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-10888

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on whether it has initiated a spatial planning exercise with a view to developing strategic guidance specifying areas that are suitable and unsuitable for the siting of salmon farms, in light of recommendation 51 of the session four Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee's 9th Report (Session 5), Salmon Farming in Scotland (SP paper 432).

In response to the priorities set out by the parliamentary inquiries in 2018 and the Salmon Interactions Working Group report, an adaptive spatially-based risk assessment framework to manage sea lice interactions between wild and farmed fish was developed.

SEPA published its response to a consultation on the proposed framework on 25 August and will begin implementation later in 2023. The framework will assess the siting of salmon farms and the risk posed to wild fish.

The recent Programme for Government starts the process of developing a new National Marine Plan (NMP) and commits to supporting local authorities to guide development to the right places. We will consider options to undertake further spatial planning for aquaculture.

Question reference: S6W-10535

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its practical policy tests are in relation to its proposed action plan to reverse island depopulation.

The feedback gathered through our engagement on the Islands Bond since October 2021, (including meeting over 100 island residents across 12 island communities in spring 2022), is now being used to shape a range of Practical Policy Tests (PPTs). These in turn will help to inform the development of a new action plan to address depopulation as set out in our 2019 National Islands Plan.

We are carefully considering all options presented to us through the online consultation, meetings with communities and stakeholders, and through the in-person workshops we held in spring 2022. More information will be made available in due course as the PPTs develop.

Question reference: S6W-10538

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants were directed to work on the (a) development of the Islands Bond and (b) Islands Bond consultation process.

Question reference: S6W-10537

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it paid Griesbach & Associates for its work in analysing the Islands Bond consultation responses.

Question reference: S6W-10477

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether every NHS board had a dedicated so-called Whistleblowing Champion recruited to them by the end of 2019, and for each year since then, as per the recommendation of the Sturrock review into cultural issues related to allegations of bullying and harassment in NHS Highland.

Following the announcement in October 2018, the recruitment process for non-Executive Whistleblowing Champions started in 2019. Given the scale of the recruitment process, most Whistleblowing Champions were appointed in 2020. The dedicated role offers an extra level of scrutiny and assurance, helping NHS Boards to comply with their responsibilities in relation to whistleblowing.

There are currently 2 vacancies within the State Hospital and NHS Shetland, which are currently being recruited through the Public Appointments process.

Question reference: S6W-10486

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of public bridges that are closed in the Highlands and Islands region, broken down by the number of years that they have been closed for.

The Scottish Government has not permanently closed any trunk road bridges in the Highlands and Islands region. Decisions on the closure or re-opening of Local Authority bridges is a matter for the relevant Local Authority. Following consultation, Local Authority colleagues have indicated the following local bridge closures:

Local Authority	Route Number	Location	Bridge	Closure
Moray Council	C2E	Near Elgin	Clodach Bridge	< 1 Year
Highland Council	U1177	Foyers	Lower Foyers	34 Years

Question reference: S6W-10487

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding local authorities (a) have stated they will need to meet demand and (b) will receive to meet demand as a result of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 coming into effect, in the financial year (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.

Scottish Government has allocated £4.9 million to local authorities for expenditure in 2022-23 and intends to allocate the same sum in 2023-24 in relation to making period products available for free. This includes meeting their duties as set out in the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021, which came into force on 15 August 2022.

Local authorities have not stated at this point that additional funding will be required in 2022-23 or 2023-24 to meet demand. However, through a bid-in process agreed through COSLA, Scottish Government will make provision for additional funding if this is required to meet costs as a result of increased demand or activities required to implement the Act.

Question reference: S6W-10478

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how NHS boards promote the details of their so-called Whistleblowing Champions to members of staff.

Question reference: S6W-10482

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants Transport Scotland has allocated to work of developing long- and medium-term resilient routes to replace the existing A83 Rest and Be Thankful corridor.

Work to progress the medium and long term solutions for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful is currently being overseen by seven civil servants, including four chartered civil engineers. This is a typical client team resource for a project of this size and the civil servants involved are also responsible for the oversight and management of other projects within Transport Scotland. The member will note that technical consultants have now been appointed to progress the long and medium term options for the Rest and Be Thankful.

Question reference: S6W-10476

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the ministerial short-life working group, set up in response to the Sturrock review into cultural issues related to allegations of bullying and harassment in NHS Highland, has met; whether it will meet again in future, and, if so, when.

In the Scottish Government’s response to the Sturrock Review, a Ministerially-led Short-Life Working Group was convened, with representation from NHS boards, staff-side organisations, medical Royal Colleges based in Scotland and the professional and regulatory bodies representing medics, nurses and allied healthcare professionals.

The focus of this group was to examine how to take forward measures that support open and honest workplace cultures, specifically with a view to delivering sustainable behavioural and attitudinal changes to leadership and management across NHS Scotland.

This group met on 31 July 2019, 28 October 2019 and 18 June 2020. As this work has evolved, there are no plans for this group to meet.