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: S5O-04724

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how the social security system will support families with school-aged children during the school holidays.

Question reference: S5W-32473

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 28 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue further guidance for tradespeople regarding safety measures when carrying out work and repairs in people’s homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-32451

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Statutory Instrument required to enable island community impact assessments under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 will be laid.

Question reference: S5O-04659

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage new entrants to crofting.

Question reference: S5O-04649

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how inshore marine protected areas are managed.

Question reference: S5O-04602

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports home working in the public sector.

Question reference: S5W-31309

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how (a) adult and (b) childhood epilepsy is considered by the Scottish National Audit Programme.

Epilepsy is not covered in any of the current national audits within the Scottish National Audit Programme. We do however recognise the importance of data collection in order to better understand people’s needs and to inform service planning and development. That is why one of the commitments of the National Framework for Action on Neurological Care and Support is to work with Public Health Scotland (Previously NHS Information Services Division) and others to ensure a cohesive approach to capturing the needs of people with a neurological condition. We are investing £4.5 million over the next five years to implement the Framework’s 17 commitments.

Question reference: S5O-04519

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated to local authorities to ensure that, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools will have adequate resources to keep pupils and staff safe.

Question reference: S5O-04481

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the post-lockdown economy in rural communities benefits from, but does not become overly dependent on, tourism.

Question reference: S5W-30384

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the legal challenge to the north lot of the R100 programme.

It would be inappropriate to comment on the legal proceedings in respect of the R100 North Lot themselves while those proceedings are still ongoing.

In the meantime, we are developing a Scottish broadband voucher scheme, for which anyone who will not have a superfast broadband connection delivered through the three R100 procurement contracts, or delivered commercially by the end of 2021 ¬ including those in the North lot area – will be eligible.

I recognise the delay in the North lot area, due to legal action, is a source of frustration for the member’s constituents. I am keen, as in the South and Central lot areas, to make further progress on coverage across Scotland, building upon the success of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme in delivering access to fibre broadband in Na h-Eileanan an Iar and Scotland as a whole. Independent broadband analysis site, thinkbroadband (the same datea source the UK Government quotes in its own analysis), states that 78.5% of premises across Na h-Eileanan an Iar were able to access superfast broadband speeds of 30Mbps and above by June 2020. This represents an increase from just 1.3% in January 2014, when DSSB deployment began.

Over 14,788 premises across Na h-Eileanan an Iar now have access to fibre broadband, thanks to the DSSB roll-out, with over 12,921 of those able to access speeds of 24Mbps and above. This provides a strong platform upon which we can build in delivering R100.