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 700 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-25569

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners who are currently being held in custody have a Gender Recognition Certificate, broken down by prison.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

As defined in the Gender Recognition Act 2004, SPS cannot legally ask an individual to declare a Gender Recognition Certificate, however, SPS will record this information when an individual in our care choses to share this with us. At present, there are less than 5 individuals in custody who have chosen to share this information with SPS.

Question reference: S6W-25571

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report of the independent review of the skills delivery landscape, which stated that success would be where “every individual in Scotland has equitable access to the learning opportunities required to reach a positive destination in their working life”, what steps it is taking to ensure that those living in the South Scotland region have the same access as others across Scotland to traditional building skills apprenticeship training.

Question reference: S6W-25969

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18204 by Kevin Stewart on 2 June 2023, whether it will provide an update on when the Scottish aviation strategy is scheduled to be published.

Question reference: S6W-25508

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on how many patients have been diagnosed with a brain tumour through Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDSs) are a fast-track diagnostic pathway for patients who present with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer – brain cancers don’t tend to present in this way.

The University of Strathclyde published a report, reflecting on two years of the RCDSs running, on Thursday 29 th February, highlighting the cancer types being detected by the model, with lung and HPB cancers most common, as expected.

Meanwhile, work continues with PHS to establish a national data collection for RCDSs.

Question reference: S6W-25798

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent it has considered, ahead of the implementation update for short-term let licensing, the recommendation proposed by the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers to decouple planning from short-term let licensing legislation, in light of the reported difficulties faced by businesses in their applications and the impact on lending to the sector.

Question reference: S6W-25802

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held any conversations with canine trainers or behaviourists regarding the support that may be needed to allow owners of XL Bully-type dogs to muzzle train their dogs.

The Scottish Government previously engaged with key dog control interests in Scotland, including canine trainers and behaviourists, to help assess the principle of introducing new safeguards for XL Bully dogs, and we continue to regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders to consider the impact of the new safeguards and to consider whether any additional support is needed

The Scottish Government understands the concerns expressed by dog owners about the impact that the new controls may have on their dogs. The Scottish Government takes animal welfare very seriously and is committed to the highest possible welfare standards. There is however a balance to be struck between protecting animal welfare and protecting public safety.

Helpful and practical support and guidance has been published on the Mygov.scot website ( XL Bully dogs in Scotland - mygov.scot ) to ensure owners are made aware of how to comply with the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs.

That Mygov.scot webpage contains links to the support available from both the Dogs Trust and PDSA to assist with muzzle training XL Bully dogs.

Question reference: S6W-25709

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to support NHS Ayrshire and Arran to meet the four-hour A&E waiting time target, in light of reported evidence that it has not met this target since July 2020.

Like other NHS Boards and across the UK, NHS Ayrshire and Arran continue to experience challenges in their A&E performance primarily due to capacity shortages. Officials meet regularly with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to ensure progress against their delivery plan which focuses on reducing hospital occupancy and increasing alternatives to admission or attendance. The board have a number of actions underway to support performance recovery including optimisation of their call before you convey and care home referral pathway where residents receive assessment and care within a community setting, avoiding the need for onwards attendance to the acute sites.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) is working with NHS Boards including NHS Ayrshire and Arran to support delivery of the Urgent and Unscheduled Care collaborative, to ensure sustainable ways of delivering services, improving access for patients, and reducing unnecessary demand for services.

Question reference: S6W-25801

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25094 by Siobhian Brown on 16 February 2024, whether it is using the population estimate of 5,000 XL Bully-type dogs in Scotland as the basis for its estimates of the financial impact of the new regulations.

It is not known how many XL Bully dogs there are in Scotland. This is within the context of an unknown number of XL Bully dogs in the UK as a whole.

While estimates are challenging, for the purposes of the new safeguards being introduced, the Scottish Government is suggesting that approximately between 5,000 to 15,000 XL Bully dogs may be in Scotland. This estimate carries with it a considerable degree of uncertainty and reflects an estimated range of 50,000 to 150,000 XL Bully dogs in England and Wales.

Question reference: S6W-25800

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 5 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-25092 and S6W-25097 by Siobhian Brown on 16 February 2024, what estimate it has made of the potential financial impact over the next five years of the new legislation on XL Bully-type dogs on Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-02896

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2024

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to promote community deer management on publicly owned land.