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-04872

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the anticipated timescale is for the electrification of the Maryhill railway line in Glasgow.

Our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan requires a rolling programme of electrification to meet its target date of 2035. We continue to make good progress, including the current electrification work on the Barrhead and East Kilbride routes. Early development work for further routes is currently underway as part of our project pipeline approach and we will make further announcements on these at an appropriate stage of development.

Question reference: S6W-04802

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will publish its annual report on the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme for 2020-21.

Question reference: S6W-04810

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) target and (b) actual average timescale has been for assessing applications for grant assistance to deliver affordable housing above Affordable Housing Investment Benchmark level, in each quarter since Q1 2016.

The Scottish Government does not set a target timescale for assessing applications for grant assistance to deliver affordable housing above the applicable affordable housing investment benchmark level.

Using information from our Housing and Regeneration Programme system (HARP), we have compiled the following table showing the average calendar days from the initial tender application submission date to the actual tender approval date for those projects submitted at above benchmark level over the period Quarter 3 2017-18 to Quarter 2 2021-22. It should be noted, however, that while we encourage early engagement on likely project costs prior to tender applications being submitted, there can be instances where applications have missing information or require further, more detailed work by the grant applicant before they can be fully assessed.

Financial year quarter	Total projects approved above the applicable benchmark	Average time between the initial tender submission and the actual approval date
Financial year quarter	Total projects approved above the applicable benchmark	(calendar days)
2016-17 Q1	5	Data not available
2016-17 Q2	7	Data not available
2016-17 Q3	20	Data not available
2016-17 Q4	45	Data not available
2016-17 Total/ Average	77	Data not available
2017-18 Q1	16	Data not available
2017-18 Q2	14	Data not available
2017-18 Q3	14	22
2017-18 Q4	41	19
2017-18 Total/ Average	85	20
2018-19 Q1	10	41
2018-19 Q2	13	30
2018-19 Q3	22	33
2018-19 Q4	47	26
2018-19 Total/ Average	92	30
2019-20 Q1	19	31
2019-20 Q2	14	38
2019-20 Q3	35	25
2019-20 Q4	82	25
2019-20 Total/ Average	150	27
2020-21 Q1	9	19
2020-21 Q2	16	44
2020-21 Q3	17	27
2020-21 Q4	30	29
2020-21 Total/ Average	72	31
2021-22 Q1	12	21
2021-22 Q2	21	42
2021-22 Total/ Average	33	35

Data on tender submission dates from Quarter 1, 2016-17 to Quarter 2, 2017-18 is not available as this pre-dated our HARP system and the historic information was not migrated to HARP.

Question reference: S6W-04817

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Scotland have registered a donation decision with the NHS Organ Donor Register.

Question reference: S6W-04845

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking, in addition to encouraging natural ventilation, to make classrooms safer learning environments for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government Reducing Risks in Schools guidance contains a range of mitigations, such as use of face coverings, distancing requirements in schools and on school transport, and guidance for visitors and in-school events. This guidance is currently under active review, with input this week from the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group and the Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children's Issues . A new version will be published this week. The guidance will remain under regular review and, where the scientific advice supports it, mitigations will be enhanced or removed as appropriate.

Question reference: S6W-05251

Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-00555

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a timeframe for the implementation of the Scottish dog control database.

The Scottish Dog Control Database Order 2021 comes into force on 31 December 2021 and provides for the establishment of the database.

Technical development of the database will be complete by 31 December; January and the first half of February 2022 will involve security testing of the database, and for users of the database to receive training.

From mid-February 2022, it is planned the database will be available as a live operational database.

Question reference: S6W-05243

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the COVID-19 legislation in place.

Regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.5) Regulations 2021 amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (“the principal regulations”) and will take effect on 17 December 2021.

The Amendment Regulations expand the existing requirement in regulation 4 to have regard to guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers about measures to minimise risk of exposure to coronavirus. The new provision also requires the taking of such of the measures as are reasonably practicable.

