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-28807

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what review it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, of Scotland’s beauty industry, in light of reports that “Scots gangsters flog dangerous fillers and weight loss jabs ‘that could kill’ as they launder cash through beauty industry”.

The implications of the use of counterfeit and unlicensed beauty products is one of a number of issues under consideration as we consider further regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Scottish Government officials met with Police Scotland and Environmental Health Officers on 12 January 2023 regarding concerns related to the suspected involvement of organised crime groups in the beauty/cosmetics sector.

The Scottish Government and its partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce are committed to working together to disrupt any serious organised crime and the harm it causes to individuals and communities.

Question reference: S6W-28905

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 19 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape.

Work continues apace on the Post-School Education and Skills Reform Programme, developed in light of the recommendations of James Withers’ Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape and the Scottish Government’s own report on the Post-school education, research and skills - purpose and principles - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Following my initial update of March 2024 to the Education, Children and Young People Committee, I provided the latest update on progress in a letter to that Committee on 25 June 2024, available at Post School Reform 25 June 2024 (parliament.scot) . This letter includes an annex detailing our position and actions taken with regards to each of the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape.

Question reference: S6W-28805

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to regulate the beauty sector in Scotland, and whether it will provide details of the timescale for when any (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation that seeks to achieve such regulation will be laid before the Scottish Parliament.

Scottish Government officials are currently undertaking scoping work with a variety of stakeholders including healthcare professionals (representatives from British College of Aesthetic Medicine and British Association of Cosmetic Nurses), hair and beauty industry representatives, Environmental Health Officers, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), and other UK Governments in order to bring forward proposals regarding the potential further regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures within the beauty sector in Scotland.

The scoping of further regulation of non-surgical cosmetics procedures includes the consideration of age restrictions, the levels of insurance, training, qualifications and supervision required to safely perform various types of non-surgical cosmetic procedures that pierce and penetrate the skin, is underway.

We hope to be in a position to update Parliament on timescale for this in due course.

Question reference: S6W-28806

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce legislation equivalent to the Botulinum Toxin and Cosmetic Fillers (Children) Act 2021 to ban Botox-style injections and fillers for under-18s in Scotland.

Potential age restrictions for non-surgical cosmetic procedures are one of a number of issues that are being considered during the scoping work that Scottish Government officials are currently undertaking with a variety of stakeholders including healthcare professionals (representatives from British College of Aesthetic Medicine and British Association of Cosmetic Nurses), hair and beauty industry representatives, Environmental Health Officers, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).

We hope to be in a position to update Parliament further in due course.

Question reference: S6W-28440

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities currently have a published deer management plan that is available for the public to view.

Question reference: S6W-28439

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities in Scotland currently have a published deer management plan.

Question reference: S6W-28441

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many local authorities oversee the deer management that is undertaken on local authority grounds, and how many are actively involved in decisions regarding such management.

Question reference: S6W-28438

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 26 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have provided NatureScot with annual deer cull information in each of the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-28435

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 16 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is being given to XL Bully dog owners who are experiencing domestic abuse and are unable to seek support from fostering services, such as Dogs Trust Freedom, which provides fostering for those fleeing domestic abuse.

While the XL Bully dog has been added to the list of designated prohibited dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, any individual XL Bully dog will not be classed as prohibited where the owner obtains a certificate of exemption that enables them to legally own the dog. The Scottish Government would encourage all XL Bully owners to apply for an exemption certificate for their dog. The closing date for online applications is 31 July 2024: https://www.gov.scot/publications/xl-bully-dog-rules/pages/overview/ .

The effect of an XL Bully dog owner who receives an exemption is that they must adhere to exemption conditions. In any given 12 month period, the exemption scheme conditions allows for an owner to be apart from their dog for up to 30 days. This flexibility can be used in a variety of situations including where a person experiencing domestic abuse is moving to a new location and there is a need for the Dogs Trust Freedom project or others to look after a dog for a short period during this period.

More generally in relation to housing, the Scottish Government has written to COSLA and social housing associations across Scotland to explain the process for the XL Bully dog safeguards. This information was shared with COSLA and housing associations to help tenants and landlords understand the changes where tenancy agreements include clauses relating to ‘prohibited’ dogs under the 1991 Act. As noted above, an XL Bully dog, where an exemption has been granted, is not a prohibited dog under the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Question reference: S6W-28436

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 16 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide clarity on the process that owners should follow to remove their dog from the XL Bully exemption list, in the event that their dog is latterly identified not to be an XL Bully-type.

Any person with an exemption certificate can seek for it to be withdrawn by the Scottish Government. This route involves writing to the Scottish Government asking for a certificate to be withdrawn. There is no fee payable. Any person with an exemption certificate can do this and it is a matter for a relevant person to consider whether to do so. In particular, if a person wishes to do this because they have reached a view they do not possess an XL Bully dog, that is a matter for them to consider. The Scottish Government will withdraw an exemption certificate if a request is made.