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-15998

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board will next meet.

The NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board met for the first time on 1 December 2022 and aims to meet fortnightly. It last met on 23 March 2023, it will next meet on 11 April 2023.

The Assurance Board has previously met on the following dates:

1 December 2022
13 December 2022
10 January 2023
24 January 2023
7 February 2023
22 February 2023
9 March 2023

Updates from the Assurance Board, including minutes, and other materials associated with the group, are available on the Scottish Government website: NHS Forth Valley Assurance Board - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-16002

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people it estimates could be eligible for a free, short-term loan of a wheelchair under its guidance issued to health and social care partnerships.

Question reference: S6W-15942

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many journeys have been taken on ferries in Scotland by (a) ministers, broken down by minister, and (b) civil servants, in each year since 2018, broken down by route.

a) Details of Ministerial travel and gifts are proactively published on a monthly basis and can be found on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

b) The breakdown by route and calendar year for civil servants is as follows:

Ferry route	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Aberdeen -> Kirkwall	4	2			2
Aberdeen -> Lerwick	8	9	3	4	9
Ardmhor -> Eriskay		1
Ardrossan -> Arran	1
Ardrossan -> Brodick	28	6		2	15	1
Armadale -> Mallaig	1	1
Barra -> Eriskay	2	1
Berneray -> Leverburgh	1	1			2
Brodick -> Ardrossan		2			1
Claonaig -> Lochranza	1
Craignure -> Oban		1	1
Dunoon -> Gourock					1
Eriskay -> Ardmhor	5	2
Eriskay -> Barra	8	6		1
Fionnphort -> Iona			1
Gallanach -> Kerrera		1
Gills Bay -> St Margarets	8	6	3	9	12	1
Gourock -> Dunoon	2	3		1	1	1
Houton -> Lyness		1			2
Kennacraig -> Islay	1
Kennacraig -> Port Askaig	4	10			1
Kennacraig -> Port Ellen	2	6	2	1	3
Kirkwall -> Aberdeen		2
Kirkwall -> Eday					2
Kirkwall -> Lerwick	1	5	7	9
Kirkwall -> Sanday		1	1
Kirkwall -> Shapinsay			1		1
Kirkwall -> Stronsay		1	1	1	1
Kirkwall -> Westray	1	1			1
Lerwick -> Aberdeen	14	17	6	11	13	1
Lerwick -> Aberdeen Rtn						1
Lerwick -> Kirkwall		3	3			1
Lerwick -> MV Hrossey	1
Leverburgh -> Berneray	1	2		1
Lochboisdale -> Mallaig					1
Lochmaddy -> Uig	2	10		2	13	1
Lochranza -> Claonaig		1
Mallaig -> Armadale	3	2			1
Mallaig -> Eigg				1	1
Mallaig -> Lochboisdale		3
Mallaig -> Rum					2
Oban -> Barra		1
Oban -> Castlebay	1	2		3	7
Oban -> Castlebay Multi						1
Oban -> Coll	6		1		1
Oban -> Colonsay	1		1		1
Oban -> Craignure	31	22	3	7	4
Oban -> Lismore		1	1
Oban -> Lochboisdale	1
Oban -> Mull	2	2
Oban -> Tiree	12	2	1	1	2
Orkney -> Scrabster		1
Port Askaig -> Kennacraig		1		2
Port Ellen -> Kennacraig					1
Scrabster -> Stromness	12	13	2	2	12	2
St Margarets -> Gills Bay	2				3	1
Stornoway -> Ullapool	5	4		1	5
Stromness -> Scrabster	7	16		1	6	1
Tarbert -> Portavadie	2
Tarbert -> Uig		1			4
Tayinloan -> Gigha		2		2
Tingwall -> Rousay		1
Tiree -> Oban	1	2
Uig -> Lochmaddy	4	6		6	10
Uig -> Tarbert	1	1			2
Ullapool -> Stornoway	19	18	3	10	18	3
Wemyss Bay -> Rothesay	2	6

Question reference: S6W-15983

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it has learned from the pilot scheme for deferred entry of children to P1.

Interim reporting from the pilot local authorities on the number of ELC places needed for children deferring entry to P1 has been used to inform budget settlement decisions for 2023-24. The final evaluation report will be published in May 2023 and will provide information about implementation in pilot areas and explore the impact of the pilot on parental awareness and perceptions of the entitlement.

Question reference: S6W-16001

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many health and social care partnerships have implemented its guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on free, short-term loan.

Question reference: S6W-15985

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the dates of all Deferral Working Group meetings since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-15984

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Deferral Working Group last met and when minutes of that meeting will be published.

Question reference: S6W-15805

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all formal meetings between the Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work and companies in the offshore energy sector in the North East Scotland region, from 1 October 2022 to 1 March 2023.

I have engaged with a wide breadth of stakeholders in the offshore energy sector during this period, in the North East of Scotland and across Scotland. Regarding formal meetings with companies in the North East Scotland region I had the following formal meetings:

12 October 2022 - St Fergus Terminal /Segal Terminal Site Tour which included meeting with St Fergus field visit with North Sea Midstream Partners (NSMP), Storegga and Shell attending 26 October 2022 - OEUK UK1 March 2023 - Decom North Sea meeting.

This list is not exhaustive of all the engagement I have with offshore energy companies, I speak with companies and stakeholders at all the events that I attend and take part in. Some of the stakeholder events I attended in this time period include:

2 November 2022 - Speaking at Supporting Scotland's Renewable Energy Supply Chain, Scottish Renewables 22 November 2022 – Speaking at the event International Scotland Report, Fraser of Allander Institute and CMS Partners Event 22 November 2022 – Visit to NESCOL Altens 30 November 2022 – Meeting with the North Sea Transition Forum 10 October 2022 – SEE - Maximising Scotland’s Energy Potential: Achieving a Just Transition Conference 8 December 2022 – OEUK Awards Ceremony

Question reference: S6W-15801

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its current position is on HGV speed limits.

In Scotland the speed limit for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in built up areas is 30 mph. On single carriageway it is 40 mph, dual carriageways is 50 mph and on motorways 60 mph.

In addition, the HGV speed limit on single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was raised to 50 mph on 28 October 2014.

HGV speed limit policy is being considered as part of the National Speed Management Review, later this year we will consult with stakeholders and the public to gather and consider their views on future changes to speed limit policies and speed management measures.

Question reference: S6W-15879

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the purchase of land for the purposes of investment is ruled out by the Memorandum of Understanding between NatureScot and Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium.

This project will work with existing land owners and managers to restore native woodlands and other habitats, rather than acquiring land or changing land ownership. Although the Memorandum of Understanding does not rule out the purchase of land, the only scenario in which the partnership would consider this is where there is an opportunity for a community to buy land and help deliver the project aims.