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: S5W-33797

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 04 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-31753 and S5W-32327 by Fergus Ewing on 16 September and 30 October 2020 respectively, whether it will provide an update on its work towards the publication of the final report of the Farming and Food Production Future Policy Group since the last group meeting in October 2020; in light of Ministers having a draft report in September 2020, for what reason it has not yet been published, and whether the report, which was due to be published in August 2020, will be published by the end of 2020.

Question reference: S5T-02591

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Auditor General's report stating that policing in Scotland is not financially sustainable.

Question reference: S5W-33431

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30438 by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2020, on what dates ministers have met Heathrow Airport since 21 June 2018, which cabinet secretary is currently attending the meetings at six-monthly intervals, and whether it will place copies of the minutes of these meetings and correspondence since 21 June 2018 in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Question reference: S5W-33439

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S5W-30433 and S5W-30434 by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2020, whether its policy on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport has been the subject of a specific review, and, if so, whether it will provide the information requested regarding when this (a) began and (b) concluded.

The decision to support Heathrow airport’s expansion was taken by the UK Government and UK Parliament.

The Scottish Government remain committed to the memorandum of understanding with Heathrow and I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30436 on 27 July 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-33491

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what clinical evidence it has received regarding the degree of protection provided by COVID-19 antibodies and, in light of this, whether it plans to roll out a national antibody testing programme ahead of a vaccination programme.

The Scottish Government is not currently planning to introduce a mass antibody testing programme prior to the rollout of the COVID Vaccination Programme. We continue to monitor emerging evidence with respect the protective effect of Covid-19 antibodies, and the role of antibody testing in the context of vaccination deployment is being kept under review.

The Scottish Scientific Advisory Board on Testing, chaired by Professor David Crossman, continues to lead on reviewing Scottish, UK and International evidence around antibody response in order to inform policy development. National surveillance and research studies, led by Public Health Scotland, will contribute to knowledge on antibody response and prevalence. The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations will provide expert clinical advice to Ministers to help inform decision making on how any vaccine supply is used in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-33407

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects LumiraDx Platform instruments that can carry out 12-minute tests for COVID-19 to be made available for island NHS boards.

NHS Scotland Virology experts recommend that the LumiraDX SARS-CoV2 Antigen Test is used for symptomatic individuals showing clinical signs or symptoms compatible with COVID-19 on admission to hospital.

This will help ensure symptomatic patients are tested quickly and results returned rapidly, preventing unintended consequences relating to patient flow and reduce the risk of backlogs in our emergency departments.

Adoption of the LumiraDx Test for testing symptomatic patients on admission will remain a decision of the local Health Board in the context of their infrastructure, local systems, processes, pathways and workflows.

Plans for the expansion of testing – including patient testing on admission to hospital – were set out in Parliament on 25th November 2020

Question reference: S5W-33165

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the maximum current threshold value of polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19 undergo a viral culture performance for diagnosis of viral infections.

Question reference: S5W-33379

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how the COVID-19 testing process for students will be run.

Universities began the asymptomatic testing of students on 30 November. Testing is being offered on a voluntary basis to all university and college students who are changing households or returning home at the end of term and is being administered by individual institutions. Two tests will be necessary, 3 days apart, with PCR confirmation for positive results.

We have published guidance and an FAQ document for students, which sets out more detail on the testing programme. We are committed to working with universities to offer testing on a similar basis to students on their staggered arrival for the start of next term and will provide further detail on the testing arrangements in due course.

Question reference: S5W-33453

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of the success of the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund; how this is being measured; whether it plans any future analysis, broken down by each of the nine aims of the fund as stated on 29 March 2019, and whether it will place a copy of the record of work undertaken to date in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

The two projects funded by the Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund are either ongoing or yet to be deployed. It is therefore too early to fully measure the Fund’s success in relation to a number of its aims.

As a condition of grant funding, projects are required to submit a report to Scottish Ministers summarising the outcomes and performance of the project, as well as disseminating successful learning points from the project for benefit of the wider tidal energy sector.

The Fund fulfilled the Scottish Government’s commitment to review and relaunch the Saltire Prize. In the absence of a route to market as a result of the UK Government’s withdrawal of revenue support for the sector, the Fund provided a fair and competitive route for the Scottish Government to support the further deployment of tidal energy in Scottish waters. The Fund is enabling two of Scotland’s leading tidal energy developers to innovate and take steps to reduce the levelized cost of energy for tidal stream energy, as well as stimulating Scottish supply chain activity.

Question reference: S5W-33454

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to it reportedly stating on 3 February 2018 that the Saltire Prize Medal for outstanding contributions to the development of marine renewable energy was being considered as part of the review of the main Saltire Prize, what was subsequently decided.