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 1773 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-25262

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it anticipates that all of the Class 43 High Speed Trains (HSTs) will be replaced.

Question reference: S6W-25263

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the lease for the Class 43 High Speed Trains (HSTs) ends.

Question reference: S6W-25234

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the ScotRail consultation on alcohol on trains will be completed, and when a decision will be made on reallowing alcohol at certain times.

Question reference: S6O-03126

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the results from Police Scotland’s Proportionate Response to Crime pilot in the north east will be published.

Question reference: S6W-25251

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs have been created in the renewables sector in the (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council area in each of the last five years.

Statistics from the ONS Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) survey provide estimates of renewable employment statistics in Scotland. No data is available to provide additional geographic breakdowns below the Scotland level at present.

As the following table shows, the estimated number of direct jobs in renewable electricity was 9,200 in 2021, up from 5,600 in 2017.

Employment (Full-time equivalent)	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Scotland	5,600	5,400	5,400	6,500	9,200

The LCREE estimates presented in the table above are survey-based and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty.

Question reference: S6W-25269

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 20 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the final Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will be published, in light of the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan being published on 10 January 2023.

Question reference: S6F-02845

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government still has a policy of a presumption against any new oil and gas licences.

Question reference: S6W-25235

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the participatory budgeting awards from the Just Transition Fund for the north east and Moray on a just transition.

The Scottish Government works closely with the north east Just Transition Participatory Budgeting Fund partners who co-ordinate and deliver the fund. Officials carry out mid and end of year reviews to ensure the effective management of the fund and the principles of a just transition are followed. Partners produced a report on Year 1 and will produce a summary at the end of Year 2.

We will also undertake an evaluation of phase one of the Just Transition Fund in the 2024-25 financial year aiming to commence the next phase in the following financial year.

Question reference: S6W-25252

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on safety improvements at the A90 Toll of Birness junction since 1 April 2017.

The Scottish Government has spent £67,232 on the construction of safety improvements on the A90 Toll of Birness junction since 1 April 2017. These safety improvements have been delivered through Transport Scotland’s Trunk Road Casualty Reduction programme of works. This spend was primarily associated with the provision of three vehicle activated signs (VAS) recommended from previous safety studies. Two signs were erected in 2017 with a third sign to supplement the northbound VAS erected in 2021. Other work involved the provision of an additional northbound advance direction sign.

This spend does may not include some elements of wider spend across the North East Operating Company Unit as it is not possible identify those that relate specifically to the A90 at this location.

Question reference: S6W-25249

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the conclusions of the review of the dualling of the A96 will be published.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the A96.

The current plan is to fully dual the route and as part of this process we are undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme.

The significant interest in the review’s initial consultation generated 11,000 options to improve the corridor. It is only right that it has taken more time than originally anticipated, in order to properly examine and fully appraise these.

It is expected that the draft outcomes from the Review will be consulted on in the coming months, before a final decision can be reached.