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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: S6W-18167

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the plans for Scottish Water to install monitors at 1,000 combined sewer overflows, and how many have been installed to date.

As referred to in the answers to S6F-02135 on 18 May 2023 and S6W-15158 on 13 March 2023, Scottish Water has now identified the priority locations for 1,000 spill monitors. Installation is programmed between summer 2023 and the end of 2024.

The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at: Meeting of the Parliament: 18/05/2023 | Scottish Parliament Website

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-18146

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it plans to implement the recommendations of the Strathesk lessons learned report.

The Scottish Government is awaiting formal responses to the recommendations from all partners in the Collective Bargaining process and will use these to inform the next steps regarding the implementation of the recommendations.

Critically, and as made clear by the Lessons Learned report, the Scottish Government will maintain its position of not intervening directly in the national collective bargaining process.

Question reference: S6W-18324

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many suppliers are signed up to the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.

The R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme – offering vouchers worth up to £5,000 for eligible properties - currently has 50 suppliers registered to deliver services.

The list of registered suppliers is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is only listing suppliers who are actively participating in the scheme and is kept up to date here: Find a supplier | Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband .

Question reference: S6W-18351

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-18388

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will expand the scope of the PickupMyPeriod app to give non-public authority facilities that offer free period products, such as restaurants and bars, the option to be added to the map.

The Scottish Government encourages wide use of the PickUpMyPeriod app to highlight where free period products are available both within and outwith the scope of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021.

Any organisation that offers publicly accessible free period product pick-up points can request, through the app or myperiod.org.uk website, to be listed as a location. This includes non-public authority facilities, a number of which are already included as locations on the map.

Question reference: S6W-18347

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-18170

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many suspected marine invasive non-native species have been reported to Marine Scotland in each year for which data is available.

Marine invasive non-native species (INNS) are reported to the Scottish Government by statutory organisations such as NatureScot and SEPA and regional partnership groups, to inform international reporting obligations for INNS monitoring.

Year	Number of INNS reported to Marine Scotland (OSPAR data call & MSS data)
2022	8
2021	18
2020	2
2019	3
2018	6
2017	14
2016	32
2015	0
2014	2
2013	10
2012	5

A small number of ad hoc reports are received from the general public though these are not always possible to verify due to incomplete information received or absence of physical specimens to analyse in a laboratory. Marine INNS are not all reported directly to the Scottish Government but may be submitted via iRecord by members of the public. All verified reports are then collated on the National Biodiversity Network Atlas and freely accessible to all.

Question reference: S6W-18172

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-17666, S6W-17669 and S6W-17670 by Paul McLennan on 17 May 2023, how much money has been allocated, in total, by the funds during the current parliamentary session, broken down by local authority.

A total of £18.181 million has been allocated from the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund for the current parliamentary term, this includes spend of £9.088 million. The following table provides a breakdown by local authority area.

Local Authority	Allocated	Spend
Argyll & Bute	4.196	2.914
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	0.813	0.709
Dumfries and Galloway	0.408	0.408
Highland	5.926	1.931
Moray	1.443	1.424
Orkney	0.961	0.846
North Ayrshire	1.512	0.000
Perth & Kinross	0.384	0.000
Scottish Borders	0.737	0.737
Stirling	0.586	0.000
West Lothian	1.215	0.119
Total	18.181	9.088
This table includes provisional programme management information for 2022-23 and 2023-24 and could be subject to change.

Question reference: S6W-18181

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring mechanisms are in place to evaluate the impact of the £145.5 million allocated to local authorities to protect teacher numbers, and whether it plans to publish any such evaluation.

We will use the September 2023 annual census levels, which will be published in the Official Statistics Summary School Statistics in December 2023 and March 2024, to confirm whether numbers have been maintained. It is important that all stakeholders have confidence in the statistics being used. Official Statistics on teacher numbers, delivered via the annual teacher census, have delivered robust data for many years and they will continue to be the definitive measure.

We have introduced an additional monitoring period in May 2023. At this point, local authorities will be asked to provide an aggregate count of their total teacher and pupil support staff numbers, together with any commentary and supporting evidence.

Question reference: S6W-18207

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work has been carried out to review the safety implications of bus stop bypasses, also known as "floating" bus stops, and whether it will confirm when any such work took place.

Transport Scotland commissioned Living Streets in 2021 to investigate issues of inclusion where bus stop bypasses are introduced, primarily to accommodate cycle facilities. The study has visited sites across the UK, photographing, measuring and recording behaviours of pedestrians and cyclists, and has analysed footage using fixed cameras. The study has also included a literature review, and consultation with a wide range of user groups including disabled people and others who are most affected. The study is due to report late summer 2023.