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-24710

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government at what stage in the construction process each National Treatment Centre is.

Undertaking a health capital investment project is an iterative process and estimating the cost and completion date is a complex exercise and we did not identify individual budgets and completion dates when the programme of investment was originally announced.

Since then, additional projects have been added to the programme and we have experienced unprecedented levels of inflation in the construction sector which makes comparison of costs and completion dates difficult.

The latest position for all projects is noted in the following table:

Centre	Status
Golden Jubilee Phase 1	Opened in Dec 2020 at a cost of £15.8m
NTC Fife	Opened in Mar 2023 at a cost of £34.3m
NTC Highland	Opened in April 2023 at a cost of £48.5m
NTC Forth Valley	In construction due to open in 2024 (est cost £12.7m)
Golden Jubilee	In construction due to open in 2024 (est cost £82.3m)

The development and planning for all the remaining NTCs (NTC Lothian, NTC Grampian (inc MRI at Dr Gray’s Hospital – Elgin), NTC Ayrshire and Arran, NTC Tayside, NTC Lanarkshire and replacement Edinburgh Eye Pavilion) are on pause until funding for this next phase can be confirmed.

Question reference: S6W-24709

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to publicise the ban on pavement parking, and when it will publish data on its enforcement.

The prohibition of pavement parking, along with double parking and parking at dropped kerbs at known crossing points was brought in with the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. With the passing of necessary secondary legislation, local authorities have the powers to enforce these prohibitions from 11 December 2023. These parking prohibitions are a significant alteration for most road users. An awareness raising campaign ran in November and December of 2023, with radio adverts, outdoor posters, digital and social media, to highlight the dangers caused to pedestrians by inconsiderate parking and to help foster the necessary behaviour change within road users. This advertising material has also been made publicly available and has been used by local authorities to produce posters, social media content and warning notices to further publicise this in their areas.

Transport Scotland produce an annual report detailing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued by each local authority, which for the 2023/24 period will include PCNs issued for the new parking prohibitions. This is expected to be published by the end of 2024.

Question reference: S6F-02773

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-24475

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 29 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to contribute funding to the NorthTick project, in light of the UK's exit from the EU.

Question reference: S6W-23316

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many of the 39 school buildings that have reportedly been identified as still needing a reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) assessment have (a) been confirmed as containing the substance and (b) received a RAG rating for any RAAC identified.

Although it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and main their school estate, the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust continue to be in close contact with local authorities in relation to RAAC in schools. All 32 local authorities have completed all of their assessments.

Safety is the central consideration and there is robust guidance which is followed by every local authority to ensure these settings are safe for the pupils, staff and the public to be in.

Question reference: S6W-24243

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 12 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in a building has any safety implications during an incident where firefighters are required to attend.

The recent concerns noted around Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) are acknowledged by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and partner agencies. Where the material is in poor condition, has degraded or has been incorrectly installed, there could be a greater risk of weakness or collapse which could present additional safety implications. Where RAAC is identified through SFRS Operational Intelligence information gathering or a Fire Safety Enforcement audit, SFRS staff will record information regarding any affected buildings. This allows SFRS to develop a tactical plan to protect firefighters and minimise risk to the wider public in the event of any emergency incident. The safety of fire fighters is paramount and during an incident SFRS will undertake a dynamic risk assessment where necessary to take into account all potential risks, including the presence of RAAC.

Question reference: S6F-02695

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 08 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-23765

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason medical outreach and medical hospital support for pupils who cannot attend school due to illness is only available up to S4 in Scotland, in light of it reportedly extending beyond Year 11 in England, and what plans it has to review this.

Under section 14(1)(b) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education authorities have a statutory duty to make special arrangements for pupils of any age and stage of school education, who are unable to attend school due to illness, to continue receiving their education elsewhere than at an educational establishment.

The Scottish Government published guidance on the education of children unable to attend school due to ill health in June 2015. This guidance is available on out website through the following link: Introduction - Education of children unable to attend school due to ill health: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Where any pupil is not receiving education due to their absence from school as a result of ill health, we would urge their parents or carers to speak with the school’s head teacher at the earliest opportunity to ask that alternative arrangements be put in place for their child to receive education whilst they remain absent.

Question reference: S6W-23314

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will create a reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete register, covering the Scottish Government estate and public bodies, similar to the one reportedly being looked at by the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-23379

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture raised any concerns in relation to human rights during his recent visit to China.

I visited China between 22 – 29 November. The programme concentrated on the three pillars of the Scottish Government’s focus with China: tackling climate change and biodiversity loss; encouraging people-to-people links in areas such as education, culture and tourism; and promoting trade and investment links where mutually beneficial and in keeping with our values and national security interests.

As part of the visit, I met with senior government representatives, where I discussed the importance of human rights, emphasising the Scottish Government’s values and the importance of applying them to what we do, including in our relationship with China.

A constructive relationship with China is mutually beneficial, where consistent with our values and overall national security. This includes raising human rights, where appropriate, as I did during my visit.