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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 46894 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6F-02030

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02033

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-02029

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-16216

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers discussed Police Scotland’s Q3 Performance Report for 2022-23 with any representative of Police Scotland.

It is for the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) to scrutinise Police Scotland's quarterly performance reports. This is done as part of the Authority's quarterly Performance Committees, the most recent of which took place on 19 March.

Ministers and Scottish Government officials meet with Police Scotland, as well as partners with a role in the accountability and governance of policing of such as the SPA, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner on a regular basis. I look forward to meeting and working with them all in my remit as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.

Question reference: S6W-16974

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Scottish Government representatives were invited to attend the 2023 Scottish Police Federation Conference in person on 29 March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-16934

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent estimate it has made of the level of illegal mobile phone use by individuals in charge of a vehicle, and what steps it is taking to address this.

Observational studies covering Great Britain are carried out on behalf of the Department for Transport every four or five years. The latest of these was undertaken in 2021 and published in July 2022. Mobile phone use by drivers: Great Britain, 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

There is a significant amount of data in the tables but the headline figures are:

Observed mobile phone use (held to ear or held in hand)

	Great Britain	England and Wales	Scotland
All vehicle drivers	1%	1%	0.9%
Car Drivers	0.8%	0.9%	0.7%

Mobile phone use is identified as one of the ‘fatal five’ by road safety professionals, and campaigning has been consistent for many years. In Scotland, in recent years, this has been undertaken as part of the ‘Drive Like Gran’s in The Car’ campaign, and scheduling would normally support Police Scotland enforcement activity.

Road Safety Scotland (RSS) ran the ‘Mates’ distraction ad from 25 October - 30 November 2021 on TV, radio, video-on-demand, social and digital channels. When the new legislation came into force last year, RSS ran the new G-Force gran mobile phone ad throughout March 2022 on digital channels, video-on-demand, radio and social.

Question reference: S6W-16953

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported positive impact of the A9 HGV 50mph Speed Limit Pilot, (a) whether and (b) when it will extend a 50mph speed limit for HGVs to other (i) sections and (ii) major trunk roads.

Transport Scotland is undertaking a National Speed Management Review to support a range of policies that help our Government’s national outcomes and indicators. These include related policy drivers such as better road safety and health outcomes, promotion of active travel, climate change mitigation, place making and economic growth.

The review covers comprehensive analysis of all types of speed management policies and initiatives in Scotland as well as a review of what has been introduced in other countries throughout the world.

The process will also include a stakeholder and public consultation later this year to consider their views of whether any changes to speed limit policies, including HGV speed limits and speed management measures should be introduced as part of our speed management plan.

Question reference: S6W-16687

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government in order to improve the uptake of energy rebate vouchers among Scottish households with prepayment meters.

Energy retail policy is reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government is fully aware of the challenges that some consumers with prepayment meters faced when trying to access the Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers. We would urge anybody in this position to contact Advice Direct Scotland who will be able to help redeem vouchers ahead of the UK Government’s deadline of 30 June 2023.

The Scottish Government is very disappointed that the UK Government did not choose to extend the Energy Bills Support Scheme – a decision which has left many vulnerable households struggling to pay their bills and heat their homes.

The disproportionate impact of high energy prices on fuel poor households across Scotland will be a key focus of my early ministerial engagement with the UK Government

Question reference: S6W-16423

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11483 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2022, whether it will provide an update on its progress towards the piloting of universal free school meals in secondary schools.

Question reference: S6W-16635

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the topic of Scottish independence was discussed in the meeting between the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture and the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the French National Assembly on 5 October 2022.

Jean-Louis Bourlanges and I had a constructive meeting last year during which we discussed my visit, relations between France and Scotland, and the wider political situation, including Ukraine.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.