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 48968 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-18517

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with NHS Shetland regarding the reported backlog of ophthalmic surgery, including cataract operations, for patients resident in Shetland, and what steps are being taken to reduce waiting times.

The Scottish Government are in regular contact with NHS Shetland to identify short term options and sustainable long-term solutions to support ophthalmic surgery, including cataract operations, across the North of Scotland.

We are working with all NHS Boards including NHS Shetland to reduce long waiting times. This includes targets announced in July 2022 to address the backlog of long waits and the delivery of the £1 billion NHS Recovery Plan to support sustainable improvements and new models of care, such as the National Treatment Centre Programme.

Question reference: S6W-18479

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many food (a) incidents, (b) crimes and (c) recalls have been recorded by Food Standards Scotland in each year since 2018-19.

Question reference: S6W-18694

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in (a) Clackmannanshire and (b) Stirling were eligible for (i) 100% rates relief and (ii) all other levels of rates relief, through the Small Business Bonus Scheme, in (A) 2021, (B) 2022 and (C) 2023.

Tables 1 and 2 present the number of properties receiving SBBS as at 1 June 2021 and 1 July 2022, in Clackmannanshire and Stirling council areas. These figures are based on the billing data provided by councils to the Scottish Government as at those dates.

Equivalent figures for 2023 are not currently available. These are expected to be published in late 2023.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of properties eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme, as we are unable to reliably identify business chains.

Table 1: Properties receiving SBBS relief in Clackmannanshire.

Year	100% SBBS	Other SBBS awards
2021	790	50
2022	800	50

Source: Non-Domestic Rates Relief Statistics 2022 tables 8b and 8c. In 2021 and 2022, ‘Other SBBS awards’ are usually, but not always, 25%.

Table 2: Properties receiving SBBS relief in Stirling.

Year	100% SBBS	Other SBBS awards
2021	2,940	170
2022	2,940	170

Source: Non-Domestic Rates Relief Statistics 2022 tables 8b and 8c. In 2021 and 2022, ‘Other SBBS awards’ are usually, but not always, 25%.

Properties which were in receipt of SBBS relief on 31 March 2023, and saw an increase in their net rates liability from the 1 April 2023, may be eligible for the Small Business Transitional Relief. This relief caps the maximum increase in the net rates liability relative to 31 March 2023 at £600 in 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-18623

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what provision it has made for providing free period products or helping to provide access to period products within funding allocated for international development programmes.

The Scottish Government has funded two successful international projects to help tackle global challenges around period dignity. Funding of £100,000 was provided to Water Aid Foundation to support women in Rwanda, and just under £13,000 was provided to a project through the Freedom From Fistula Foundation in Malawi.

These projects helped communities make and sell reusable period products and generate an income for community members. Funding was also used to donate free products to school pupils in these countries. Both projects were funded in collaboration with international development programmes and through the social justice budget.

Question reference: S6W-18577

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote population growth in Glasgow, and whether it has a target rate of population growth for the city relative to other cities in the UK of a similar size, such as Manchester.

The Scottish Government’s 2021 Population Strategy contains a focus on ensuring our population is sustainably distributed; however, it does not set explicit population targets.

A range of work is ongoing across government to achieve this, for example the National Planning Framework 4, which reflects the need for planning to identify the amount of land required for future homes and to enable more balanced demographic change.

Additionally, Scottish Government is a full partner in the Glasgow City Region Deal, which seeks to deliver key regeneration and development projects across employability and transport, with aims to boost to the city region's economy.

Question reference: S6W-18553

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the commissioning of research into the so-called Tinker Experiment.

The Scottish Government has committed to undertaking independent research to understand the impact of 20 th century policies on the Gypsy/Traveller community in Scotland. We developed specifications for two research projects to gather further information, with one focussing on archival analysis and the other on community engagement and lived experience. We successfully appointed an appropriate contractor to take forward the archival project, and are working to re-tender the community engagement and lived experience project as no compliant bids were received for this. We expect to receive initial findings from the research next year, at which point we will consider next steps and respond.

Question reference: S6W-18669

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review any of the statutory duties placed on local authorities by the Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with COSLA to agree a New Deal with Local Government in Scotland that promotes sustainability, empowerment and provides greater fiscal flexibility over local funding with clear accountability for delivery of shared priorities and outcomes.

As part of the New Deal, we are committed to concluding the Local Governance Review in this parliament, ensuring that decisions are taken as close as possible to those they affect the most is at the heart of our approach to public service reform in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18466

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the estimated number of people without immigration permission who have arrived irregularly in Scotland from outside the UK since 7 March 2023, and whether it will publish any such estimated figures.

Question reference: S6W-18613

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether regulations will be introduced, under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, to ban the use of remote-controlled collars that emit electric shocks to dogs.

Question reference: S6W-18960

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to establish a dedicated space to address the role of Scotland in empire, colonialism and slavery, as recommended by the Empire, Slavery & Scotland’s Museums steering group.

I am carefully considering the Scottish Government’s response to the steering group’s recommendations, including the one which focused on establishing a new organisation to create a dedicated space to address the legacy of colonialism in Scotland. This is an important agenda and we will continue to seek ways of raising awareness of the role Scotland played in slavery and empire and how our museums and galleries can play their part in that.

	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Incidents	112	98	94	120	139
Crimes	3	2	5	0	5
Recalls (Total)	141	145	125	115	123
Recalls (FSS Led)	17	8	3	4	11