Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-03262

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03264

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2024

To ask the First Minister, in light of the reported number of serious and fatal accidents on the A9 trunk road in recent weeks, what progress is being made on the dualling project.

Question reference: S6F-03261

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-28101

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how frequently its ministers receive reports from its Marine Directorate on contaminants in marine animals.

The findings from contaminant testing undertaken in the Scottish marine environment, are reported to the Scottish Ministers in the form of Scotland’s Marine Assessment 2020 and the OSPAR Quality Status assessments, the most recent of which was published in 2023: Quality Status Report 2023 | OSPAR Commission . Monitoring data collected in 2021 will be used in the UK Marine Strategy 2024 assessment. These reports are compiled over a number of years and are not annual.

Question reference: S6W-27944

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its proposals on restricting promotions of foods high in fat, salt or sugar, what assessment it has made of any unintended consequences of potentially introducing different restrictions to those that are already in place in England, including regarding any increase in bureaucracy and cost, in light of the acknowledgement in the Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment of the "inter-connected food environment in the UK".

The public consultation on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt closed on 21 May 2024. A partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) was published alongside the consultation, setting out the rationale for Government intervention and welcoming feedback on the expected impact on businesses of proposals. Consultation responses including feedback on the BRIA are now being analysed.

The consultation was run in parallel with an extensive and inclusive programme of stakeholder engagement. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to finalise the BRIA and further develop a full suite of impact assessments that will be used in the decision making process to help inform the final policy.

Question reference: S6W-28042

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to make provision for housing associations, and other organisations, to be legally compelled to attend meetings or committees that have been called by (a) it and (b) local authorities regarding the current or historic use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), and whether any such plans would only apply to specific obligations for which an organisation is deemed to be legally liable.

The Scottish Government has fully engaged with housing associations and organisations from all other sectors addressing issues relating to RAAC through a number of networks including the Scottish Government led RAAC Cross Sector Working Group. The Scottish Government has no plans to legally compel housing associations - or other organisations - to attend meetings or committees that have been called regarding the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Question reference: S6W-27945

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its proposals on restricting promotions of foods high in fat, salt or sugar, what assessment it has made of the potential impact that the proposed restrictions will have on the food and drink industry in Scotland, in light of reports that the industry is facing challenges due to regulatory burdens that increase the cost of doing business, the delay to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme, and uncertainty about the future of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes.

The public consultation on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt closed on 21 May 2024. A partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) was published alongside the consultation, setting out the rationale for Government intervention and welcoming feedback on the expected impact on businesses of proposals. Consultation responses including feedback on the BRIA are now being analysed.

The consultation was run in parallel with an extensive and inclusive programme of stakeholder engagement. We will continue to engage with business, including the food and drink industry in Scotland, to finalise the BRIA.

In addition work continues with the independent Regulatory Review Group (RRG) to support Scottish Ministers in improving the regulatory environment for businesses and their involvement in the process. This work includes scrutiny of proposals to restrict the promotion of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt.

Question reference: S6W-28119

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27769 by Kaukab Stewart on 5 June 2024, which stated that 35% of successful external applicants declared a disability, what the exact number is of external recruits to Scottish Government jobs who declared a disability.

Latest figures from our Diversity and inclusions statistics of the Scottish Government workforce 2023 official statistics publication show that there were 473 external recruits to core Scottish Government directorates between 1 Jan 2023 and 31 Dec 2023, excluding those that both joined and left in that period. Of those, 89 had declared their disability status by 31 Dec 2023, with 19 of those declaring one or more disabilities. This gives an estimated proportion of disabled external recruits of 21%.

The 35% figure previously quoted came from an earlier internal source of data where the declaration rate was lower (12 disabled out of 34 declarations). Staff diversity data is constantly updating as staff complete their diversity monitoring questions, and there may be a lag between external recruits joining and these staff declaring their diversity data.

Question reference: S6W-27721

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what checks it carries out to ensure that (a) Rape Crisis Scotland and (b) other organisations that it provides funding to uphold the law.

Question reference: S6W-27719

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any potential impact on its funding of the service, what information has been provided to it regarding the recently announced review of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, including (a) who is conducting the review, (b) the review’s remit, (c) what questions it seeks to answer, (d) what process will be used to reach its conclusion and (e) when any findings will be publicly available.

As a funder of the organisation, the Scottish Government has been informed that Vicky Ling, an independent Chartered Quality Professional, who works in the justice sector, will carry out the independent review.

As the governance, management and operation of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre are matters for their Board to consider and act upon, it is for them to set the remit and decisions around the review.

Chamber and committees