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: S6F-03412

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-29389

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28909 by Natalie Don on 27 August 2024, what analysis has been conducted to examine whether the £400,000 spent has helped to reduce mobile phone addiction among young people.

There has been no specific analysis completed on the impact of our expenditure in relation to mobile phone addiction. However the funding has been used to create a suite of online resources, information and advice to support the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The Scottish Youth Parliament receive funding for ‘Mind Yer Time’ - a national resource comprising of positive tips, stories and information to help children and young people use their screentime in a healthy and responsible way.

Young Scot receive funding for ‘Ayefeel’ – a national hub for young people to support their mental health and wellbeing. This includes a podcast series called ‘This is How AyeFeel’, allowing young people, content creators, known figures, and influencers a platform to share their experiences, coping mechanisms, and journeys toward better mental health through interviews, personal stories, and expert insights.

Question reference: S6W-30125

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what regular communication it has with the UK Health Security Agency.

The Scottish Government maintains regular and ongoing communication with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on shared priorities. The Scottish Government and UKHSA do this through formal meetings, working groups, and collaborative efforts on public health issues such as disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness, emerging health threats and emergency response. UKHSA also provides expert advice and support to Public Health Scotland and other relevant bodies to ensure a coordinated approach to health security across the UK.

This collaboration plays a vital role in ensuring robust public health surveillance, managing health risks effectively and protecting Scotland’s population.

Question reference: S6W-30018

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports given to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that a “culture of bullying” existed at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, and what steps it is taking to eradicate any such culture in all NHS hospitals.

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry is a public inquiry established in accordance with the Inquiries Act 2005 and is entirely independent of the Scottish Government. It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government or Ministers to comment on the Inquiry’s proceedings while the Inquiry is ongoing.

Bullying and harassment is unacceptable in any circumstance. We expect all staff, regardless of position, to act in line with the values and behaviours expected of everyone in NHSScotland.

Staff must be confident in raising any concerns they may have, and when they do, that these concerns are fully investigated. The NHSScotland Bullying and Harassment Workforce Policy provides a supportive environment for employees seeking an early resolution to bullying or harassment concerns. It is also a formal mechanism to address unresolved, significant or persistent bullying or harassment, or both.

We emphasised the importance of good workplace cultures with the publication of Improving Wellbeing and Working Cultures (IWWC) in July 2024. IWWC sets out our ambition to enhance working cultures across our health, social work and social care workforce, through programmes of work at a national level that focus on the pillars of: wellbeing, leadership and equality.

Question reference: S6W-30029

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which of the 42 prioritised flood protection schemes that were planned between 2016 and 2021 have yet to be completed, and when the expected completion date is for each.

The responsibility for development and delivery of flood protection schemes rests with individual local authorities, who are best placed to respond to local resilience needs.

The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities to enable delivery of these important projects. £570million will be invested in flood resilience in the period 2016-2026. 40 of 42 have received funding to support development. 2 are not eligible because they have previously received funding.

15 of the cycle 1 flood schemes have now been completed. The status of those that remain is as follows:

Scheme name	Local authority	Current stage	Est. completion
Millport Coastal	North Ayrshire	Under construction	2024
Campbeltown	Argyll and Bute	Under construction	2024
Hawick	Borders	Under construction	2024
Stranraer	Dumfries and Galloway	Under construction	2024
Upper Garnock	North Ayrshire	Under construction	2024
Milnathort	Perth and Kinross	Construction due to start 2025
Mill Burn Millport	North Ayrshire	Construction due to start 2025
Kilmacolm – Glenmosston Burn	Inverclyde	Legal confirmation complete
Comrie	Perth and Kinross	Legal confirmation complete
Dumfries - Whitesands	Dumfries and Galloway	Legal confirmation complete
Quarriers Village	Inverclyde	Legal confirmation complete
Dumbarton Gruggies Burn	West Dunbartonshire	Legal notification complete
South Kinross	Perth and Kinross	Legal notification complete
Musselburgh	East Lothian	Legal notification complete
Bridge of Allan	Stirling	Legal notification complete
Newton Stewart/ River Cree	Dumfries and Galloway	Legal notification complete
Grangemouth FPS	Falkirk	Legal notification complete
St Andrews - Kinness Burn	Fife	Withdrawn – notification deadline missed
South Fords	Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	Withdrawn – notification deadline missed
Scone	Perth and Kinross	Withdrawn – notification deadline missed
Haddington	East Lothian	Withdrawn – notification deadline missed
Callander	Stirling	Withdrawn – notification deadline missed
Stirling	Stirling	Withdrawn – notification deadline missed
Langholm	Dumfries and Galloway	Withdrawn
Greenock Cove	Inverclyde	Scheme no longer required

Question reference: S6W-30036

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on implementing a nationwide endometriosis-friendly employer scheme.

Within the Women’s Health Plan we committed to develop a menopause and menstrual health workplace policy for NHSScotland, and to promote best practice across the public, private and third sector.

The NHSScotland Menopause and Menstrual Health Policy was launched on 31 October 2023 and supports employees to experience good menstrual health and menopause at work.

Supporting resources, including line managers, workplace adjustment guides, and signposting to more information on symptoms and conditions including endometriosis, are intended for use more widely across a variety of employment sectors and are available on the National Wellbeing Hub, which is accessible to the public.

Question reference: S6W-30028

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for ministers to consider reports from the Reporters Unit following public inquiries and planning appeals for renewables applications.

Question reference: S6W-30027

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with delivering the Offshore Skills Passport.

The Offshore Energy Skills Passport is an initiative led and driven by industry.

The most recent statement from the key industry delivery bodies, Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK, indicates that an initial version of the Passport will be available for workers to access later this year.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the Passport’s successful implementation. Ministers last met with Renewable UK and Offshore Energies UK to receive updates on progress on 10 September 2024.

Question reference: S6W-30035

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding developing further regional specialist endometriosis centres across the country.

There are three specialist endometriosis centres which accept patients from across Scotland when specialist surgery for complex endometriosis is required.

This was recommended as the optimal approach for effective treatment by a specialist working group of clinicians and representatives from patient groups and Endometriosis UK. There are no plans to establish a specialist centre within every NHS Board.

Question reference: S6W-29900

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported claim by Alexander Dennis Limited that zero-emission bus funding has disproportionately benefitted competitors from lower-cost and lower-security economies, citing this as the reason for it starting a consultation regarding a potential 160 redundancies at the business, whether it will revise its social value conditions on public funds being used to subsidise foreign bus manufacturers.

The aim of the most recent phase of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB 2) is to support the implementation of new, innovative business models into Scotland's bus market, so that zero-emission buses become the default choice for operators, and that public subsidy is no longer required. Bus operating companies have the freedom to choose which manufacturers to purchase buses from, as best suit the needs of their routes and operations. Fair Work sits at the heart of our ambition to move toward a wellbeing economy and is central to supporting economic recovery and renewal, and a just transition to net-zero. UK based employees working on delivering the ScotZEB 2 project must be paid at least the Real Living Wage, and have an effective forum for employees’ voices. Suppliers from different countries will operate within different economic, social and legal contexts. The real Living Wage is UK-specific and cannot be applied to workers based in foreign countries. Scottish Ministers are required to comply with the terms of the Subsidy Control Act which prohibits the favouring of domestic over non-domestic manufacturers when offering public subsidy.

Since 2020 the Scottish Government has made available more than £23 million in R&D grant funding to Alexander Dennis Ltd to support the company’s capacity to secure orders for ultra low emission and zero emission buses.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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