Chamber and committees

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-27309

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions it has carried out an Island Communities Impact Assessment since the introduction of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

Question reference: S6W-27313

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many communities are unable to access (a) 4G and (b) 5G mobile signals in the Highlands and Islands region, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on current 4G and 5G mobile coverage. Ofcom’s mobile and broadband checker provides predictions of mobile coverage at postcode level and is available on its website at: https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage .

Ofcom also produces an annual Connected Nations Report ( www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research ) report including coverage and performance of mobile networks at local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-27337

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy on 18 April 2024, whether it will outline who has been involved in the proposal for a Just Transition Plan for Mossmorran, and who will be involved in the creation of the plan going forward.

The Mossmorran Just Transition Plan proposal is at very early stages of consideration and will be initiated fully following delivery of the Grangemouth Plan. The Scottish Government has held early discussions with both operators at the Mossmorran complex regarding the proposal. In line with the principles of co-design, it is our intention to engage extensively with all stakeholders including industry, the workforce, the local authority, UK Government, MSPs and the wider community.

Question reference: S6W-27306

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it (a) has allocated for 2023-24 and (b) plans to allocate for 2024-25 to the Young Islanders Network.

Question reference: S6W-27315

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many private (a) 4G and (b) 5G networks have been built in the Highlands and Islands region, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-27317

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to its Scottish 4G Infill Programme (S4GI) for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-27254

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will report on the introduction of a working group for the delivery of the Onshore Wind Sector Deal for Scotland, and the forthcoming publication of a paper identifying the skills needed to deliver Scotland’s climate ambitions.

Oversight and governance of the Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal (SOWSD) is led by the Scottish Onshore Wind Strategic Leadership Group (OWSLG).

The OWSLG is accountable for delivery of the Sector Deal, including review and approval of the work programme. The group will publicly report at least annually on progress, including on the forecast of operational onshore wind to 2030 and beyond. The group currently meets on a quarterly basis, with Ministers attending meetings twice a year.

In relation to the commitment on a skills paper, the Scottish Government commissioned research to identify the skills and workforce required to support the deployment of onshore wind up to 2030. This research was published through ClimateXChange on 14 May 2024 Workforce and skills requirements in Scotland’s onshore wind industry | ClimateXChange

Question reference: S6W-27214

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to redirect young people remanded for, or convicted of, an offence to secure accommodation where there is capacity available.

It is Scottish Government policy to place children in secure accommodation where detention is required by the court.

Subject to Royal Assent, once the relevant provisions in the Children (Care and Justice) Scotland Bill are commenced, this will ensure that the use of Young Offenders Institutions (YOI) will be prohibited for under 18s.

The Bill passed on 25 April - discussions have already begun with secure accommodation providers, the Scottish Prison Service, The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and local authority representatives. The aim is to arrange the transition of young people from YOI to secure care or community alternatives as soon as is safely possible. We will update Parliament once firm arrangements are in place.

Question reference: S6W-27211

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many cells in prisons and custody suites currently exceed their maximum capacity.

Question reference: S6W-27195

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Market Framework for Natural Capital – Engagement Framework, as referenced on page 4, what amount of investment in natural capital markets is required to reach a level "sufficient to meet Scotland's climate and nature restoration goals" and that would provide for the estimated job creation potential, including the estimated investment needed to achieve peatland restoration in Scotland.

Page 4 of the Market Framework for Natural Capital - Engagement paper references estimates from the November 2023 Scottish Government research publication 'Assessing the cumulative and cross-sector economic benefits of investment in natural capital in Scotland'. It estimates that £12.5 billion of further investment in natural capital is required in order to meet policy goals, and that this further investment would create 146,000 direct and 197,000 direct and indirect jobs.

However, there is an error at Page 4 of the Market Framework for Natural Capital - Engagement paper in that it references these estimates in relation to 'natural capital markets ' rather than to 'natural capital ' as stated in the research report which does not distinguish between the role of public and private investment in providing the additional £12.5 billion of further investment. This error will be corrected by deleting 'markets' from the sentence on page 4 of the Engagement paper on the Scottish Government website.