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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 48919 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-07816

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated through the Marine Fund Scotland in each year since its creation.

Question reference: S6W-07815

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many tonnes of Scotland-produced malting barley have been used in the production of whisky in Scotland in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-07569

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the current overall level of financial investment from China in Scotland.

Information on the value of Chinese inward investments into Scotland can be found in the publicly available report Businesses in Scotland, which shows that there are currently 20 Chinese owned businesses in Scotland, with an estimated employment of 3,910 and a turnover of £1.33 billion. The Scottish Government does not disaggregate data based on the type of investment.

Scottish Government works with its enterprise agencies to ensure robust due diligence and proper consideration of human rights is undertaken on inward investments from China as well as from any other country. Additional safeguards are provided by the National Security and Investment Act 2021, which protects against acquisitions within sensitive areas of the economy that could cause harm to the UK’s national security.

Question reference: S6W-08172

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Keith Brown on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a full response to the report by the Working Group on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-07878

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its seafood strategy.

Question reference: S6W-07867

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with (a) Food Standards Scotland and (b) local authorities to ensure that bakery businesses established during the COVID-19 pandemic and run from domestic premises fully comply with health and safety regulations, and what action it can take to ensure that registered and approved bakery businesses with formal premises do not experience any detriment, compared with similar businesses run from homes, for complying with all rules and regulations relating to the preparation and sale of food.

All food businesses are required to comply with the relevant requirements of food law. This includes the requirement to register as a food business with their Local Authority Environmental Health team, to comply with food safety and compositional requirements as well as food labelling requirements where applicable. This applies to food businesses that are operated out of commercial premises as well as those operated from domestic premises. A range of enforcement options are available to officers to ensure compliance.

In response to the pandemic and the resulting impact on the inspection regime, FSS & LA’s have worked in partnership to create a Recovery Plan. This adopts a risk based approach to inspections and prioritises the inspection of high risk businesses and unrated new businesses.

FSS has published a new online resource to support new and prospective businesses. The tool is designed to aid food businesses owners understand their responsibilities, including to first and foremost register with their authority.

Anyone with concerns that a business is operating in breach of the requirements is encouraged to report the matter to their Local Authority Environmental Health team.

Question reference: S6W-07872

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its Blue Economy Vision for Scotland, when it plans to publish the blue economy action plan.

Question reference: S6W-07767

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of Scotland’s foreign direct investment in China since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Question reference: S6O-01017

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that anyone living with MS has access to a specialist nurse in their NHS board area.

Question reference: S6O-01021

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan have arrived in Scotland since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.