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-05494

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it cost to produce the Zero Waste Scotland report, How should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?, which was published on 25 October 2021.

Question reference: S6W-05664

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish monitoring data on the Scotspirit Holiday Voucher Scheme.

This information is not currently available. Our Charity partners were given a deadline of 17 January to return their reports on ScotSpirit Activity processed up until the end of the year (2021). We are still waiting for a few partners to return their data and this is being actively followed up.

I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib 63108)

Question reference: S6W-05492

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Zero Waste Scotland engaged with the British Metals Recycling Association while producing its report, How should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?, and, if not, for what reason such engagement did not take place.

Question reference: S6W-05651

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04188 by Maree Todd on 16 November 2021, whether sportscotland has allocated funding to support the development of a tennis centre at Park of Keir for financial year 2022-23.

sport scotland has made a provisional allocation of up to £5m in its forward budgeting for the development of a potential tennis facility at Park of Keir, consisting of a mix of Scottish Government and National Lottery funding.

However, at this stage, a full application for a tennis facility at Park of Keir has not been received. Any decision on whether to make a capital award and the appropriate level of any award will only be taken on completion of a full application by the applicant and following a sport scotland assessment process. This assessment process would consider among other issues the strategic need and demand for a facility, the impact it will have on sport and physical activity and whether the project is financially viable in capital and revenue terms.

Question reference: S6W-05493

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported calls from the British Metals Recycling Association to withdraw the Zero Waste Scotland report, How should Scotland Manage its Scrap Steel?, over serious concerns about its accuracy.

ZWS is a company limited by guarantee that is independent from the Scottish Government and it is for Zero Waste Scotland to respond to calls about its reports. Zero Waste Scotland has advised us that the analysis is based on UK-wide data, which is the best and only data set currently available relating to scrap steel management in Scotland, scaled to allow for different scenarios to be modelled and compared within a Scottish context.

Question reference: S6W-05621

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether IVF treatment for unvaccinated women is being deferred due to the risks of contracting COVID-19 during pregnancy, and whether it will lift the age cap for women whose IVF treatment was disrupted due to the pandemic.

The recommendation that fertility treatment for unvaccinated patients be deferred at the current time was made on the grounds of safety. There is robust published evidence of increased risks of morbidity, risk of severe illness and poorer outcomes from COVID-19 for unvaccinated pregnant women and their babies (including preterm birth and stillbirth), increasing virus incidence and uncertainties about the Omicron variant on pregnant women. The lead Clinicians in the NHS Assisted Conception Units in Scotland had also raised their concerns.

All patients currently having treatment temporarily deferred will have the deferral time added back on to their treatment journey to ensure that no patient loses out on treatment. We recognise this is particularly important for women who are approaching the upper end of the age limit for IVF treatment.

With the exception of a short period of time at the beginning of the pandemic when, on the instruction of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA - the UK fertility regulator), fertility treatment was ‘paused’ in all NHS and private facilities across the UK as a precautionary measure, all four NHS Assisted Conception Units in Scotland have remained open throughout the pandemic. All patients on the waiting list while treatment was paused had an additional 6 months added to their treatment journey. This ensured that women close to the upper age limit for NHS IVF treatment were not disadvantaged.

Question reference: S6O-00659

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Wholesale Food and Drink Resilience Fund.

The First Minister announced on 17 December that funding will be made available to businesses in the food and drink chain supply chain, including food and drink wholesalers, who were affected by hospitality cancellations as a result of the additional public health measures introduced in December.

We are in the process of developing funding criteria and guidance in collaboration with the Scottish Wholesale Association, and we will ensure this information is publicised widely as soon as we can so that businesses can consider whether they may be eligible to apply.

Question reference: S6O-00658

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to ensure that islanders are represented on the boards of David MacBrayne Ltd, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and CalMac Ferries Ltd.

As Alasdair Allan is aware, since becoming Transport Minister, I have been determined to ensure the views, knowledge and experience of island residents informs the delivery of ferry and other relevant transport services. I am clear that I would very much favour an island-based presence on the boards of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd and David MacBrayne Ltd. I understand the disappointment that the most recent round of appointments did not address such concerns therefore I have tasked the new Chair of the David MacBrayne board with exploring how we might achieve this, as one of his first priorities.

Question reference: S6O-00677

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils in East Kilbride will be included in the roll-out of free school breakfasts and the expansion of free school lunches.

Question reference: S6O-00663

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Sentencing Council’s Sentencing Young People guideline, which is due to come into force on 26 January 2022.