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-00296

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support social housing providers in the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S6O-00299

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the new medical centre for Lochgelly.

Question reference: S6W-03543

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of teachers returning a positive COVID-19 PCR test there have been in each month since August 2021.

Since the start of the outbreak, Public Health Scotland (PHS) has been working closely with the Scottish Government and health and care colleagues to support the surveillance and monitoring of COVID-19 amongst the population. There is a large amount of data being regularly published regarding COVID-19. For example, the COVID-19 Education Surveillance dashboard is updated daily and published by Public Health Scotland. COVID-19 PCR test results in educational populations and settings are not broken down individually but are included as part of the wider community-wide surveillance in the PHS COVID-19 dashboard .

We are also reassured by PHS analysis on the risks to teachers when compared to similar working age adults. Analysis published in the BMJ shows that neither teachers, nor their household members, were at increased risk of hospital admission with COVID-19 when compared to similar working age adults from March 2020 to July 2021.

Question reference: S6W-03527

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to the nature, extent and practical functioning of a public interest test with regard to transfers of land in Scotland.

We consider that as part of a package of measures in the forthcoming Land Reform Bill, a public interest test could potentially make a significant contribution to our longstanding land reform objectives by stimulating a more productive, diverse and dynamic pattern of land use.

The test will aim to ensure that the public interest is considered on transfers of particularly large scale land holdings, and we will aim to introduce a pre-emption in favour of community buy-out where the public interest test applies, and where it is appropriate to do so. We intend that the public interest test will help address the issues associated with concentrated land ownership.

It will comply with both the European Convention on Human Rights, including the right to private property, and the terms of the current devolution settlement. This reflects the principled position of the SG, and our explicit commitment to respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights for every member of society. It will also complement existing Community Right to Buy legislation.

We will be undertaking a wide-ranging public consultation on proposals for the Bill in 2022, including the public interest test, and we are committed to engaging with all stakeholders to develop policy and legislative solutions to progress our proposals.

Question reference: S6W-03211

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the country’s grouse moors, and, in light of the recent report published by the University of Northampton, Sustainable Grouse Shooting?, which stated that “It is unlikely that the alternative uses [to grouse shooting] that are proposed by some groups for the moorlands would deliver the same positive economic impacts, at least for a number of generations”, what analysis it has carried out of the economic impact of these moors.

As we stated when we published our response to the independent Grouse Moor Management Group report (the ‘Werritty Review’) in November 2020 we recognise the important contribution grouse shooting makes to the rural economy.

Alongside the Werritty review, the Scottish Government commissioned Scotland’s Rural College and the James Hutton Institute to undertake extensive research into the biodiversity and economic Impacts of grouse moors to address some of the knowledge gaps regarding Scottish driven grouse moor management.

The research was carried out in two phases and the reports, which were published in 2019 and 2020 can found on the Scottish Government website at Socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors in Scotland | SEFARI

and

Phase 2 Grouse Research - Socioeconomic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moors and the employment rights of gamekeepers | SEFARI

The findings of this research, alongside other available evidence were taken into account when we developed our response to the Werritty review.

Question reference: S6W-02961

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for cleft pallet surgery for babies in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-03489

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) shortest, (b) median and (c) longest waiting time has been for a toxicology report to be completed in each of the last 10 years.

An analysis of the obtained from the two toxicology providers in Scotland – NHS Grampian which provides approximately 10% of the analysis capability and Glasgow University which provides the rest – is set out in the tables below.

It should be noted however that the extent of toxicological analysis required will depend on the individual circumstances of each case and the extent and nature of substances that are found. Factors such as the need to research the effects of unusual drugs or instruct separate analysis for insulin quantification will result in toxicological reports taking longer to be finalised.

Additionally, in determining the final cause of death, completion of the toxicological report is only one part of a process which involves a number of separate organisations before a final post mortem report can be issued.

