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-00167

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, following the mass disruption in George Square on 15 May 2021, what support is available to businesses who were advised to close due to concerns for their welfare.

Operational policing decisions are matters for the Chief Constable, however Police Scotland confirmed that dialogue was maintained with business premises in the relevant locations contacted prior to 15 May 2021 where details of any threats, risks or potential harm were shared with business owners and operators. The decisions were then made by those businesses as to whether or not they remained open.

The Scottish Government worked closely with Rangers Football Club, Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council to prepare and provide appropriate communications and support ahead of the proposed march by Rangers supporters following the football club’s Scottish Premiership title win.

Question reference: S6W-00175

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 11 February 2021 from the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy to the Finance and Constitution Committee, whether it will provide a breakdown of the commercial fees (a) received and (b) it expects to receive in future, and the dates and value of these fees.

Question reference: S6W-00172

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the milestone payment scheduled for March 2021 was delivered by the GRG Alliance to the Scottish Government-controlled project account, as reported to the Finance and Constitution Committee by the Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy in a letter of 11 February 2021; how much the payment was scheduled to be worth, and whether this was met in full.

Milestone payments are inter-company payments related to planned investment at the Lochaber smelter and are not payments due to the Scottish Government. No payments due from GFG Alliance companies to the Scottish Government are outstanding. For reasons of commercial confidentiality, we do not publish details of compliance with commercial contractual terms although such information may be shared in confidence with the Finance and Constitution Committee where appropriate.

Question reference: S6W-00173

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what due diligence it undertook prior to agreeing (a) the initial Lochaber Contingent Liability with the GFG Alliance and (b) the revised business plan.

Question reference: S6W-00174

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will immediately conduct a review of its agreements, documentation and contacts with the GFG Alliance in light of reports that the Serious Fraud Office has initiated an investigation into the GFG Alliance.

Question reference: S6W-00242

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure the full recovery of mental health services following the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 8 October, we published Scotland’s Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan . The plan commits to developing a renewal programme for mental health services, to support Covid-19 recovery. This includes a tailored programme of enhanced improvement support for those NHS Boards with the longest waits to address backlogs and recover Mental Health performance over 2021-22.

The plan is backed by a £120 million Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund, which takes our total spend on mental health in 2021-22 in excess of £1.2 billion. It will prioritise our ongoing work to improve specialist CAMHS services, address long waiting times, and clear waiting list backlogs.

Question reference: S6W-00068

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with Police Scotland and Rangers FC prior to 15 May 2021 regarding potential concerns in relation to the mass gathering of football fans.

Question reference: S6W-00100

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to replace the passenger footbridge at Kirkconnel Railway Station to improve platform access for disabled people.

Accessibility is a reserved matter under the Devolution Settlement and for rail accessibility there is a DfT-sponsored fund, Access for All, that enables eligible projects to be supported. Unfortunately, Kirkconnel did not fulfil the criteria for funding under that programme. Accordingly, an application was made by SWestrans to the Scottish Government’s Local Rail Development Fund to assess the need for the bridge.

The application was successful and £30,000 was allocated for a study. SWestrans subsequently began engagement with the local community and disability representatives which was then unfortunately paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions. Transport Scotland is keen SWestrans continues to make progress with this project and will work with SWestrans to provide any assistance if required.

Question reference: S6W-00070

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many arrests were made by Police Scotland following the behaviour of some Rangers football fans on 15 May 2021 in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-00069

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps were taken by Police Scotland and others prior to the Rangers football fans gatherings on 15 May 2021 to avoid such large events.

The Scottish Government worked closely with Rangers Football Club, Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council to prepare and provide appropriate communications and support the policing plan informed by the events of 6 and 7 March when Rangers FC were confirmed as champions and cognisant of the significant occasion for the club.

Operational policing decisions are matters for the Chief Constable, however Police Scotland confirmed that an appropriate policing plan was in place to maintain public safety and minimise any disruption to the community.