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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-11168

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will empower the Care Inspectorate to regulate the business behaviour of companies that operate community pharmacies, including in relation to their premises, staffing levels, safety and treatment of patients.

Question reference: S6W-11166

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the range of actions that NHS boards can take when pharmacy branches close without an adequate reason for doing so.

Question reference: S6W-11030

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any discussions involving Scottish Ministers or officials that may have taken place regarding the contents of a note reportedly submitted to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry by John Halley on 1 April 2019 in relation to the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry.

Question reference: S6W-11172

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether policy in relation to the effects of perimenopause will be included within the development of the menopause and menstrual health workplace policy.

Question reference: S6W-10981

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-08907 and S6W-08908 by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022, how it reconciles the answer given by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport in the Parliament on 18 May 2022 that Scottish Water's cash balance is “substantially allocated at any time to investment projects” with the information in the written answers that, during the 2015-21 regulatory period, after spending £348 million from reserves held at the beginning of the 2015-21 regulatory period on projects not delivered in the preceding regulatory period, reserve levels grew to £400 million and, on average, investment spending from reserves was 20% of annual reserves held in any one year.

Any large infrastructure organisation that provides an essential service requires significant access to cash to maintain its activities and to respond to unforeseen events. Scottish Water’s cash balances each year are largely a function of when the business borrows from the Scottish Government relative to when capital investments are made; unlike similar infrastructure businesses, Scottish Water does not have access to any other credit facilities. Some of that capital investment will be on projects not delivered in the preceding regulatory period. Furthermore, at any point in time Scottish Water has on-going investment projects and hence has contractual commitments with its delivery partners and it must ensure it has sufficient funds to meet those contractual commitments. At 31 March 2022 Scottish Water had contractual capital commitments of £455.6m and at 31 March 2021 this figure was £541.4m, hence my comments in the Scottish Parliament on 18 May 2022 that Scottish Water's cash balance is ''substantially allocated at any time to investment projects''.

Question reference: S6W-11164

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has been approached by any director of pharmacy in relation to amending regulations to make it easier to withhold remuneration from pharmacies that opt to close without an adequate reason for doing so.

Question reference: S6W-11092

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it took to ensure the maximum number of bidders for the procurement contract on Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management.

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) won the contract for the Provision of Displaced Persons Crisis Travel Management 2, through fair and open competition. Due to the urgency of the requirement, the Scottish Government utilised the Crown Commercial Services framework to allow for accommodation, travel, venue and ancillary booking services to be provided in support of the response to crisis management in relation to Displaced Persons. The Framework was awarded by Crown Commercial Services who published an Invitation to Tender to invite bids. This was a single supplier framework and the Service Provider, CTM, waived their management fee due to the humanitarian nature of the requirement.

Question reference: S6W-11278

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that Green Freeport status in Aberdeen Harbour would have on the contract for Northern Isles Ferry Services.

As set out in the joint Bidding Prospectus, all green port bidders were required to ensure that their proposal embedded the second National Transport Strategy vision, priorities and outcomes for the transport system with in it as well as ensuring alignment with regional and local transport strategies.

Following selection there will of course be intensive discussions with each of the successful designations on all aspects of their proposals.

Question reference: S6W-11048

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions regarding public ferry contracts it has had with private operators in Scotland since 1 October 2016, and when the last such meeting took place.

Question reference: S6W-10669

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement a new priority booking system, as part of the new ticketing system to be introduced by Caledonian MacBrayne in autumn 2022, similar to models reportedly used in Scandinavia, to allow islanders to book priority spaces on ferries at short notice, including for the delivery of goods and services.