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-36077

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of recommendations from fatal accident inquiries have specifically related to healthcare practices in each of the last three financial years, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-36117

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it considers appropriate for balancing the cost, visual impact, and safety when assessing major electricity infrastructure projects that run through prime agricultural land.

Question reference: S6W-36047

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been required to supply the MV Glen Sannox in each month since December 2024, and what its position is on the long-term fuel supply strategy for the vessel.

The following table provides the amount of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) consumed by the MV Glen Sannox for the period covering December 2024 until March 2025.

	December 2024	January 2025	February 2025	March 2025	Total
LNG consumption by the MV Glen Sannox (MWh)	218	1,349	1,209	1,049	3,825

The long-term fuel strategy will be determined following a suitable period of operation to allow gathering of sufficient operational data.

Question reference: S6W-35891

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the UK Government's consultation, Building the North Sea’s Energy Future, regarding the potential impact in Scotland, whether it has assessed the consultation’s proposals for supporting oil and gas workers in transitioning to new energy sectors; how it plans to engage with stakeholders, including trade unions and local communities, in finalising any policy responses; what assessment it has made of the potential economic and energy security implications of implementing any recommendations arising from this consultation; whether it has had any discussions with the UK Government regarding any reserved or shared competencies relevant to these proposals, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders on energy policy matters, including business and industry, trade unions and communities.

Offshore oil and gas licensing, as well as consenting and the associated fiscal regime, are all matters that are currently reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government is taking the appropriate time to carefully consider the UK Government’s current consultation on Building the North Sea’s Energy Future, and its potential outcomes.

Question reference: S6O-04566

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will publish the outcome of the latest A96 corridor review.

Question reference: S6W-36053

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to families (a) during and (b) after a fatal accident inquiry.

The Family Liaison Charter sets out the Crown’s obligations in relation to liaising with and providing information to bereaved relatives.

In relation to every death where a Fatal Accident Inquiry is to be held, a dedicated COPFS Victim Information and Advice (VIA) Officer will update the nearest relative throughout the investigation and inquiry processes, including directing them to organisations that offer support and bereavement counselling. The VIA Officer will also update the family after the Inquiry has concluded about the publication of the Sheriff’s Determination.

Question reference: S6W-36065

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths subject to mandatory fatal accident inquiries are currently awaiting an inquiry, and what the longest period is that an inquiry has been outstanding.

Question reference: S6W-36066

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 15 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has evaluated the accessibility and clarity of the information provided to bereaved families in relation to the fatal accident inquiry process, and, if so, what potential improvements it identified.

COPFS regularly invites and receives feedback from nearest relatives of their experience of the death investigation and Fatal Accident Inquiry processes. That feedback is carefully considered to identify any improvements that can be made. As an example, feedback obtained by COPFS VIA Officers on the questions commonly asked by relatives was used to assist in the preparation of a Guide to Fatal Accident Inquiries on the COPFS website, providing detailed information for bereaved families about the FAI process.

COPFS has established a Death Investigations Improvement Board to oversee all ongoing pieces of work and new proposals to achieve greater public confidence, to improve the service delivered to bereaved relatives and to reduce the journey time for concluding death investigations, including FAIs. One of the significant workstreams of that Board is the proposed creation of a Lived Experience Advisory Panel, which will enable participants with experience of the death investigation process to help inform improvements to the process by providing independent advice to the Board on a range of issues.

Question reference: S6W-36102

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential environmental impact, whether it has raised or plans to raise any concerns with Ofgem regarding the adequacy of the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment standards, particularly the minimum height requirement for overhead power lines in areas of prime agricultural land.

Question reference: S6W-36101

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any consultations conducted by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks or its contractors with farmers regarding machinery heights routinely used along the route of the Tealing to Kintore upgrade project, and how any such information obtained has informed the project’s safety design.