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-07596

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 25 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the financial impact of fuel and energy price increases will be on the public sector in the financial year 2022-23.

A large proportion of Scottish Public Sector organisations benefit from buying their Gas, Electricity and Liquid Fuels through National Framework Agreements.

Scottish Procurement has a purchasing strategy that is overseen by a Risk Management Committee, with members from each of our main public sectors. This strategy enables gas and electricity to be purchased through our frameworks, up to 2½ years in advance of consumption. This purchasing strategy protects the public sector from the volatility of energy markets by purchasing energy over a long period to smooth out the highs and lows of pricing.

The wholesale cost of electricity has been fixed for 2022-2023, and public sector organisations will be paying 8.043 p/kWh, which is an increase from 4.9582 p/kWh in 2021-2022. As an illustration, if we were able to secure a fixed price for electricity today on the wholesale market for 2022-2023 it would be circa 33.9p/kWh, quadruple the price public sector organisations are paying under the Scottish Government agreement.

The wholesale cost of gas has been fixed for 2022-2023, and public sector organisations will be paying 5.2618 p/kWh, which is an increase from 1.5446 p/kWh in 2021-2022. As with electricity, if we were able to secure a fixed price for gas today on the wholesale market for 2022-2023 it would be circa 11 p/kWh, double the price public sector organisations are paying under the Scottish Government agreement.

Compared to 2021-22 framework rates, the projected increases for financial year 2022-2023 will be around 197% for Gas and 27.5% for Electricity (wholesale and pass though costs combined).

Whilst energy prices have increased, the financial impact on the public sector finances will depend on each organisation’s energy consumption.

For Liquid Fuels, while the delivery cost is fixed, the cost of the liquid fuels paid by the customer is based on the Platts Index, and is set on a weekly basis.

We have written to the UK Govt to urge them to tackle energy prices

Question reference: S6W-07214

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths were attributed to hospital acquired infections in each year from 1999-2000 until the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by NHS board.

Scottish Government does not centrally hold data for all hospital acquired infection deaths by Health Board, due to patient identifiable information.

2000 to 2020 data for registered deaths due to Clostridioides difficile infection and MRSA is available from National Records of Scotland (NRS) can be found here and here .

However, it should be noted that although publically available details also broken down by Health Board, the data does not make the distinction between hospital acquired or community acquired infection.

Question reference: S6W-07683

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on progress regarding green freeports.

Following the statement by the Minister for Business , Trade, Tourism and Enterprise in February, I can confirm that the Green Freeports Prospectus for Scotland has now been published and the programme is open for applications. The Prospectus can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-freeports-in-scotland-bidding-prospectus .

Applicants must detail how they will meet the Green Freeports four key policy objectives: promoting regeneration and high quality job creation, including how fair work will be embedded across the Green Freeport; promoting decarbonisation and a just transition to a net zero economy; establishing global hubs for trade and investment; and fostering an innovative environment.

I look forward to receiving ambitious applications from across Scotland in advance of the 20 June deadline. Applications will be assessed jointly by the Scottish and UK Governments and winning bids will be selected jointly by Scottish and UK ministers with winners announced over the summer.

Question reference: S6W-07229

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many ferry sailings have been scheduled on the Ardrossan-Brodick ferry route in each year since 1999, and how many of these sailings did not take place due to (a) inclement weather, (b) mechanical breakdown and (c) other reasons, including COVID-19.

The number of scheduled sailings on the Ardrossan – Brodick route that did not take place in each year since 2007 is provided in the following table by contract year. Information prior to 1999 is not available and is not held by the operator, Calmac Ferries Limited.

