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-10625

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of Ukrainians who have arrived in Scotland under the various settlement schemes who have been waiting longer than (a) one month, (b) two months and (c) three months in temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government is clear that we do not want to see people spending more time in temporary accommodation than is absolutely necessary.

Our priority is to ensure that people who have already arrived, and will arrive from Ukraine, are able to stay in appropriate temporary accommodation and get the right support, then move into safe, sustainable longer term accommodation.

With regards to the matching in Scotland, the Scottish Government will be releasing some data on matching progress in due course.

Question reference: S6W-10272

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to spend on the A77 in each of the next five years.

Question reference: S6W-10502

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has an exclusive arrangement with ScottishPower Renewables for the development of windfarms on the Scottish forest estate through Forestry Land Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-10288

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of which NHS boards provide free incontinence pads upon referral.

Question reference: S6W-10292

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 25 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many displaced persons from Ukraine who have been successful in a visa application through the Super Sponsor scheme to date (a) have (i) arrived, (ii) been placed in accommodation and (b) are awaiting placement in accommodation, broken down by local authority.

Under the current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom the application process for all immigration routes is fully reserved to the UK Government and is dealt with by the Home Office.

The following link contains visa data and arrivals for the four nations of the UK, and includes a breakdown of data relating to visas sponsored by the Scottish Government: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukraine-sponsorship-scheme-visa-data-by-country-upper-and-lower-tier-local-authority. The webpage includes the Devolved Administrations and Local Authorities datasets.

Scottish Government will be publishing a further breakdown of those placed in accommodation in due course.

Question reference: S6W-10082

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people in Scotland have donated organs, having registered their wish not to do so on the NHS Organ Donor Register website, following a healthcare staff consultation with their family.

Question reference: S6W-09801

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recent consideration it has given to the issue of incontinence poverty.

NHS Boards regularly assess continence patients' needs, with the assessments undertaken by dedicated Bladder and Bowel Teams or community nursing staff. This ensures that patients' needs are met, either through treatment or through provision of appropriate containment products. Referrals can also be made by patients' GPs where necessary, and also by a range of other healthcare professionals including pharmacists, consultants and care home staff.

Where a patient has been assessed as requiring continence products, they are provided by their local NHS Board's continence service on prescription.

Question reference: S6W-09563

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many times Scotland Office ministers have requested a meeting with the Minister for Transport regarding the A77 and A75, and how many such meetings have taken place.

Question reference: S6W-09493

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what further upgrades it has planned for the A77 in 2022.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving safety on our trunk roads including the A77. While there are no road improvement schemes or upgrades planned for the A77 in 2022, £6.75m has been allocated for the A77 through our provisional road maintenance programme for financial year 2022-23.

The Scottish Government has invested over £105 million on the A77 since 2007 to March 2022 to ensure its safe and efficient operation. In addition, we have spent approximately £64 million on five separate road schemes on the A77 including the recent completion of the £29m Maybole bypass which opened in January 2022 .

Question reference: S6W-09609

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that burial chambers are checked throughout Scotland, and what can SEPA do to assist regarding the situation at Ayr and Troon cemeteries.

Responsibility for the maintenance, upkeep and management of burial grounds in Scotland rests with the relevant burial authority: in the case of Ayr and Troon cemeteries, this is South Ayrshire Council. The Scottish Government has no locus to become involved in operational matters.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has confirmed that local authorities are the lead regulator for new burial grounds or extensions to existing burial grounds. SEPA’s role is to provide advice to the local authority on environmental risks during the planning consultation process.

SEPA has no direct role in the maintenance or safety of burial grounds and local authorities are not required to consult with SEPA once planning permission has been granted. SEPA can provide technical advice to the local authority should they request it.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring the respect and dignity of the deceased and the bereaved and will continue to engage with South Ayrshire Council on these matters and on what steps can be taken to avoid similar situations from occurring again.