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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 63 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6O-00864

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report on misogyny and criminal justice in Scotland, published on International Women’s Day, which calls for a Misogyny Bill for Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-00868

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-00874

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it provides to Glasgow businesses that have been impacted by a loss of earnings as a result of street closures due to a variety of recent projects.

Question reference: S6O-00877

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of removing rates relief on small businesses after the first quarter of 2022-23.

Question reference: S6O-00872

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be on the Scottish budget, in light of reports that UK Government funding consequentials relating to the cost of living may not be provided in addition to provisional allocations.

Question reference: S6O-00876

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of low-income households that will not be eligible for the £150 payment to help tackle the rising cost of living.

Question reference: S6W-06892

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role of onshore wind power in maintaining energy security.

This is a reserved policy area. Responsibility for security of supply sits with National Grid ESO (the GB electricity system operator).

The UK government has now included renewables in the Capacity Market to recognise their “measurable contribution” to security of supply. Renewables sites in Scotland have been successful in securing contracts in the latest T-4 and T-1 Capacity Market Auctions.

Renewable capacity in Scotland includes onshore and offshore wind, hydro, solar, marine technologies, bioenergy and waste.

The equivalent of 98.6% of gross electricity consumption in Scotland (around 30 GigaWatt hours, GWh) comes from renewable sources.

Question reference: S6W-06916

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to address the reported concerns of communities in managing urban gull populations.

Local authorities have the lead role in tackling nuisance caused by urban gulls. Where property is council-owned, local authorities are expected to respond to statutory nuisance complaints, such as where the deposit of bird droppings may have an effect on public health. The responsibility for dealing with nuisance gulls on private property lies with the owner. Local authorities can provide advice and assistance to property owners, and have powers under environmental protection legislation to tackle nuisances.

NatureScot provides advice regarding gull management and licenses gull management actions such as nest removal or lethal control, where necessary, and in accordance with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

A UK seabird census is currently being carried out, organised by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The aims of the census include producing estimates of the populations of the different gull species that breed in urban environments. The findings of this research will help inform future actions in dealing with urban gull populations

Question reference: S6W-06893

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to facilitate the further development of onshore wind power.

The Scottish Government recognises, and will continue to champion, onshore wind as a key part of Scotland’s energy mix. Continued growth in onshore wind will be a vital component in meeting our net zero ambitions.

The Onshore Wind Policy Statement consultation was launched on 28 October 2021, which includes our ambition that an additional 8-12 GW of onshore wind be installed by 2030.

The consultation considered key themes such as barriers to deployment, community benefits and shared ownership, circular economy and supply chain opportunities.

The consultation closed on 31 January 2022, and a full policy statement is expected to be published later this year with consultation analysis also to be published in due course.

Question reference: S6W-06453

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to legislate regarding “Ready to Burn” certification for firewood and briquette suppliers, and when will any such legislation come into force.

The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to introduce such legislation. However our new air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' sets out a series of actions intended to deliver further air quality improvements over the period to 2026. Amongst these actions are several which focus on reducing emissions from domestic fuel combustion.

An expert working group, which met for the first time in January 2022, has been established to advise the Government on taking forward these actions. Further information will be made publicly available as this work proceeds.