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: S6O-01244

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is strengthening transport links to rural areas.

Question reference: S6O-01246

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-01241

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards its commitment to deliver a free laptop or tablet to every school child in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01242

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of officers and staff within Police Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01245

Asked by: Jim Fairlie, MSP for Perthshire South and Kinross-shire, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the continued use of Asulox for bracken control.

Question reference: S6O-01243

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the support capacity of Home Energy Scotland was before this was increased by 12,000 households.

Question reference: S6O-01240

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of the missions of the Scottish National Investment Bank.

Question reference: S6O-01239

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in encouraging employers to pay the real Living Wage.

Question reference: S6W-08804

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its policy on the control of woodland removal.

The current provisions for felling permissions are set out in the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 and associated regulations, last updated in 2021.

Felling trees for the purposes of carrying out development, authorised by planning authorities, is exempt from the requirement for a Felling Permission. Here the Scottish Government’s Control of Woodland Removal Policy applies.

This policy includes a presumption in favour of protecting woodland. Removal should only be permitted where it would achieve significant and clearly defined additional public benefits. Where woodland is removed in association with development, developers will generally be expected to provide compensatory planting. The Scottish Government has no imminent plans to review its policy on the control of woodland removal.

Question reference: S6W-08824

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08058 by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2022, in light of its Landings Obligation Guidance 2022 requiring that any such fish discarded under exemptions be recorded and reported, for what reason the total quantity of discards from vessels is not currently estimated or known.

The answer to question S6W-08058 set out the process whereby Marine Scotland Scientists produce estimates of unwanted catch calculated from information collected by scientific observers on board vessels to contribute to the fish stock assessment process run by ICES. Historically it was assumed this unwanted catch was discarded. With the introduction of the landing obligation, the majority of catch should now be landed, unless the fish are non-quota species or subject to a permitted exemption. In addition fish under the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) cannot be sold for human consumption. The scientific observers do not try to differentiate between these different portions of catch, and instead group them together into a single category, called unwanted catch.

In terms of actual quantities of discards, under Article 15 of the retained Common Fisheries Policy (1380/2013) vessels are obliged to record both fish that has been discarded under a permitted exemption and fish below MCRS that is landed. Information on recorded levels of discards under permitted exemptions is provided in response to question S6W-08825 on 8 June 2022.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers