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: S6O-01346

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports property purchases, direct payments to property owners and the use of non-disclosure agreements as a means of removing objections to large-scale windfarm applications.

Question reference: S6O-01341

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of Scottish-domiciled students attending Scottish universities.

Question reference: S6O-01343

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of increasing hidden hunger due to the cost of living crisis, what action it is taking to address school meals debt and expand access to universal free school meals.

Question reference: S6O-01345

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the National Planning Framework 4 will help to address vacant, derelict and abandoned buildings and land, including across Aberdeen city.

Question reference: S6O-01342

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had and has planned with the University of Dundee’s management team regarding the reported pensions dispute between the university and trade unions representing staff.

Question reference: S6O-01340

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with residential outdoor education centres regarding the provision of bed spaces for 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01344

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s report on energy price rises.

Question reference: S6W-10182

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 31 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09495 by Tom Arthur on 12 July 2022, (a) on what date and (b) by which minister the City of Edinburgh Council’s proposed designation of the Edinburgh short-term let control area was approved; whether a decision had been passed for approval to the responsible minister on or before 12 July 2022, the date on which the answer to question S6W-09495 was issued, and whether it will provide an advisory timetable for the determination of any other proposed control areas.

The Scottish Ministers approved the City of Edinburgh Council’s proposed designation of the entirety of Edinburgh as a Short Term Control Area on 27 July 2022. A draft decision letter was provided to the Minister for Public Finance, Planning & Community Wealth by officials on 12 July 2022. Whilst there is no statutory timescale for the consideration of proposed short-term let control area designations, every effort is made to consider and determine such proposals as swiftly as possible.

Question reference: S6W-10175

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons are for its decision to end child fares on trains at 16 rather than 18 years old.

The Scottish Government does not set the age ranges for child fares on the railway, and has not made any decision to end child fares for any group. These fares are defined in the GB-wide Ticketing and Settlement Agreement – over which the Scottish Government does not have control.

In Scotland, young people aged 16-18 (and full time volunteers up to the age of 25) can obtain discounted rail travel using their Young Scot National Entitlement Card, offering one third discount on most rail fares and a 50% discount on weekly and monthly season tickets.

Question reference: S6W-10347

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 31 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the length of time it has taken for applications to Redress Scotland to receive an outcome.

Since Scotland’s Redress Scheme was launched in December 2021, 1468 survivor applications and 88 next of kin applications have been received. All applications are reviewed within six weeks of receipt and this review identifies those requiring further information and those ready for verification prior to sending to Redress Scotland for determination.

189 redress applications have been passed to Redress Scotland for consideration and of those, 136 have had an initial determination made.

Each application varies in complexity, with survivors and applicants requiring differing levels of support to complete the application and a dependency on other organisations to complete the required verifications around care settings and any previous relevant payments made.

We recognise that, for some applicants, the process is taking longer than they expected. We continue to work with them, and partners, to look at ways to improve the scheme and remain committed to ensuring it continues to be swifter and less adversarial than taking court action.