for activities that will have a positive impact on delivery of our climate change goals, and funding of almost £3.9 billion for transport across Scotland. The total budget for my portfolio increases by £47.7 million in 2024-25, which is a £27.9 million (0.6%) reduction in real terms using GDP deflators published in November 2023.

A significant proportion of the expenditure in my portfolio is legally and contractually committed, and I have ensured that those commitments are met in full in this budget as well as allocating funding to support critical maintenance and renewal expenditure to ensure that the people of Scotland have access to a safe and reliable transport system.

I have considered equalities and fairer Scotland duties and progress towards our statutory targets for climate change and child poverty in prioritising the budget available to me. I refer to the Equalities and Fairer Scotland Budget Statement and Carbon Assessment published alongside this budget.

Question reference: S6W-24722

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to increase capacity in hospices.

It is for Integration Joint Boards to govern, plan and resource adult palliative care in their areas, including independent hospice care, using the integrated budget under their control.

The Scottish Government is not taking action to increase capacity in hospices. We are gathering data on current and projected needs for palliative care over the next two decades, to inform the development of the new national strategy for palliative care in Scotland. The strategy will address a range of models to meet those needs and provide palliative care and care around death in a range of settings, including specialist inpatient and outpatient units, hospices, hospitals, community hospitals, care homes and peoples’ own homes.