Route Name: Ardrossan - Brodick
Contract Year	Scheduled Sailings	Cancelled Sailings	Cancelled sailings (weather)	Cancelled sailings (technical)	Cancelled sailings (COVID)	Cancelled sailings (OTHER)
CY 2007-08	4,166	171	164	7	0	0
CY 2008-09	4,146	154	133	15	0	6
CY 2009-10	3,991	86	77	4	0	5
CY 2010-11	3,916	106	100	4	0	2
CY 2011-12	3,831	170	157	11	0	2
CY 2012-13	4,672	130	114	16	0	0
CY 2013-14	4,695	204	176	21	0	7
CY 2014-15	4,708	308	227	61	0	20
CY 2015-16	4,748	336	222	110	0	4
CY 2016-17	4,860	252	123	122	0	7
CY 2017-18	4,773	327	109	212	0	6
CY 2018-19	4,928	310	234	30	0	46
CY 2019-20	3,686	494	413	36	0	45
CY 2020-21	4,820	702	324	43	67	268
CY 2021-22*	1,532	364	269	5	90	0

Data up to and including February 2022

To note:

Due to Covid-19 an emergency timetable was in place between March 2020 and 25th October 2020, all disruption against the original timetable was classed as "other" (Covid-19).

Question reference: S6O-00948

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement the constitution secretary has had with UK Government ministers regarding the post-Brexit funding arrangements, including the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is due to launch this Friday, on 1 April.

Question reference: S6W-07212

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many council houses were built in each year from 1999-2000 to the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-07213

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of knife crime were recorded in each year from 1999-2000 to the most recent year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority.

Police Recorded Crime statistics can only identify the likely presence of a knife for crimes of ‘possessing an article with a blade or point in a public setting’. Tables of the requested data have been placed within the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (BIB number 63223).

There are two measures of possessing an article with a blade or point in a public setting - one for where the weapon was not used in other criminal activity, and one for where it was used in other criminal activity. For the former, data has been presented by local authority for the requested time period of 1999-00 to 2020-21. Data for the latter is only available from 2017-18 onwards, following implementation of a procedural change to the recording of weapon possession crimes.

Question reference: S6W-06204

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the joint report, Automated Vehicles, published by the Scottish Law Commission and the Law Commission of England and Wales, and which concludes their three-year review of the regulatory framework for road-based automated vehicles.

The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the comprehensive and well informed Joint Report on Automated Vehicles by the Scottish Law Commission and the Law Commission of England and Wales.

While the majority of the Law Commissions’ recommendations fall within legislative competence reserved to the UK Parliament, some fall within devolved competence, such as a specific defence applying to driving offences committed in Scotland by the driver of an automated vehicle with a User-in-Charge function.

We will continue to engage with our partners in the UK and Welsh Governments on the development of those regulatory frameworks needed to support the safe deployment of automated vehicles, informed by the findings and recommendations of the Law Commissions’ Joint Report.

Question reference: S6W-05981

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what bearing the conclusions of the Endometriosis UK report, Analysis of Endometriosis Service Provision in Scotland, in January 2022, will have on the timescale for action to improve the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.

We welcome the 4 key recommendations in the report from Endometriosis UK and work is already underway to implement each of these.

Diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis must improve and that is why the Scottish Government has made it a priority in the Women’s Health Plan. We are committed to improving access for women to appropriate support, diagnosis and the best treatment for endometriosis.

The first meeting of the Women’s Health Plan Implementation Programme Board took place on the 25 January and will ensure progress of the Women’s Health Plan is achieved at pace and implemented effectively. The Scottish Government will also publish a Women’s Health implementation plan by Spring this year, which will set out more detail around how the actions will be implemented. The report from Endometriosis UK will help inform our implementation plan.

Question reference: S6W-05769

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 31 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to travel agents to assist them in their recovery from the financial impact on their businesses of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

We know this is a difficult time for travel agents and we have had to make tough decisions to target funding to sectors immediately impacted by the updated public health guidance.

Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from more than £4.4bn in support from the Scottish Government. This includes support for travel agents who benefited from sectoral grants of up to £25,000 per premises this year in addition to other support including the Strategic Framework Business Fund grants, Restart Grants, Contingency Fund, Non-Domestic Rates relief and furlough payments for staff.

We recently announced £375m of support for businesses impacted by the necessary public health measures introduced to control the spread of Omicron and have provided details on how £276 million of this will be allocated. Decisions on the allocation of the remaining funds will be confirmed following further consultation with affected sectors on how it can best be targeted.