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-33129

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which ideas suggested by the Young Islanders Network in relation to the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan were included in the final report.

The Addressing Depopulation Action Plan includes an action for Scottish Government to engage with Youth Scotland and the Young Islanders Network (YIN) to co-develop ideas to encourage young people to move to, or remain within our island communities.

Since publication, as part of this engagement the Scottish Government’s independent Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population have met with a cohort from the YIN, to gather their input into a forthcoming report on the mobilities of young working age people in rural and island areas. It is envisaged that recommendations from this report will be considered by Scottish Ministers after publication, and where appropriate these will inform the development of future interventions to support population attraction and retention in rural and island areas.

Additionally, engagement with the YIN around the development of the next National Islands Plan (NIP) has already been conducted by Scottish Government officials, highlighting that the next NIP plans to have an overarching focus on population attraction and retention. This engagement will continue prior to publication and delivery of the next NIP, planned for later this year.

Question reference: S6W-33133

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has committed to maintaining the £8 million of funding for Scottish Innovation Centres that it announced on 17 January 2024, into the 2025-26 financial year.

Higher Education Capital Funding, which includes the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) core funding for research and knowledge exchange has increased by £11.4m (3.2%) to £368.3m for 2025-26. This will enable us to continue to protect our core grant funding and portfolio of research, knowledge exchange and innovation investments, including Innovation Centres, delivered via the SFC

Scottish Government continue to work with the SFC and the sector on implications and allocation of this budget in line with the usual process. Final allocations are expected to be announced in late May.

Question reference: S6O-04262

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to Police Scotland to increase visibility in remote and rural communities and deliver the community policing model, as outlined in the Chief Constable's 2030 vision for safer communities, less crime, supported victims, and a thriving workforce.

Question reference: S6W-33135

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28686 by Jim Fairlie on 19 August 2024, whether it will provide an update on when NatureScot will make a bracken map available.

As noted in the response to question S6W-28686, the Scottish Government is progressing work to develop a bracken mapping layer for Scotland. Officials are liaising with NatureScot and Natural England. The intention is that the map will complement a wider Bracken Strategic Framework, which is being developed for the UK, to aid decision making. There are a number of limitations to be worked through and therefore I am unable to give an indication of timing at this stage. I would be happy to provide an update to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in due course.

Question reference: S6W-32732

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on (a) foreign travel, (b) foreign accommodation and (c) other expenses associated with official overseas visits for the (i) Lord Advocate and (ii) Solicitor General in the calendar year, 2024.

All costs associated with overseas visits undertaken by the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General in their roles as heads of the systems of prosecution and deaths investigation are paid by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service budget.

In the calendar year 2024 the costs associated with overseas travel for the Lord Advocate, all of which are associated with ongoing criminal investigations and casework, are as follows:

Flights	Accommodation
£4,427.40	£434.67

The Lord Advocate did not undertake any overseas trips in her capacity as a Scottish Minister.

The Solicitor General made no overseas trips in the calendar year 2024.

Question reference: S6W-33128

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands and (b) Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity has met with the Young Islanders Network to discuss the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan (i) prior to and (ii) since its publication.

Taking a partnership approach, Scottish Government, at both a ministerial and official level, engaged with a broad range of stakeholders during the development of the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan (ADAP). This engagement was led by the-then Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees, who was the lead Minister for the development of the ADAP.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands has portfolio responsibility for the Scottish Rural & Islands Youth Parliament (SRIYP), of which the Young Islanders Network are a key member. Ms. Gougeon attended the inaugural SRIYP in November 2023, where delegates worked together to agree a series of priority statements or asks of Scottish Government. These 10 priorities (including housing, transport and skills, education and employment) strongly align with the delivery priorities outlined within the (ADAP).

