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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-21963

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to train operating companies that are proposing to close ticket offices regarding the reported concerns of train passengers, including those travelling to and from Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21933

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether monitoring of the whole sewage network will be a commitment in the next River Basin Management Plan.

River Basin Management Planning has a six year cycle with the next Plan due for publication at the end of 2027. The objective of the Plan is to protect and improve Scotland’s water environment based on comprehensive monitoring, assessment and classification carried out by SEPA. Monitoring the whole sewage network would not change SEPA’s classification of the water environment.

Priority locations have been identified for 1,000 new spill monitors, with installation programmed over 2023 and 2024 at a value of £70m. After 2024, Scottish Water will review the costs and benefits of extending monitor coverage to lower priority waters and agree a programme of work. The Scottish Government is supportive of this evidence based and proportionate approach. Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Route Map sets out a programme of continued action to reduce wastewater pollution and sewage litter over the coming decade backed by investment of up to half a billion pounds.

Continued investment by Scottish Water contributes towards Scotland’s water quality being at its highest level ever, with 87% of the water environment rated as good, up from 82% six years ago. Scotland’s River Basin Management Plan sets out objectives, including those for Scottish Water, aiming to improve water quality to 92% of the water environment in good condition by 2027.

Question reference: S6W-21936

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what length of sewage piping has been laid or replaced by Scottish Water in each of the last 10 years.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked its Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:

The data provided in the following table is an extract from the Annual Returns, publicly available on the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) website. The data is contained in the D tables lines D6.3 for New Sewers added during the year and D6.6 for Sewers replaced. Further detail can be found in the commentary to the Annual Returns which are also published on the WICS website. Data is only available from 2015-16 as before this period Scottish Water did not report length of new sewers or length of sewers replaced in the tables.

Reporting Year	Length of new sewers (km)	Length of replaced sewers (km)	Total (km)
2015-16	1652.20	29.99	1682.19
2016-17	408.71	0	408.71
2017-18	81.42	0	81.42
2018-19	77.81	3.71	81.52
2019-20	1066.64	2.72	1069.36
2020-21	279.93	0.66	280.59
2021-22	333.91	0.09	334
2022-23	481.62	0.75	482.37

Question reference: S6W-21886

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether falling pupil rolls will be taken into account if local authorities do not increase teacher numbers to the levels that it requires, and what impact that will have on any consequences arising.

Question reference: S6W-21887

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether school performance will be taken into account if local authorities do not increase teacher numbers to the levels that it requires, and, if so, how such performance is measured.

Question reference: S6W-21939

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints Scottish Water has received regarding sewage discharges in the last five years, and which locations generated the most complaints.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked its Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:

Scottish Water does not collate and report annual figures for the number of contacts received about discharges from combined sewer overflows separate from other sewage-related issues reported to them, such as blockages and sewer flooding, and these figures would not be available by area. However, Scottish Water publishes all reportable pollution events each year to SEPA and this information is available in their annual reports, which can be found at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports .

Question reference: S6O-02639

Asked by: Kaukab Stewart, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions between the City of Glasgow College senior management and trade union representatives regarding the ongoing industrial dispute.

Question reference: S6O-02634

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the potential role of emerging video games technology in education and skills development.

Question reference: S6O-02635

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any link between nutrition and behaviour in its work to address violence in schools.

Question reference: S6O-02620

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Creative Scotland about funding for financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25.