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-09559

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a flexible educational approach and adopt modern apprenticeships for podiatry in order to attract higher numbers to the profession and address the reported ageing workforce.

Question reference: S6W-09533

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in Dumfries and Galloway are currently diagnosed with blood cancers.

Question reference: S6W-09451

Asked by: Kaukab Stewart, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the average (a) length and (b) cost of a phone call is to the Scottish Ambulance Service to seek support getting to and from NHS appointments.

Question reference: S6W-09381

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people did not respond to the 2011 census and, of those, how many people received a fine for not doing so.

Decisions regarding prosecutions remain a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The 2011 census had a response rate of approximately 94%. Of the 6% of non-responding households, approximately 1,800 cases were put forward for non-compliance action which resulted in 900 completed questionnaires being returned. Following Crown Office advice, five cases were subsequently reported to the Procurator Fiscal and two cases resulted in prosecution.

Question reference: S6W-09361

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: Programme pipeline update (March 2022), which second-hand vessels have been considered for purchase by CMAL since 1 December 2021.

The Scottish Government continue to task Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) to search the second hand tonnage market for appropriate vessels to support and enhance connections on Scotland’s ferries network.

CMAL have investigated some 70 vessels since 1 December 2021 of which only 1 has been deemed suitable for purchase. The vessel (MV Loch Frisa) was bought, upgraded and entered service on the Craignure-Oban service in June 2022.

Question reference: S6W-09358

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: Programme pipeline update (March 2022), which was published on 15 June 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown of the increase in the cost of tenders for contracts in the Skye Triangle Infrastructure Programme, and what proportion of the budget for that programme has been spent to date.

The Skye Triangle Infrastructure Programme is estimated to cost around £108million in total for the three port projects: Tarbert (Harris) £23million, Lochmaddy (North Uist) £21million and Uig (Skye) £64million as budgeted following completion of the tender processes. This compares with a total budget of £95million at the time of publishing the Infrastructure Investment Plan in February 2021. The works are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports.

Each of the projects are currently in the construction phase and we estimate total project spend to date to be in the region of £34million. It is the responsibility of the statutory harbour authorities undertaking the works to monitor costs and spend for each of the port projects namely; Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) for Tarbert, Comhairle nan Eiliean Siar (CNES) for Lochmaddy, and The Highland Council (THC) for Uig.

Question reference: S6W-09383

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the maximum performance fee for the Serco Caledonian Sleeper Temporary Measures Agreement is capped at 1.5% of the cost base of the franchise, as was the case for its previous Emergency Measures Agreement, and, if that is not the case, what level it is capped at.

Question reference: S6W-09360

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: Programme pipeline update (March 2022), what assessment it has made of the number of full-time equivalent (a) manufacturing, (b) seafarer and (b) port jobs that could be created in Scotland from the (i) CMAL Net Vessel Investment and (ii) Piers and Harbours Grants programmes.

The assessments undertaken to inform ferries investments focus on direct infrastructure impacts such as route capacity and connectivity. The benefit realisation process for each project will seek to identify and maximise the positive impact of our investments. As an example of this, the recent introduction of the MV Loch Frisa was enabled by modifications works, instructed by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL), undertaken at the Dales facility in Leith, and CalMac Ferries Ltd have now completed the recruitment of 38 crew for the vessel to provide the year round commutable service for Mull.

Question reference: S6W-09380

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the predicted cost of the Census Coverage Survey 2022 is, and what steps are being taken to ensure its success.

As the Census Coverage Survey (CCS) is ongoing, the predicted costs are based on the budget assigned to the CCS. Across the lifecycle of the Census Programme it was estimated that a budget of £3.1m would be required to deliver the CCS.

The CCS, alongside high quality administrative data and innovative statistical methods, will build on the census returns to deliver high quality Census Outputs. National Records of Scotland is continuing to take the action necessary to deliver the CCS phase of Scotland's Census Programme.

Question reference: S6W-09362

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: Programme pipeline update (March 2022), whether it will provide an update on what commercial discussions Transport Scotland has had with Peel Ports regarding infrastructure work at Ardrossan Harbour.