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-20288

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to commission a study into the cause of mass whale beachings.

Scottish Government fund the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) which already undertakes investigations into the cause of death of marine animals (e.g. dolphins, whales, porpoises, seals, turtles and basking sharks) stranded around the Scottish coastline. Samples and data are collected at the strandings location and carcases are collected for further investigation via necropsy following a risk-based approach.

Question reference: S6W-20347

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide the dates of all Open Government Partnership meetings in 2023, including those scheduled to take place.

The Open Government Partnership Steering Group meets at a minimum three times per year.

The Open Government Partnership Steering Group met on 17 May 2023. The following dates are confirmed for the Open Government Partnership Steering Group to next meet:

26 September 2023
6 December 2023

Scottish Government proactively publishes the minute of each meeting, which includes the date of the next scheduled meeting. This information can be found on the Open Government Partnership Steering Group page . This information is also shared via Scotland’s Open Government Network .

Question reference: S6W-20281

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Marine Scotland plans to launch an investigation into the reported incident of a pod of pilot whales dying after becoming stranded on a beach on the Isle of Lewis.

The response to the mass stranding event of 54 pilot whales at Tolsta, Isle of Lewis last month was led by the Scottish Government-funded Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) at the University of Glasgow. Examinations and samples were undertaken on all stranded animals, and full post-mortem examinations were completed on a subset of animals.

Investigations are ongoing, with the aim of understanding potential factors that could have contributed to the animals’ death. The results will be published in due course.

Question reference: S6W-20145

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment in the Bute House Agreement to "consult as soon as practicable on proposals to apply a cap to fishing activity in inshore waters", when it expects to deliver any such consultation.

The Bute House Agreement builds on the actions in our Fisheries Management Strategy which sets out our approach to managing Scottish sea fisheries in partnership with our stakeholders, to deliver the best results for the future of our marine environment, our fishing industry and the communities that rely on them.

Observing our co-management approach, policies relating to inshore fishing will be progressed further through our Regional Inshore Fisheries Group network and Fisheries Management and Conservation group, prior to full consultation.

Question reference: S6W-20020

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many new schools are currently planned to be built, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-20123

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-02399 by Gillian Martin on 21 June 2023, whether it plans to consider reforms that devolve the decisions of Grazings Committees to the local level.

The legal function of a grazing committee is to maintain the common grazing for the benefit of the crofters who share in it, and to manage the interests of those crofters.

The management and control of common grazing land, where there are many inter-acting rights, including those of crofters, landowners and grazings committees, requires safeguarding. The purpose of legislation is to ensure that these rights are kept in balance and that everyone’s rights are protected.

We will consult on the Bill proposals in due course and will consider all views as part of Bill development.

Question reference: S6W-20011

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of spending on the Road Equivalent Tariff, by (a) route and (b) carrier, in each year since it was introduced.

The spending on RET is not recorded separately. Since the start of new Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Service contract in 2016, Transport Scotland pays CalMac Ferries Limited, as the operator, a monthly grant payment which covers costs to operate the network as a whole. This is not broken down by individual routes. Previous evaluations have suggested that RET fares save users around £25m per year compared to pre-RET fares.

Question reference: S6W-20569

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-19941

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils in each school in the G74 and G75 postcode areas (a) will receive from August 2023 and (b) received in the last school year, universal free school meals provision, and what the average saving per child is for these families due to this policy.

Universal free school meals are available to all children in Primaries 1 to 5, and to all pupils in special schools, saving families £400 per eligible child per year.

We are committed to the expansion of free school meals, with the next phase of this being to children in Primary 6 & 7 whose families are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment.

The following table shows the number of pupils at each school in the G74 and G75 postcode areas who were registered for universal free school meals at the time of our September 2022 Pupil Census.

School Name	Post Code	Total Pupils Registered for Universal Free School Meals
Kirktonholme Primary School	G74 1DJ	259
St Kenneth's Primary School	G74 1PU	356
St Hilary's Primary School	G74 2AX	115
Blacklaw Primary School	G74 2BP	117
Mount Cameron Primary School	G74 2EX	118
Mount Cameron Primary School Gaelic Unit	G74 2EX	54
Sanderson High School	G74 2LP	111
Maxwellton Primary School	G74 3DP	125
Greenburn School	G74 3DP	64
Long Calderwood Primary	G74 3QT	115
St Leonard's Primary School	G74 3YA	167
Hunter Primary School	G74 3YB	127
Halfmerke Primary School	G74 4BU	147
West Mains School	G74 4BU	63
Our Lady Of Lourdes Primary School	G75 0AG	238
Murray Primary School	G75 0JP	142
St Louise's Primary School	G75 0NF	120
Heathery Knowe Primary School	G75 0NG	185
Canberra Primary School	G75 8HD	118
East Milton Primary School	G75 8LG	137
Mossneuk Primary School	G75 8XQ	357
Crosshouse Primary School	G75 8ZY	269
St Vincent's Primary School	G75 9DG	248
Castlefield Primary School	G75 9DH	100
Auldhouse Primary School	G75 9DT	36
South Park Primary School	G75 9DU	124
Greenhills Primary School	G75 9JD	156

Question reference: S6W-20242

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19168 by Richard Lochhead on 29 June 2023, whether it can confirm in detail what has been discussed at each of its meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding the provision of banks in rural areas.

Scottish Government officials meet bi-monthly with FCA officials to discuss a range of industry and regulatory issues. As part of these discussions the FCA have flagged the increased regulatory powers they will receive, through the Financial Services and Markets Bill, to act where they find impacts on consumers’ ability to access cash across the UK. The FCA have explained that the Bill provides a cash access framework within which they will seek to ensure the reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit services in local areas where they anticipate potential deficiencies. The FCA have also said that, before they make any rules under these new powers, they will conduct a public consultation.

These new powers have only been granted to the FCA upon the passing of the Financial Services and Markets Bill which received Royal Assent on the 29 th of June. Until now, conversations between officials on this topic have centred around the progress of the Bill through the UK Parliament, as opposed to its implementation. Officials will continue to meet bi-monthly with the FCA and discuss with them how these new powers, and any new rules implemented post consultation, impact on cash and banking services in Scotland.

It has also been suggested that senior representatives from the FCA meet with me in the near future to discuss these increased regulatory powers. I am conscious of the importance of banking services to our communities, particularly in rural areas and our islands, and officials are working with the FCA on a suitable date for this meeting. I would be pleased to report progress to the Member once this has taken place.