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-31652

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the trade union, ASLEF, Dignity for Drivers, including the claim that train drivers do not always have access to safe, clean and dignified toilet facilities, or adequate time to use them, during the course of their working day of up to eight hours; what its position is on whether a lack of such facilities could establish a barrier to recruiting a more diverse workforce by having a disproportionate impact on people who (a) have chronic health conditions, (b) are female, (c) are older and (d) have protected characteristics, and whether it will undertake an urgent review of toilet facilities for drivers across the rail network.

Question reference: S6O-04062

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it can do to support access to library services in rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-31274

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the review of community right to buy, and what impact the review is having on current applications.

Question reference: S6W-31273

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers is an appropriate amount of time for a decision to be made for applications under the right to buy Part (a) 3A of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and (b) 5 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Acts of 2003 and 2016 detail the time that decisions on community right to buy applications should take. There is no end date set for these decisions. The Acts state that Ministers must not reach a decision on an application before the date which is 60 days after the last date on which the Part 3A/Part 5 community body may provide Scottish Ministers with a response to the comments on the application, provided by the owner and other parties.

In practice, the length of time each right to buy decision takes will depend on the complexity of the case, the timing and content of the comments received from all parties, and any legal issues that may be relevant to the case. It is important to ensure that, whatever decision is reached, that it is done so in a robust and fair manner to all parties.

Question reference: S6O-03959

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Fife Council following the publication of an EIS survey showing that two thirds of surveyed teachers in Fife were considering leaving teaching as a result of disruptive, challenging or violent pupils.

Question reference: S6O-03895

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address social isolation and loneliness.

Question reference: S6O-03860

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with COSLA regarding the 2025-26 local government finance settlement.

Question reference: S6O-03820

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to humanitarian aid funding through its Humanitarian Emergency Fund, what consideration it is giving to supporting the provision of humanitarian assistance in Lebanon.

Question reference: S6O-03782

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether any further action is required to address reported concerns around the environmental, sustainability and welfare impacts of farmed salmon.

Question reference: S6W-29470

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to alleviate the cost for commuters on trains, in light of the reported "double hit" of the end of the peak fares removal pilot and the general cost increase.