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-31075

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the consultation on the proposal for a new National Park in Galloway.

Following the Government’s proposal to establish a new National Park in Galloway, NatureScot – in its role as reporter – has been engaging with communities, businesses, public bodies and other interested parties in the Galloway area in order to seek initial views and develop more detailed proposals for consultation.

Today, NatureScot will launch a formal statutory public consultation on the proposal. As well as gauging support for the proposal, the consultation will seek views on options for the possible area, functions, powers and governance of a new National Park.

The consultation process will include a full consultation paper and survey available via the NatureScot website, Have Your Say Today - Information Hub - A Proposal For A National Park In Galloway - Commonplace a survey available both online and distributed to households and businesses in, and near, the area proposed in the nomination, as well as events for businesses including agriculture, forestry and other land-management sectors and activities; and events for under-represented groups and young people. Information about the consultation surveys and events will be published today on NatureScot’s website and the dedicated online engagement hub.

An important part of the consultation process – in addition to the consultation paper and surveys – will be a series of independently facilitated consultation events and drop-in surgeries that will take place throughout the area proposed for National Park status. NatureScot began publicising these consultation events on 1 November, via the NatureScot website National Parks | NatureScot and the Hub Have Your Say Today - Consultation Events - Information Hub - A Proposal For A National Park In Galloway (commonplace.is) and they also intend to promote them in local news outlets and with posters in an effort to make these events as visible as possible.

Attendees at the consultation events will be supported to share their thoughts and opinions in a welcoming environment. There will be sessions within each event asking for responses on different topics, and interactive boards and spaces, as well as opportunities to leave anonymous feedback, and to complete a consultation leaflet in writing.

Additionally, a number of drop-in surgeries, hosted by NatureScot, will also be announced between November and January, with the locations and times publicised via the NatureScot website National Parks | NatureScot in due course. These sessions are aimed at individuals with questions about the consultation. They will complement the more structured consultation events. Completed surveys can also be left with NatureScot at these events.

It is extremely important that we hear from people living and working in the area and that the people of Galloway and South and East Ayrshire have the opportunity to discuss the issues, consider the content of the proposal including the desirability of a National Park in their area and suggest any alternatives.

I recognise the significant public interest in this proposal and am aware that there is both support and opposition. Everyone’s views will be listened to and taken into account and I would encourage everyone with an interest to engage with the consultation process in a constructive and respectful way.

The 14 week consultation period will start today and it will conclude on Friday 14 February. The consultation period has been extended to take account of the festive period and to enable as many people as possible to respond.

All views received will be captured and reported on.

We will carefully consider the outcome of this public consultation and NatureScot’s report before taking any further decisions on the proposal for a new National Park in Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-30566

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many collisions have been recorded at, or within a half mile radius of the Toll of Birness in each year since 2015, including the period from January to end of September 2024.

The following table provides the number of injury road collisions recorded by Police Scotland as taking place at or within a half mile radius of the Toll of Birness.

Please note that the figures for 2024 are provisional, as they are based on monthly returns received thus far from Police Scotland in 2024, with the most recent returns being received on 10th October 2024. This may be an incomplete picture of casualties up to that date due to a slight lag between collisions occurring and the data being processed and shared by Police Scotland. These figures are also subject to change due to subsequent corrections and late records.

Injury road collisions within half a mile radius of the Toll of Birness, by severity
	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2015	0	0	1	1
2016	0	0	1	1
2017	1	1	0	2
2018	0	0	2	2
2019	0	1	0	1
2020	0	1	0	1
2021	0	1	0	1
2023	0	1	0	1
2024 1	0	1	0	1
1. Provisional to September 2024

Question reference: S6W-30559

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Transport last met with Transport Scotland to discuss road improvements in the North East.

Question reference: S6W-30741

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the proportion of zero-emissions vehicles in (a) its own fleet, (b) each of its agencies' fleets and (c) the public sector fleet as a whole has been in each of the last five years.

A breakdown of the Scottish Government fleet (including pool, Government Car Service and Transport Scotland) over the last 5 years is provided in the following table.

Year	Zero Emission %
2020-21	13%
2021-22	27%
2022-23	27%
2023-24	27%
2024-25 (1)	27%

Notes

1.Data range 01 April to 22 October 2024.

Transport Scotland holds information on the composition of the public sector fleet based on responses to surveys of vehicle type in 2020, 2022 and 2023, this information is summarised in the following table for Scottish Government agencies. Transport Scotland does not hold information for each of the last 5 years.

Executive Agencies	2020 Zero Emission %	2022 Zero Emission %	2023 Zero Emission %
Accountancy in Bankruptcy	No Fleet	No Fleet	No Fleet
Disclosure Scotland	No Data Held	No Fleet	No Fleet
Education Scotland	No Fleet	No Fleet	No Fleet
Forestry and Land Scotland	No Data Held	4%	15%
Scottish Forestry	0.14%	8%	17%
Scottish Pensions Agency	No Fleet	No Fleet	No Fleet
Scottish Prison Service	4%	2%	3%
Social Security Scotland	0%	50%	75%
Student Awards Agency for Scotland	No Data Held	Data Not Held	No Fleet

Data collected by Transport Scotland in 2020,2022 and 2023 indicates that there are around 30,000 vehicles in the public sector fleet, the following table shows the % of zero emission vehicles in the fleet in each of the years that data was collected.

Public Sector Fleet	% Vehicles that are Zero Emission
2020	5%
2022	12%
2023	17%

Question reference: S6O-03966

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the benefits to Scotland will be of a fully circular waste management system.

Question reference: S6O-03967

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to local residents to take forward a replacement river crossing in Annan following storm damage in 2021, in light of the findings of the recently completed feasibility study.

Question reference: S6O-03970

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its ministers have had with their UK Government counterparts regarding the changes made to agricultural property relief on inheritance tax.

Question reference: S6O-03965

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the calls from Sir Chris Hoy to change the advice on testing for prostate cancer, to encourage more younger men to be checked.

Question reference: S6O-03971

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the hospitality and tourism sectors to promote safety on Scotland’s mountains in winter 2024-25.

Question reference: S6O-03969

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve data collection on gender inequality.