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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-20927

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of nitrogen efficiency.

The Scottish Government commissioned a review of gene editing for the benefit of plant health, published in January 2022, from the Plant Health Centre. The review included evidence gathering and participation from a wide range of Scottish academics and research providers, as well as from NFUS, and considered implications for the agricultural, horticultural and forestry sectors. It included impacts on the natural environment, and a variety of other areas, such as disease resistance, yield, inputs and food production.

The Scottish Government also has access to significant expertise in its advisors, including the Chief Scientific Advisor for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

Question reference: S6W-20929

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of any benefits of gene editing for the Scottish agriculture and horticultural sectors in terms of improving biodiversity.

Question reference: S6W-21629

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 that require recipients to both pay the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

As Mr Johnson notes, the new requirement on grants has been in place since July this year. We are currently focussed on supporting all government portfolios and public bodies across Scotland to implement the new conditions.

Monitoring compliance with Fair Work First principles, including the requirements to pay workers at least the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective voice, is the responsibility of individual grant managers across government and of relevant funders across the wider public sector. It takes place within existing grant assurance and monitoring processes, as with any other condition of grant, such as agreed outcomes.

Where exceptions to the mandatory grant requirements are applied, grant managers are asked to record these. This information will be requested and collated at the end of the financial year.

Question reference: S6W-21461

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a full list of NHS Scotland buildings suspected of containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, following the desk-based research commissioned by National Services Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21645

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what COVID-19 surveillance measures it will activate this autumn and winter to protect people with weakened immune systems who remain vulnerable to COVID-19.

In Scotland, respiratory infection levels, including those of COVID-19, and their impact are monitored using various sources of data, including microbiological sampling and laboratory test results from community and hospital settings, NHS 24 calls, primary care consultations, and hospital admissions. The intelligence generated from these different data sources provide a comprehensive picture of current respiratory illness in Scotland. In addition, COVID-19 outbreaks and general trends can be estimated by measuring concentrations of the virus in wastewater.

Surveillance of respiratory infections is a critical part of our approach to monitoring and managing the spread and prevalence of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses. It helps us to determine the right public health strategies and timing, to manage transmission in the community. Public Health Scotland (PHS) are responsible for delivering Scotland’s National Respiratory Surveillance Plan with the support of the Scottish Government.

Our successful vaccination programme means many people previously considered at highest risk, and the wider population, are now far less likely to become seriously ill from Covid-19. However, people with a weakened immune system might not develop the same level of immunity from the vaccination as others. This means that some people with a weakened immune system may still be at higher risk from COVID-19, although many do get some protection from the vaccine. These people should continue to follow the advice of their GP or specialist clinician, who best know their health condition and circumstances. This may include accessing to antiviral treatment where required. The advice across respiratory diseases remains to get your booster when we invite you for vaccination and if you feel unwell with a respiratory infection to try to stay at home.

Question reference: S6W-21478

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to a reported increase in still-births.

Question reference: S6W-21631

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

Question reference: S6W-21630

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to pay the real Living Wage, broken down by the value of each grant.

Question reference: S6W-21677

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many convictions there have been in Scotland under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 in each of the last 10 years.

The latest available information on convictions is for the financial year 2020-21 and is provided in the following table.

Number of people convicted under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, where main crime, 2011-12 to 2020-21.

2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
760	837	974	918	901	721	574	511	496	363

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database.

Please note: Data for 2020-21 are affected by the pandemic and subsequent court closures and may not be reflective of long term trend.

Information for 2021-22 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2021-22 Statistical Bulletin. This is due to be published on 24 October 2023.

The dates of all Scottish Government Official and National Statistics publications are pre-announced, and the up to date list of future publications can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/official-statistics-forthcoming-publications/

Question reference: S6W-21424

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it anticipates that the next iteration of the longitudinal Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research will report.