- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what impact driver shortages will have on the availability of rail services for passengers in Mid-Scotland and Fife.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
- Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to assess the impact of the new ScotRail timetable on passengers in the Cowdenbeath constituency.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by the Scottish division of the train drivers union, ASLEF, regarding proposals to make further cuts to ScotRail services.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the social impact of economic development in the north east.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022
- Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many funded university places it has provided in each year since 2007, and of those, how many were to (a) Scottish-domiciled and (b) EU students.
Answer
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) publish the number of ‘Funded Places’ and ‘Students Eligible for Funding’ in the Official Statistics release “Students Eligible for Funding” here:
https://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications-statistics/statistical-publications/2021/SFCST042021.aspx
with historic publications available here:
https://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications-statistics/statistical-publications/statistics-schedule/statistical-publication-schedule.aspx
No split by domicile for ‘funded places’ is available.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill, what consideration it has given to the Dogs Trust’s recommendation to require licence holders to record on the relevant local authority website any display that they intend to hold.
Answer
Concerns about the impact of fireworks on animals has been a strong theme to emerge from both the 2019 and 2021 public consultations on fireworks, and I am grateful to the Dogs Trust, and other animal charities, for their continued engagement throughout our journey with fireworks.
All of the measures within the Bill, including the licensing system, have been developed following a significant programme of consultation, engagement and evidence gathering. This includes the work of the independent advisory Firework Review Group, who considered all of the evidence available and took an options appraisal approach to make a series of recommendations for change to the Scottish Government. The licensing system implements the Group’s recommendation that mandatory conditions should be introduced at the point of sale of fireworks to ensure that the purchase and use of fireworks is a well thought out and planned transaction.
The licensing system has been carefully developed to ensure that robust checks and balances are in place before a member of the public can purchase and use fireworks. This includes a mandatory requirement to successfully complete a training course, which will inform applicants of how to use fireworks in a safe and lawful manner, as well as understanding the impact that fireworks can have on others, including animals.
It is considered that the licensing system strikes the balance between introducing proportionate measures without placing overly restrictive barriers on the legitimate use of fireworks by members of the public, and there are no current plans to require licence holders to record on the relevant local authority website any display that they intend to hold.
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when the board of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service brought to the relevant minister's attention details of any complaints made against the Chief Officer.
Answer
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has robust procedures in place to ensure complaints are fully investigated and any complaint is considered confidential while being progressed. I am not aware of the details of any complaints made against the SFRS Chief Officer, but I was given initial notice of the situation on 18 February 2022.
- Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when the relevant minister signed off the decision by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board to hire the outside agency, Dorothy McKinney Ltd, to investigate complaints made against the Chief Officer.
Answer
The investigation of any complaints against the Chief Officer of SFRS is entirely a matter for the SFRS Board. The Scottish Government has no role in the process and therefore no approval would be required by Scottish Ministers.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill, what assessment has been made of shortening the proposed window, of 27 October to 10 November, for the supply of fireworks to 30 October to 5 November, as recommended by the Dogs Trust.
Answer
The Bill includes a provision proposing to restrict the permitted days of supply of fireworks to the general public, as well as restrictions the permitted days the general public can use fireworks, to broadly align with what are already considered traditional firework periods when fireworks are used to celebrate certain religious festivals or cultural events. A strong message to come from both the 2019 and 2021 public consultations was that the unpredictable and sporadic use of fireworks was increasingly seen as problematic and disruptive to many people and animals.
The Bill proposes that permitted days of supply to the general public over the bonfire period is restricted from 27 October to 10 November. The proposed period is already a significant reduction from the current selling period at this time of year, which is from 15 October to 10 November. Following careful consideration and taking into account the feedback received on Bill proposals through the 2021 public consultation and engagement with stakeholders, the Scottish Government believes that the proposed period of supply is a proportionate balance between enabling the use of fireworks over traditional firework periods while allowing those impacted by fireworks to be aware of when they are likely to be used and put appropriate safeguards in place to minimise that impact.
While there are no current plans to reduce the days of supply further the effectiveness of the measures introduced will be monitored following implementation, and the Bill includes a regulation making power that can be utilised to amend the permitted days should evidence show that this is required.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 18 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill, what assessment has been made of shortening the proposed window, of 27 October to 12 November, for the use of fireworks to 2 to 8 November, as recommended by the Dogs Trust.
Answer
Fireworks can currently be used by the general public on any day of the year, subject to existing rules about the time of day that they can be used. The Bill includes a provision proposing to restrict the permitted days of use of fireworks by the general public, as well as restrictions on the permitted days of supply to the general public, to broadly align with what are already considered traditional firework periods, when fireworks are used to celebrate certain religious festivals or cultural events. A strong message to come from both the 2019 and 2021 public consultations was that the unpredictable and sporadic use of fireworks was increasingly seen as problematic and disruptive to many people and animals.
The Bill proposes that the permitted days of use of fireworks by the general public over the bonfire period is restricted from 27 October to 12 November. This broadly aligns with the proposed permitted days of supply of fireworks to the general public, however it is considered appropriate to include an extra two days where fireworks can be used to mitigate for circumstances such as poor weather conditions. Following careful consideration and taking into account the feedback received on Bill proposals through the 2021 public consultation and engagement with stakeholders, the Scottish Government believes that the proposed period of use is a proportionate balance between enabling the use of fireworks over traditional firework periods while allowing those impacted by fireworks to be aware of when they are likely to be used and put appropriate safeguards in place to minimise that impact.
While there are no current plans to reduce the days of use further the effectiveness of the measures introduced will be monitored following implementation, and the Bill includes a regulation making power that can be utilised to amend the permitted days should evidence show that this is required.
