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-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.

Question reference: S6W-23344

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to Freedom of Information request FOI/202300374485, how many of its officials attended the Structural Safety Group meeting that took place in May 2020.

Question reference: S6W-23351

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date by which it expects reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) to be removed from all NHS buildings, and whether it has a comparable target to that set in England to eradicate RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035.

NHSScotland is following the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) who do not recommend that all sites with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) should be vacated simply because RAAC is present. They do however recommend that if RAAC planks are present, their structural condition will need to be determined by a Chartered or Incorporated Structural Engineer to determine the risks and whether any remedial work is required. This is the approach that NHSScotland is taking. Where RAAC has been found in the NHSScotland Estate there has been no immediate disruption or concern although additional monitoring and management of is required in all cases. NHS Boards will consider their buildings with RAAC on an ongoing risk based approach to the management of those assets.

Question reference: S6W-23195

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it can do to ensure that the Scottish Parliament building is safe from any outside interference, in light of the reported allegations of Chinese state spies in the UK Parliament.

The SPCB is aware of the serious risk of possible outside interference to the Scottish Parliament. We have a range of measures in place to mitigate the risk as far as possible. As these measures impact on the security of the Scottish Parliament, it would not be appropriate to publish the details of these measures.

The Member may wish to be aware that the SPCB approved a series of CPD briefing sessions in early November for Members and their staff, with representatives from our security partners, to raise awareness of outside interference. The briefing sessions focused on what Members and their staff can do to help with managing the risk from outside interference.

Question reference: S6W-22032

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much money from Chinese companies has been invested into Scottish universities in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-23315

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 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to support local authorities in locating and addressing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete outside of schools and housing.

The Scottish Government is working with all public sector partners to understand the extent of, and risks associated with, RAAC across all public bodies. In respect of issues concerning RAAC outside of schools and housing, Scottish Government officials are working closely with the Scottish Heads of Property Services (SHOPS) which is co-ordinating an information gathering exercise on our behalf in respect of the prevalence of RAAC in the non school/non housing estate. Information is also sought on planned actions and mitigations. Scottish Government officials will continue to attend SHOPS meetings to support information sharing, help facilitate wider engagement with other sectors and ensure awareness of best industry practice in mitigating RAAC impacts.