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-12715

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when Public Health Scotland will next publish data on the prevalence rate for problematic drug use in Scotland, and what years this data will cover.

Public Health Scotland is working with partners to develop and publish data on the prevalence rate for problematic drug use in Scotland. The next publication will include an estimate of the number of people with problematic opioid use during 2018-19 and this will be published by the end of 2023.

The most recent figures on the prevalence rate for problematic drug use in Scotland were published in 2018 and covered 2015-16.

Question reference: S6W-12929

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much turnover has been generated by ecommerce businesses in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Data is not collected in this way, because many firms engaged in e-commerce are likely to also be trading in other ways. However, the Digital Economy Business Surveys (DEBS) carried out in 2017 and 2021 offers some insight. These surveys contain estimates of the proportion of total business sales were made via e-commerce in the previous 12 months.

Proportion sales made via e-commerce by Scottish Businesses, % (not including sole traders)

	2017	2021
100%	1	4
80 - 99%	4	5
60 - 79%	3	3
40 - 59%	3	4
20 - 39%	4	5
Less than 20%	15	13
Any sales via e-commerce	30	35
None	66	61
Don't know	4	4
Base	3,258	3,346
Source: Digital Economy Business Survey, 2017 & 2021 DEBS has been carried out approximately every three years since 2014. Note that sole traders were not included in these surveys.

Question reference: S6W-12928

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many ecommerce businesses have been founded in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Data is not collected in this way, because many firms engaged in e-commerce are likely to also be trading in other ways. However, in 2021, 35% of businesses in Scotland made sales via e-commerce, compared to 30% in 2017. (Source: Digital Economy Business Surveys (DEBS); 2017 and 2021. DEBS has been carried out approximately every three years since 2014. Note that sole traders were not included in these surveys.)

Question reference: S6W-12855

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that it has not yet appointed a Women’s Health Champion, despite a plan earlier in 2022 to appoint one “this summer”, what process was followed for the recruitment and appointment; how many prospective candidates were approached, and whether any candidates turned the opportunity down.

Question reference: S6W-12830

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether only local authority staff will potentially be transferred to the National Care Service, and not NHS staff, and, if so, what the reasons are for this.

Question reference: S6W-12825

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the value of any liabilities, including pensions, to be of any staff transferred to the National Care Service.

Question reference: S6W-12843

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Anne’s Law will be included in legislation related to the National Care Service.

Question reference: S6W-12639

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11868 by Patrick Harvie on 17 November 2022, whether it will define which sources of bioenergy it considers “sustainable” in relation to alternative technologies to air source heat pumps.

In relation to question S6W-11868, the reference to bioenergy from sustainable sources refers to the sustainability of the biomass feedstock. The technology itself does not indicate sustainability but rather it is the feedstock which needs to meet sustainability criteria. The Scottish Government wishes to continue to align with EU standards and sustainability criteria as set out in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). Any biomass used for energy should meet both the land and greenhouse gas criteria as a minimum to be considered as sustainable.

Scottish Government officials have formed a Bioenergy Policy Working Group which is considering how to ensure our bioenergy policy continues to be compatible with wider sustainable land use policy including the delivery of environmental goals and recognising public attitudes to land use change.

Question reference: S6W-12716

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals Police Scotland have administered naloxone to, and how many of these individuals were referred to drug treatment services, in each month since the roll-out of naloxone to Police Scotland officers.

The national roll out of the Police Scotland Naloxone Programme has been delivered in 2 stages. The first stage was a test of change (pilot), covering the period 01-03-2021 to 31-10-2021. The second stage covers the period from the completion of pilot up to the point where the most recent data is available, 02-12-2022. The number of administrations per month, in each stage of the roll out, is provided below.

Test of Change period (01-03-2021 – 31-10-2021) – Total of 51 administrations

March – 2

April - 5

May - 5

June – 10

July - 8

August - 7

September - 6

October – 8

Start of roll-out (01-11-2021 – 02-12-2022) – Total of 44 administrations

November - 3

December - 2

January - 5

February - 4

March - 1

April - 3

May - 2

June - 4

July - 5

August - 2

September - 4

October - 3

November - 4

December – 2 (up till 2-12-2022)

Casualties at each incident are sign posted to drug and addiction services within their area by officers on scene. The details are recorded on the Vulnerable Persons Database, the details of which can be shared with partner agencies to assist the individual.

Question reference: S6W-12836

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its preferred (a) geographical and (b) membership makeup of care boards in the National Care Service would be.