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-06744

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether information collected by the NHS Scotland COVID-19 Test and Protect system in the case of an infection in a school setting is recorded under the "Group setting" category on the case management system, and if this is not the case, how this information is recorded, and for what reason it differs from the categorisation protocol for infections occurring in settings such as hospitals, care homes and restaurants, which are reportedly recorded under the "Events and Settings" category.

Question reference: S6F-00755

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2022

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is working with local authorities to reduce air pollution.

Question reference: S6W-05592

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it recommends that school and early years staff wear a face covering of FFP2 quality or above.

Face coverings are recommended in schools for adults and children aged 12 and over. Mitigations to reduce risks in schools and Early Learning Childcare settings including face covering measures, are kept under regular review by the Scottish Government’s Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues. This approach is grounded in evidence and draws on the expert advice of the advisory sub-group. The group last met on 11 January and further details can be found here .

The Scottish Government recommends that face coverings are made of cloth or other textiles and should be two, and preferably three, layers thick in line with WHO recommendations and fit snugly around the mouth, nose and chin while allowing you to breathe easily. A face covering can be a covering of any type, except a face shield, that covers the mouth and nose. There is no requirement for face coverings to meet specific levels of filtration efficiency and breathability.

More information on face covering guidance can be found here and further information on guidance for schools can be found here .

Question reference: S6W-05591

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many teachers currently have long COVID.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

We recognise the negative impact that long COVID can have on the health and wellbeing of those affected. We are taking action to ensure that people are supported in the most appropriate way possible. The Advisory Subgroup on Education and Children’s Issues takes account of long COVID in their deliberations.

ONS’ long COVID estimates by employment sector aren’t broken down by nation – all estimates by employment sector are at UK level only.

Question reference: S6W-04799

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the sectoral Just Transition plan for the nuclear sector will be produced, and what role (a) the workforce, (b) its unions and (c) local communities will have in this.

Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, to be published next year, will provide a roadmap for the future of Scotland’s energy system. We will co-design this Plan with the workers, businesses and communities most impacted by the net zero transition, including those within or associated with the nuclear energy industry. Workers, unions and the communities they are part of have always been at the heart of a just transition and will continue to be so. Together, we must provide certainty for those affected as we set out how the economic and social impacts of Scotland’s changing energy system will be managed.

We will outline the sequencing for specific Just Transition Plans in the new year, and as part of that, will explore if there are any sub-sectors of the energy system that would benefit from a standalone Plan.

Question reference: S6W-04452

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) financial and (b) other support (i) it, (ii) enterprise agencies and (iii) its other bodies and agencies have offered to Siemens Gamesa.

Question reference: S6W-04451

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether Siemens Gamesa has been contracted to provide any services to it or any bodies for which it is responsible.

Question reference: S6W-04478

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to engage with the organisers of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics ahead of or during the games.

The participation of competitors, including Scottish competitors, at the Olympics and Paralympics is a matter for the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association, which are required to operate independently of Government under International Olympic Committee regulations.

The Scottish Government shares the concerns which have been widely expressed in relation to China’s human rights record, including the reports of serious, widespread and systematic human rights violations being committed in Xinjiang.

Question reference: S6W-04481

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what role it will have in deciding how the £2 million of funding that it has committed to addressing climate-related loss and damage will be allocated.

The £2 million committed to Loss and Damage will be financed through Scottish Government’s Climate Justice Fund. £1 million has been allocated to a grant partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to help some of the world’s most vulnerable communities adapt to climate change, tackle structural inequalities and recover from climate-induced loss and damage. In this and in programming the remaining £1 million, the Scottish Government will work collaboratively with partners to identify and address the needs of communities suffering the acutest impacts, to establish learning and best practice on Loss and Damage programming and finance, and to create further momentum on loss and damage.

Question reference: S6W-04479

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding any action it will take on the matter, to the reported vote in the UK Parliament in favour of a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on human rights grounds.

The Scottish Government continues to be deeply concerned by reports of serious, widespread and systemic human rights abuses committed against members of the Uyghur and other minority ethnic communities in Xinjiang, as well as by China’s overall record of human rights violations, including in Tibet and in Hong Kong.

Neither Scottish Ministers nor Scottish Government officials have any plans to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.