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-06752

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it undertakes of vandalism of public toilet facilities and the impact that vandalism has on the availability of toilet facilities in local communities.

Question reference: S6W-06721

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason glass has been included in its Deposit Return Scheme.

Including glass in our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will bring significant environmental and economic benefits. The inclusion of glass will save over 1.2 megatonnes CO 2 equivalent over 25 years. DRS will also reduce the amount of harmful glass litter in our environment.

In addition, DRS will significantly increase the quantity and quality of glass recyclate, creating an aggregated and high-quality feedstock for reprocessing. This will include clear glass which we understand to be in high demand.

Question reference: S6W-06723

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of the use of snares, which was due by the end of 2021.

Question reference: S6W-06305

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its latest review into snaring, which, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, was due to be completed by December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-06386

Asked by: Siobhian Brown, MSP for Ayr, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for a replacement scheme for Erasmus, following the UK's exit from the EU.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of educational mobility. While we remain committed to Erasmus plus, in the interim we are creating a Scottish Education Exchange Programme to support participants from across Scotland’s education system.

This is a Programme for Government commitment and will help maintain Scotland’s place as an outward looking, internationally connected destination for work and study.

Question reference: S6W-06141

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to support trans young people to update their Young Scot National Entitlement Card (NEC), if their name differs from other identification documents that they hold.

Question reference: S6W-06249

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether families with two working parents should be prioritised for nursery placements under the 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare scheme.

All three and four year olds and around a quarter of two year olds in Scotland have a statutory entitlement to up to 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare a year. Our funded ELC offer is the most generous across the United Kingdom.

Unlike the UK Government’s funded ELC offer for England which prioritises children with two working parents, our aim in Scotland is to ensure that every child benefits from high quality early learning and childcare. Regardless of their parent or carer’s working status, all children have a right to play, to learn and to access experiences that meet their physical, social, emotional and cultural needs; and a right to associate with their peers.

Question reference: S6W-06251

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm if it is the case that data on teacher absence due to COVID-19 has not been collected after April 2021, and, if it is the case, for what reason.

Data on teacher absence due to Covid-19 has been collected since September 2020 and is still being collected and published on a weekly basis.

Data for the 2020-21 academic year can be found at this link in the 'School staff absence' tab: COVID19 - Schools and Childcare Information 2021 | Tableau Public

Data for the 2021-22 academic year can be found at this link in the 'School staff absence' tab: COVID19 - Schools and Childcare Information August 2021 | Tableau Public

Question reference: S6W-06232

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05683 by Jenny Gilruth on 31 January 2022, whether it will consider the Dutch Road Noise Mitigation Program and associated legislation in 2012 as a benchmark in its development of noise barriers along trunk roads in urban areas in Scotland.

In 2006 the Scottish Government transposed the European Union's Environmental Noise Directive (END) for managing noise pollution into Scots law via the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006. European countries follow a generally consistent approach to noise mapping and action planning, for example the prioritisation process developed for Scotland’s noise action plans is based on a prioritisation process which aligns closely with the Dutch Road Noise Mitigation Programme.

In preparation for the next round of noise mapping, and to ensure noise mitigation best practice and associated legislation is fully considered, the Scottish Government has convened the Scottish Environmental Noise Steering Group (SENSG). This includes representation from key stakeholders and provides a forum to steer the production of Scotland’s strategic noise maps and associated Action Plans, including the prioritisation of control measures such as any that may be required on the trunk road network.

Question reference: S6W-06268

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether young people who have received an email confirmation that they will receive a travel card for free bus travel, but have not received it, are able to claim back their bus travel costs between 1 February 2022 and the date on which they received their card, and if this is the case, what the process is for them to do so.