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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6F-02180

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the First Minister what priority the Scottish Government gives to protecting Scotland's environment.

Question reference: S6F-02175

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02174

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-18217

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the upgrading of a number of laybys on the A77.

Question reference: S6W-18074

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of young people in the Highlands and Islands region have received a card through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel Scheme as of May 2023, broken down by local authority.

As at the end of the day 30 April 2023, there were 40,969 cardholders under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme in six local authority areas across the Highlands and Islands Region. Uptake against the estimated eligible population in each local authority area is as follows.

Argyll & Bute: 54.3%

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar: 46.6%

Highland: 46.4%

Moray: 54.9%

Orkney: 49.5%

Shetland: 66.7%

Cardholder data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO supports the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. The figure includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile app.

Question reference: S6W-18089

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) will be included as a priority in any future version of its Women's Health Plan, in light of a new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) review that recognises the experiences of chronic UTI patients and the issues that they face when seeking specialised care.

The Women’s Health Plan: A plan for 2021 – 2024 aims to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes for women and girls. The Plan focusses on a specific set of priorities and whilst chronic urinary tract infections are not specifically mentioned in the priorities for this iteration of the Plan we do recognise that many women are significantly affected by the condition.

The Women’s Health Plan is one part of much wider picture when it comes to the Scottish Government’s work to improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls. As part of our £70m Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal plan national urology referral and management pathways for visible and non -visible haematuria in adults were published in August 2021 supporting clinicians to make the appropriate referrals for urinary tract infections at the right time.

The priorities for any future Women’s Health Plan are not yet determined. Future aims and priorities will be developed in collaboration with women and girls, including our lived experience stakeholder group, clinical experts and relevant stakeholders alongside the most up-to-date evidence base.

Question reference: S6W-18079

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Ferry Replacement Task Force will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-18027

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce legislation to adopt Hugo’s Law to require drivers to stop and report an incident to the police, and seek help from a vet, if they hit a cat with their vehicle, similar to the requirements for incidents involving dogs, horses, sheep, pigs, cows and goats.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to alter the Road Traffic Act 1988 to make it an offence not to stop and report an accident involving a cat.

Under Section 170 of the Act, a driver is required to stop and report an accident involving specified animals, including horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, due to the their status as working animals rather than domestic pets. The Highway code however does advise drivers to report any accidents involving animals to the Police and that if possible they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals and advise them of the accident accordingly.

The Scottish Government's Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats recommends that all cat owners should consider microchipping their pets as the best way of being reunited with their rightful owners should they be separated.

Question reference: S6W-18051

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether entitlement to the Small Business Bonus Scheme should be granted automatically to eligible ratepayers, as opposed to it having to be claimed for.

Public bodies have a duty to manage public finances appropriately and this includes ensuring that procedures for administering relief are suitably robust.

Most reliefs generally require an application to be made to the local authority except for universally available reliefs. This is because applications help local authorities determine whether a property is eligible for a particular relief.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme relief is available for properties where the rateable value of the property does not exceed £20,000 and where the rateable value of all of the ratepayer’s properties does not exceed £35,000 and where the property is not used for an excluded purpose.

An application for Small Business Bonus Scheme relief therefore requires ratepayers to declare information regarding their non-domestic properties in Scotland, allowing local authorities to determine whether the eligibility criteria for the relief is met.

Question reference: S6W-18006

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Target Ovarian Cancer's recent report, Pathfinder Scotland: Faster, further, and fairer, what steps it is taking to address the reported variation in (a) survival and (b) access to surgery.