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-06624

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the last (a) regular Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare and (b) bilateral meeting between the Department for Work and Pensions and Scottish Ministers, took place.

Question reference: S6W-06719

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many restorative justice services there currently are, and where these are located.

This information is not held centrally. Where such services are currently available they are provided at a local level. As set out in the answer to S6W-06718 on 2 March 2022, we are working closely with stakeholders to deliver the Restorative Justice Action Plan, with the aim of making restorative justice services available across Scotland by 2023.

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

Question reference: S6W-06602

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the reported warnings of under-reporting of sexual crimes, and what action is being taken to address the reported barriers to reporting of such crimes.

The Scottish Government want all victims to have the confidence to report sexual crimes, including those that may have happened some time ago. A Scottish Government led Governance Group has now been established, comprising key stakeholder interests, to enable progress and detailed consideration of the recommendations within Lord Justice Clerk’s Review Group report on improving the management of sexual offence cases.

We remain absolutely committed to improving the justice system to respond better to the needs of survivors in Scotland and it is hoped that this work will go some way to addressing any barriers to reporting.

The creation of Police Scotland has transformed the way rape and other sexual crimes are investigated in Scotland allowing far greater consistency of approach, including the training of police officers and use of specialist officers.

The Scottish Government also recognises the key role that advocacy services play in helping victims come forward and engage with the justice process, like those provided by Rape Crisis Scotland, which is why we fully fund the RCS National Advocacy Project.

Question reference: S6W-06605

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported significant increase in sexual assault, rape and attempted rape crimes in the last ten years.

Violence against women and girls is a devastating violation of human rights and any increase in reports of these types of crimes is concerning.

The Scottish Government has taken robust action to help justice agencies tackle sexual offending by improving and making much clearer the operation of our sexual offence laws, providing the necessary funding to support law enforcement efforts to deal with sexual offending and encouraging more victims of recent and historical cases to come forward so that justice can be achieved.

Our Programme for Government committed to legislating for a statutory right to lifelong anonymity for complainers in sexual offence cases, and a Scottish Government led Governance Group has now been established, comprising key stakeholder interests, to enable progress and detailed consideration of the recommendations within Lord Justice Clerk’s Review Group report on improving the management of sexual offence cases.

Our £100 million three-year commitment to tackling violence against women and girls includes a new Delivering Equally Safe Fund which will direct £38 million to frontline services over the next two years.

Question reference: S6W-06561

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting times are for maxillofacial surgery in each NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-06475

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact new offshore installed power generation will have on the reported concerns regarding onshore landscape capacity.

Scottish Government is working with key stakeholders in the process to try and address challenges and ensure as far as possible that connections to the network do not act as a barrier to the delivery of our ambitious offshore wind aspirations.

Our draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) sets out how our approach to planning and development will achieve a net zero, sustainable Scotland by 2045. We are currently consulting on the draft NPF4 and following the consultation will present a final draft to parliament.

Any applications for consent for offshore and onshore energy infrastructure are considered by the relevant consenting authority, which can be the Scottish Ministers or the relevant local planning authority depending on the nature of the proposal, and determined in accordance with the applicable legal and policy considerations relevant to that particular proposal. This will include consideration of any landscape and visual effects arising from the proposal. Parties with an interest in such proposals, including members of the public, have opportunities to provide their views in relation to applications through the relevant applicable consenting process.

Question reference: S6W-06499

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent by each NHS board on external legal support in connection with cases of staff bullying, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-06497

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent by each NHS board on external legal support in connection with cases of unfair dismissal, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-06501

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent by each NHS board on external legal support in connection with cases of sexual harassment, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-06412

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to meet the timescales for the milestones set out on page 8 of the document, Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) - Planning Specification and Context Report, published in August 2021.

The Scottish Government published the next stage of the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) On 22 February 2022. This document reflects the results of the consultation that was held on the Planning Specification and Context Report last year and now describes the spatial parameters that will be used by Crown Estate Scotland to progress their related leasing round.

Given the proximity to ScotWind, the Initial Plan Framework and timelines were updated to account for the very significant and world leading results of the ScotWind process.