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-24532

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether retaining the oil refinery operations at Petroineos Grangemouth is one of its strategic policy objectives, in light of reports that retaining this element of the business would reflect the importance of the site as a national economic asset.

We recognise the important role that the Grangemouth refinery plays in meeting current fuel demand in Scotland and we know the wider cluster will be key to meeting fuel demand in the future.

It is our preference that refining should continue for as long as possible and Ministers are considering every realistic option to extend the life of the asset. This would provide the critical time and space for the refinery business to expedite transition opportunities at Grangemouth and protect as many existing jobs as possible.

The Scottish Government has committed to working with operators across the Grangemouth cluster to bring forward new low carbon projects at Grangemouth, in technologies such as CCUS, hydrogen and bio-refining. These projects will take time to be brought forward, however they do offer an opportunity to transition the site and cement the cluster’s role long into the future.

Question reference: S6W-24539

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it can take any action to enable Petroineos Grangemouth to refine a greater volume of crude oil from the North Sea, and if doing so could potentially extend the life of the oil refinery beyond 2025.

Question reference: S6W-24535

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy will instruct the Grangemouth Future Industry Board to appoint representatives from (a) Petroineos Grangemouth, (b) Unite the Union and (c) local businesses.

Question reference: S6W-24545

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much was raised by the public health supplement in each year that it was in operation.

Question reference: S6O-03027

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its position is on whether it could hold a referendum on the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-24546

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to re-introduce the public health supplement for large retailers that sell alcohol, for the purposes of funding drug and alcohol prevention measures.

The Scottish Government is determined to do all we can to reduce alcohol-related harm and is working closely with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and the third sector to do so. In 2022-23, £106 million was made available to ADPs, increasing to £112 million in 2023-24. This funding is used to ensure that local services meet the needs of people who experience alcohol and drugs harms.

The announcement in the Scottish Budget 2024-25 signalled the Scottish Government’s intent to explore the reintroduction of a Public Health Supplement. The exploratory work will include considering options for the design of any such supplement.

Question reference: S6W-24544

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on what the projected income would have been if the public health supplement had continued in each of the years since it was discontinued in 2015.

Question reference: S6W-23944

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of any potential impact of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on the (a) powers, (b) independence and (c) operation of Scottish courts.

Question reference: S6W-23943

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 11 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any potential impact of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on the Act of Union of 1707 in relation to the jurisdiction of Scottish courts.

Question reference: S6W-23341

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will continue to evaluate any benefits of the Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) by including further funding for the scheme in its Budget for 2024-25.

An evaluation of the Scottish Government shared equity schemes (Help to Buy, Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) and New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE)) was published in June 2020. The evaluation can be found on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/evaluation-scottish-government-shared-equity-schemes/

The LIFT scheme continues to contribute to the Scottish Government’s 110,000 affordable homes target.

Any decisions on future funding should be determined by The Scottish Government’s budget announcement on the 19 December.