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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-35692

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received support each year from the Digital Start Fund, and what the (a) average and (b) total payment has been.

Number of individuals

commencing training

Value of contracts

awarded to providers

2019-20 Totals

173

£704,375

2020-21 Totals

235

£1,109,161*

* Actual spend may be lower since SDS are in the process of receiving evidence of completion from providers to support end year payments.

The value of funding per applicant ranges between £1000 and £8000 depending on the provider, qualification level and intensity of training. Payments are made directly to the approved training providers as the applicants progress through training milestones.

Question reference: S5W-35810

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding its agencies provided regarding the proposed Scottish stock exchange, and whether this has been reimbursed.

Question reference: S5W-35649

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it gives to local authorities regarding how they can protect private water supplies of existing householders in relation to planning applications that require an additional private supply or water being taken from an existing supply.

Question reference: S5W-35650

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it gives to local authorities to ensure that an existing householder's supply of water, whether private or otherwise, is protected, particularly in relation to planning applications.

Question reference: S5W-35786

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when private individual swimming lessons for children will be allowed to resume under its revised COVID-19 Strategic Framework.

Question reference: S5W-35693

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to raise tree-planting rates from 10,000 hectares to 15,000 hectares per year by 2025, how many hectares of trees were planted in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.

Forest Research publishes National Statistics on the area of new woodland creation, which can be found at the following website: Forestry Statistics and Forestry Facts & Figures - Forest Research

In Scotland in (a) 2018-19, 11,210 hectares and (b) 2019-20, 11,050 hectares of new woodland were created. Provisional National Statistics which will include figures on woodland creation in Scotland for 2020-21 are scheduled to be published on 17 June 2021.

Question reference: S5W-35661

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the economic impact of the recent closures of the Queensferry Crossing.

Question reference: S5W-35665

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to date is, including consultancy fees, of establishing the proposed publicly-owned energy company.

Question reference: S5W-35812

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in recruiting a new Chief Executive for Scottish Enterprise.

Question reference: S5W-35811

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in each sector in each of the last five years, also broken down by how much has been lost.