Depending on the circumstances surrounding a death, the pathologist(s) may require a number of further investigations to be completed – including further toxicological analysis as well as input from other experts in the fields of neuropathology or histopathology for example – and the findings of all those enquiries must then be carefully considered by COPFS before a cause of death is confirmed.

GU TOXICOLOGY TURNAROUND TIMES

Year	Number of Cases Received	Shortest Reporting Time (Days)	Longest Reporting Time (Including Resubmissions) (Days)	Longest Reporting Time (Excluding Resubmissions) (Days)	Mean (Days)	Median (Days)	Mode (Days)
2012	1678	6	182	115	26.33	26	28
2013	2563	7	240	240	27.12	27	28
2014	2990	8	244	244	27.36	27	28
2015	3180	13	298	98	27.92	27	28
2016	3367	8	366	109	28.99	28	28
2017	3414	12	359	126	31.12	28	28
2018	3714	9	355	154	39.74	41	42
2019	3845	9	337	254	134.20	118	203
2020	3600	8	315	238	112.90	112	105
2021 (to 15th)	2989	5	175	99	42.56	42	41

NHS GRAMPIAN TOXICOLOGY TURNAROUND TIMES

Year	Number of Cases Received	Maximum Turnaround Time (Days)	Average Turnaround Time (Days)	Median Turnaround Time (Days)
2012	439	101	6	6
2013	522	61	6	5
2014	558	103	7	5
2015	568	260	9	7
2016	525	91	8	7
2017	461	76	10	7
2018	502	172	15	13
2019	490	62	13	11
2020	552	168	14	12
2021	385	103	13	12

Question reference: S6W-03525

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what legislation it plans to introduce to (a) tackle the concentration of land ownership in Scotland and (b) promote the use of land in the interests of (i) local communities and (ii) the natural environment; what the timescales are for any (A) such legislation and (B) other measures on these issues, and when any consultations are expected to be undertaken.

We have an ongoing and unwavering commitment to land reform, and to tackling the issues associated with the scale and concentration of land ownership. We will be introducing a new Land Reform Bill by the end of 2023, which will aim to ensure that the public interest is considered on transfers of particularly large scale land holdings. We also aim to introduce a pre-emption in favour of community buy-out where the public interest test applies, and where it is appropriate to do so.

In addition we are committed to doubling the funding available for communities to buy land and land assets through the Scottish Land Fund, to £20 million, by the end of this Parliament.

We will be undertaking a wide-ranging public consultation on proposals for the Bill in 2022, and we are committed to engaging with all stakeholders to develop policy and legislative solutions to progress our proposals.

Question reference: S6W-03402

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to carry out immediate research to understand the full risks to birds and fish of over-the-counter medicines entering into waterways.

EU-wide research on the environmental risk posed by chemical substances informs the development of environmental quality standards These standards consider not only risks to animals, including fish, and plants that are exposed to these substances in water, but also risks to predatory animals like birds from the consumption of contaminated prey, so that the overall environmental quality standard is protective of all. The EU is currently developing new environmental quality standards for a number of contaminants of emerging concern, including certain pharmaceuticals.

The Scottish Government has made clear its commitment to maintain or exceed environmental standards in place upon EU exit, and to maintain alignment with developing EU standards, as far as possible.

The Scottish Government directs the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to use environmental quality standards to monitor and assess the water environment through River Basin Management Planning.

Question reference: S6W-03407

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to assess any damage that chemical pollutants have caused in waterways and rivers.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for assessing the impacts of chemical pollutants on the water environment under River Basin Management Planning, which began in 2009.

Along with a wide range of other water quality parameters, the Scottish Government directs SEPA to assess the impacts of priority substances (chemicals which have been identified as a significant risk to water quality and wildlife) through its comprehensive monitoring programme of the water environment. Environmental quality standards, which protect the water environment and wildlife, are used by SEPA to assess any damage that chemical pollutants have caused in waterways and rivers.