These Regulations also extend the distance from 1 metre to 2 metres where an exemption from wearing a face covering applies in certain indoor settings. This includes in the workplace; when leading an act of worship; rehearsing or performing or in certain parts of a marriage ceremony.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2021/475

Question reference: S6W-04897

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33611 by Mairi Gougeon on 4 December 2020, whether it will provide the information for (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22 to date regarding the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953.

Information on the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 is provided in the following table.

Table 1. Offences of Protection of livestock from dogs, by local authority, 2012-13 to November 2021.

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	April-Nov 2021*
Aberdeen City	0	1	2	6	6	3	1	0	2	2
Aberdeenshire	24	9	10	15	16	21	20	14	11	6
Angus	3	1	2	6	1	2	2	0	1	6
Argyll & Bute	11	3	5	8	11	7	11	11	18	8
Clackmannanshire	1	2	0	4	2	2	0	0	2	2
Dumfries & Galloway	5	6	6	12	7	21	13	9	16	16
Dundee	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
East Ayrshire	1	2	1	8	3	9	5	6	3	5
East Dunbartonshire	1	3	0	4	0	3	1	1	2	0
East Lothian	0	3	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
East Renfrewshire	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	2	1	0
Edinburgh City	2	3	3	2	7	4	5	2	3	8
Falkirk	8	0	3	4	3	2	4	0	2	0
Fife	9	6	7	4	8	6	7	5	12	2
Glasgow City	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
Highland	15	10	15	23	23	20	19	14	16	8
Inverclyde	1	0	0	1	2	1	2	1	1	0
Midlothian	6	5	5	4	10	8	7	10	17	2
Moray	2	3	5	4	5	3	4	8	5	2
Na h-Eileanan Siar	7	3	8	5	8	6	7	1	3	3
North Ayrshire	1	2	3	4	0	2	3	3	7	2
North Lanarkshire	0	1	4	6	11	3	9	9	5	2
Orkney Islands	4	1	2	7	2	3	1	0	0	1
Perth & Kinross	2	2	3	7	14	11	6	7	6	3
Renfrewshire	2	1	0	4	4	2	2	1	0	1
Scottish Borders	4	8	10	7	7	4	8	19	13	9
Shetland Islands	2	0	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	1
South Ayrshire	0	3	0	1	1	3	2	3	5	1
South Lanarkshire	2	2	2	8	12	13	10	9	7	2
Stirling	8	8	8	7	8	4	12	7	3	8
West Dunbartonshire	1	3	1	2	1	1	1	2	0	1
West Lothian	3	7	2	7	2	4	4	7	2	2
Scotland	125	98	109	174	175	170	168	151	163	103

Note:

* Data for 2012-13 to 2020-21 inclusive is sourced from the annual Recorded Crime in Scotland National Statistics. Data for April to November 2021 does not cover a full year and is sourced from monthly Recorded Crime in Scotland Official Statistics, and is therefore not directly comparable. The full 2021-22 reporting year will be published in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-04798

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04433 by Graeme Dey on 30 November 2021, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether it has undertaken an assessment of introducing a specific scheme for island businesses that lose income as a result of ferry delays and cancellations, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

There are no plans for a compensation scheme to be offered to businesses due to travel disruption as a result of ferry delays and cancellations. Any such scheme would be extremely challenging and would ultimately draw resources otherwise intended for the operation of ferry services.

Scottish Ministers do fully recognise the importance of reliable ferry services to the economic, social and cultural development of island and remote mainland communities. We have committed to investing at least £580 million in ports and vessels over the next five years to improve resilience.

CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL), have operational responsibility to deliver the lifeline services and work throughout disruptions to find ways to continue the freight and passenger service to the communities. However, it is impossible to completely remove the risk of disruption due to either inclement weather or other reasons.

Transport Scotland continue to work with CalMac Ferries Ltd and engage with local stakeholders in order to ensure any disruption to services have minimum impact on communities, and assess all the options available to maximise available capacity across the CHFS network.