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-03170

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03185

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports of a National Crime Agency warning about synthetic opioids being linked to rising numbers of deaths.

Question reference: S6W-27897

Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-27670

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Plugged-in Communities Grant Fund will reopen for applications in 2024-25.

Since its launch, the Plugged-in Communities grant fund has supported 38 community transport organisations across Scotland make the switch to zero emission vehicles, providing over £3.5 million of funding allowing these organisations to procure 53 zero emission vehicles. These vehicles play a key role in their local communities by providing mobility, contributing to improved air quality and reducing polluting greenhouse gas emissions in the communities they serve.

These are unprecedented times with significant pressure on financial resources and difficult decisions had to be taken when setting the 2024-25 Scottish Budget. Given these constraints, Transport Scotland officials are currently considering future levels of funding for the Plugged-In Communities scheme, with no final decision yet made. Eligible community transport organisations can continue to register their interest on the EST website to receive further information.

Question reference: S6W-27646

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it provides freight facilities grants for rail freight and coastal shipping terminals but not for wagons.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of modal shift to help achieve transport emission reduction targets. The Freight Facilities Grant scheme is designed to provide assistance to companies who wish to move freight by rail or water instead of by road. The scheme required State Aid clearance and under the terms of the approval rail and water haulage equipment, including rail wagons, was prohibited from support.

Question reference: S6W-27586

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26769 by Jim Fairlie on 29 April 2024, whether it will reallocate the remaining £473.1 million of the £500 million originally allocated to the Bus Partnership Fund, and, if so, when.

Budget is allocated on an annual basis, therefore the £500m long term investment in bus priority infrastructure was not allocated in one budget to the Bus Partnership Fund.

Capital budget is allocated to the Scottish Government as a total and then set against agreed priorities as part of the budget process on an annual basis. Future funding availability will be considered as part of annual budget setting processes and prioritisation exercises.

Question reference: S6W-27458

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to understand the cause of the e-gate outage at Scottish airports on 7 May 2024, and what it is doing to ensure that such an incident does not occur during the upcoming summer tourist season.

Question reference: S6W-27475

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is any regulatory requirement that means that public sector bodies should not use recycled aggregates in construction projects, and what plans it has to encourage the use of recycled aggregates through its procurement programme.

The Scottish Government are not aware of any regulations which prevent public sector bodies from using recycled aggregates in construction projects.

SEPA encourages the use of recycled aggregates and has issued guidance on their manufacture from inert waste production-of-recycled-aggregates.pdf (sepa.org.uk) . This aims to ensure recycled aggregates have the same technical and environmental performance as virgin aggregates, providing confidence to users. Recycled aggregates must also comply with the relevant performance specifications.

Transport Scotland encourages the use of recycled aggregates where appropriate and, in order to encourage and facilitate this, recently issued a guidance note on road recycling https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/51380/ts-ia-52-road-recycling.pdf .

Scottish Government guidance Client Guide to Construction Projects includes a chapter on Sustainability in Construction that endorses a circular economy approach to conserve and value all resource.

More widely, the Scottish Government has introduced an Aggregates Tax and Devolved Taxes Administration (Scotland) Bill, which will encourage the use of recycled materials in construction, by taxing the sale or use of aggregates consisting of freshly extracted rock, gravel or sand.

The Scottish Aggregates Tax, scheduled for introduction in April 2026, is intended to encourage the minimum necessary exploitation of primary aggregate, maximise the use of secondary and recycled aggregates and incentivise innovation and the development of alternative materials.

Question reference: S6W-27201

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the increase in the National Living Wage from 1 April 2024 will result in an uplift for the Community Pharmacy Scotland financial settlement from the same date.

Question reference: S6W-27176

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Graduate Apprenticeship Enhancement Group has been created; who sits on it, and what the expected workstreams are for the group.

The Scottish Government has established the Graduate Apprenticeship Enhancement Group. It held its first meeting in April and met again in May. Membership includes Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, representatives from universities and colleges, Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland, Student Awards Agency for Scotland and members of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board. Former and current Graduate Apprentices will also be invited to join the group. The Group is developing the workstreams which will support its work.