Ms. Gougeon has met with the SRIYP network twice since November 2023 and remains in close contact with the Network. This includes a parliamentary event in January 2024, where SRIYP delegates were supported to attend with £20k of Scottish Government funding. The group met with relevant Ministers to present their 10 priorities, which were later discussed at a parliamentary debate hosted by Ms. Gougeon and the Deputy First Minister. Following this, an online meeting in November 2024 was hosted, where Ms. Gougeon provided an update to attendees on what action Scottish Government has taken across their 10 priorities.

Question reference: S6W-33131

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to each local authority through its Coastal Change Adaptation Fund in each year since 2022-23.

The direct distribution funding is targeted using the risk profile developed through Dynamic Coast research. Since year two, all coastal local authorities can apply for case study funding. The distribution methodology is discussed and agreed through COSLA’s formal financial governance process including recommendations from the jointly attended Settlement and Distribution Group and approval from COSLA Leaders.

The information is available at: Dynamic Coast - Coastal Change Adaptation

Question reference: S6W-32858

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the buildings within the Highlands and Islands region that fall under the scope of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 do not have an identified developer and will require it to take responsibility for any remediation work, under the provisions within the Act.

Question reference: S6W-32739

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have waited longer than 24 hours for an initial call through its Distress Brief Intervention service each year, broken down by health and social care partnership area.

In total, between June 2020 and May 2024, initial contact was not made within 24 hours for 216 people out of 58,657 referrals (less than 0.4%). The following table breaks this down by percentage due to the small number of cases in each area.

Health & Social Care Partnership	June 20-May 21	June 21-May 22	June 22-May 23	June 23-May 24
	% of all referrals
Aberdeen City	0.3	0	0.1	0.2
Aberdeenshire	0	0	0	0
Angus	0	0	0	0
Argyll and Bute	0	0	0.8	0.9
Clackmannanshire and Stirling	0	0	1.7	0
Dumfries and Galloway	0	0	0.7	0.5
Dundee City	0	0	0	0.1
East Ayrshire	0	0.3	0	0
East Dunbartonshire	0	0	0	0.9
East Lothian	0	0	0.8	0
East Renfrewshire	0	0	1.1	0
Edinburgh City	0	0.2	0	0
Falkirk	0	0	0.9	0
Fife	0	0	0.2	0.2
Glasgow City	0.2	0	0.4	0.5
Highland	0.4	2.2	1.9	0.4
Inverclyde	0	0.2	0.9	0.4
Midlothian	0	0	0.5	0
Moray	0	0	0	0
North Ayrshire	0	0	0	0.2
North Lanarkshire	0	0	0.1	0.4
Orkney Islands	0	0	1.4	7.0
Perth and Kinross	1.2	2.1	0.5	0.8
Renfrewshire	0	0	1.3	0
Scottish Borders	0	0	0.6	0.3
Shetland	0	0	0	0
South Lanarkshire	0.9	0.1	0.5	1.0
West Dunbartonshire	0	0	0.5	1.3
West Lothian	0.6	0	0	0
Western Isles	0	0	0	0
Not Known (referrals with partial or missing postcodes)	0.6	0.7	0.9	0.9
Scotland Total	0.3	0.3	0.5	0.4

Question reference: S6W-32821

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government in what ways is it liaising with CalMac Ferries Ltd to increase ferry capacity to and from the Isle of Mull, in light of reports that the inflatable emergency evacuation slides fitted to the MV Isle of Mull vessel failed an inspection, resulting in its operational capacity being reduced from 900 to 45 passengers.

Whilst this is an operational matter for CalMac, given the significant reduction in passenger capacity Transport Scotland officials have been updated by CalMac on the timeline for repairs and will be kept appraised of any capacity issues relevant to the routes MV Isle of Mull is operating on.

During this time, during the annual overhaul schedule, as it normally does, the MV Isle of Mull is operating as relief vessel on Lochboisdale service. The MV Loch Frisa continues to operate to Mull to timetable.

With the MV Glen Sannox entering service, CalMac assessed the optimum deployment of the MV Isle of Arran through use of their Route Prioritisation Matrix, and the MV Isle of Arran has been operating on the Oban-Craignure route alongside the MV Loch Frisa since 16 January 2025.