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: S6F-00207

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-00206

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-02516

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to reform crofting law, what its position is on introducing an exemption for crofting tenancies from local authority care charges.

The issue of the legal protection of crofts from local authority care charges was the subject of a petition for consideration by the Public Petitions Committee. In response to this petition the Scottish Government has stated that consideration on how best to apply the regulations lies with local authorities.

The National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 and associated Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidance (CRAG), provide the framework for local authorities to charge for the residential care that they provide or arrange. It is for local authorities to interpret the Regulations in applying their policies.

Question reference: S6W-02387

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to commemorate Merchant Navy Day 2021.

As we have done in previous years, the Scottish Government flew the Red Ensign from its main buildings on 3 September as a sign of respect and recognition of the sacrifices made by our Merchant Navy Seafarers. In addition, we issued social media via the Scottish Government’s Veterans account to raise awareness of the key role played by the men and women of the Merchant Navy both today and throughout its illustrious history.

Question reference: S6W-02182

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made with the delivery of the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26, and whether it will provide the Parliament with regular updates.

Question reference: S6W-02339

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether Sri Lanka is on Police Scotland’s International Development and Innovation Unit’s list of countries for which ministerial approval is required for training to take place there, and, if not, whether, for any other reason, ministerial approval is required for Police Scotland to provide training to Sri Lankan police.

Question reference: S6W-02264

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported 40% increase in sewage spills into rivers and seas in the last five years, and whether it plans to introduce binding targets to limit sewage pollution.

The combined sewer network is designed to spill during heavy rainfall to protect homes from flooding. The reported 40% increase in sewage spills in the last five years is primarily due to increases in total annual rainfall and rainfall intensity which are related to climate change. The Scottish Government is committed to reducing sewage spills into rivers and seas across Scotland.

We have introduced legislation through the Urban Waste Water Treatment (Scotland) Regulations 1994 and the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 to minimise the impact of sewage discharges on the water environment.

We are working closely with Scottish Water and SEPA to prioritise investment to reduce sewage spill frequency and impact on the water environment. As part of a long-term strategy, Scottish Water is aiming to transform its waste water services to meet the challenges presented by the impacts of climate change and population growth.

Question reference: S6W-02217

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the funding in the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-2026 has been allocated to projects related to (a) utility networks, (b) transport and (c) digital communications.

The proportion of the total estimated Scottish Government investment at Annex D of the Infrastructure Investment Plan between 2021-22 to 2025-2026 in relation to a) utility networks, b) transport and c) digital communications is 8.7%, 27.2% and 5.4% respectively.

Further details relating to this estimated five-year planned investment are contained within the following table noting that gas and electricity network policy and regulation as well as digital infrastructure is reserved to the UK Government. The Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) funding covers a range of projects relating to low carbon infrastructure, some of which include heat networks. For the purposes of this answer, the full LCITP allocation has been included within the table as it is not currently possible to say what share is dedicated to utility networks.

SECTOR	PROJECT NAME	CAPITAL INVESTMENT (£M)
Utility Networks	Scottish Water Investment Programme	850
Utility Networks	Clyde Mission Low Carbon Infrastructure	25
Utility Networks	Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP)	405
TOTAL		1,280
Transport	Support for Sustainable and Active Travel	352
Transport	Active Freeways	50
Transport	Future Transport Fund - capital to support a range of low and zero carbon investment	287
Transport	Future Transport Fund – Bus Priority Investment	495
Transport	Support for zero-emission bus fleet transition	120
Transport	Road Adaptations Fund	60
Transport	A9 Dualling Programme	328
Transport	A96 Dual carriageway	20
Transport	A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan	136
Transport	A77 Maybole Bypass	5
Transport	A92/A96 Haudagain Junction Improvement	7
Transport	A737 Improvements at Beith	10
Transport	A801 Improvement project	22
Transport	STPR – potential pipeline projects	45
Transport	Rail Major Project Enhancements	1,200
Transport	Glasgow Subway Modernisation	104
Transport	CMAL – Two new 100 metre ferries	84
Transport	CMAL – Voted Loans – net vessel investment	281
Transport	Piers and Harbours Grants	306
Transport	Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd Air Traffic Control Services	28
Transport	Additional transport links alongside City Region Deals	68
TOTAL		4,008
Digital Communications	Digital Public Services Programme	110
Digital Communications	eHealth	25
Digital Communications	Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP)	122
Digital Communications	Reaching 100% programme (R100)	542
TOTAL		799

Question reference: S6W-02143

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01498 by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2020, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how much of any remaining funds it plans to spend on the railway between Aberdeen and Dundee and, if this information is not held centrally at present, whether it will confirm if there is an option that none of the funding could be allocated to that route.

Question reference: S6W-02109

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the consultation on its short-term lets draft Licensing Order and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), how many of the estimated 32,000 short-term lets it anticipates will return to the long-term housing market following the implementation of its plans.

Our regulatory proposals will give local authorities powers to strike a balance between the needs and concerns of their local communities, with the wider economic and tourism benefits of short-term lets. In certain areas, achieving this balance may require a reduction in numbers of whole homes offered for short-term lets and local authorities have been given powers through the planning control area regulations to help manage activity in their area. The consultation draft Licensing Order also includes powers to manage overprovision, and licensing requirements should mean that some unsuitable operators and accommodation will also leave the market. We do not have an estimate of how many short-term lets will return to the long-term housing market as this depends on how local authorities use the powers they are being given.