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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: S6O-00115

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer the Borderlands region with its bid to be UK City of Culture 2025.

Question reference: S6O-00100

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what importance it places on recognising and addressing the societal issues that contribute to poor mental health.

Question reference: S6O-00113

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported shortage of housing in rural areas.

Question reference: S6O-00101

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for cataract surgery.

Question reference: S6O-00106

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that patients and staff at Old Aberdeen Medical Practice are consulted on the future provision of its GP services.

Question reference: S6O-00121

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done to assess how many Afghan refugees can be housed across all local authority areas.

Question reference: S6O-00105

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support rural health services following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6O-00103

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to dental practices to alleviate pressures specifically related to COVID-19.

Question reference: S6O-00110

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to supporting the building of affordable homes for rent.

Question reference: S6W-02152

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the (a) warnings in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment report on climate change and (b) UN Secretary-General's calls for an end to all new fossil fuel exploration and development and “immediate, strong, rapid and sustained” action to avoid global climate catastrophe.

The scientific report published on 9 August by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes absolutely clear the severe threat and heightened risk the climate emergency poses to the planet. However, it also shows that with immediate, concerted international action to reduce emissions, it is still possible to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C in the longer term.

Offshore fossil fuel exploration and development is an area where key decisions on licencing, regulation and policy are reserved to the UK Government. On 12 August, the First Minister wrote to the UK Prime Minister calling for significant enhancements to the climate conditionality associated with offshore oil and gas production. As set out in that letter, there is no doubt how important our highly skilled oil and gas industry and workforce are to Scotland, but we must ensure that they, and the existing infrastructure, can help Scotland seize the opportunities of the just transition to net zero - we cannot rest on business as usual in the face of a climate emergency. In this context, the Scottish Government has also recently committed to undertake a programme of work and analysis to better understand Scotland’s energy requirements as we transition to net zero and how these align with our climate change targets and the aims of the UN Paris Agreement. This work, which will report by the end of 2022, will supplement a wide range of evidence that will be considered to take an informed policy decision on the contribution of North Sea production to the global climate emergency and to Scotland’s economy, security and wellbeing.

In terms of other forms of fossil fuel extraction, the Scottish Government has previously confirmed a finalised policy position of no support for onshore unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland and will develop policies on conventional onshore oil and gas development and coal extraction in alignment with our climate change obligations and wider energy policy.

We are proud that Scotland is at the forefront of global efforts to respond to the climate emergency. Legally binding targets have been set to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy by 2045 at the latest, with a world-leading interim 2030 target of a 75% reduction. In December 2020, the Scottish Government updated our Climate Change Plan to set out how we will deliver this ambition as part of a green recovery from COVID-19. The indicative Nationally Determined Contribution document we have published in advance of the COP26 Summit outlines the full range of actions we are taking to contribute to the Paris Agreement, through reducing our emissions, building resilience to the impacts of climate change and supporting international efforts, for example by using our position as Co-Chairs of the Under 2 Coalition and through doubling our Climate Justice Fund.