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-02773

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the National Partnership for Culture has met, and when it will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-02748

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected cost is of the national marketing campaign to raise public awareness of the signs of drug overdose; how long it will run for; whether it is being targeted to particular locations, and how it is being funded.

The projected cost of the overall campaign is £800,000 which is being funded by the Scottish Government‘s ‘Reducing Drug Deaths’ budget. We are working in partnership with Scottish Drugs Forum to deliver the campaign which will run until mid-November 2021.

In addition to widening awareness of naloxone, one of the main objectives of the campaign is to ensure that the general public know that overdose deaths are preventable and to address stigmatising attitudes regarding the lives of people who use drugs. Stigmatising attitudes impact on people’s sense of self-worth and therefore the likelihood that people engage with treatment which is an evidenced protective factor against overdose deaths.

The campaign is national and every area in Scotland will have an access to multiple elements of the campaign resource. However, it was crucial that lower socio-economic areas, areas with high rates of drug deaths, were identified and particular parts of the campaign, such as bill-board or bus-stop adverts, were closely located to community pharmacies where naloxone would be available.

Question reference: S6W-02771

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Creative Scotland status review of cultural workforce and leadership development, as referred to in the 2020 Culture Strategy for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02992

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it (a) can take and (b) is taking to support the approval of further COVID-19 vaccines.

The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) investment in NHS Research Scotland (NRS) clinical research infrastructure is supporting NHS Health Board participation in a number of COVID-19 vaccine trials to provide data for regulatory submissions for approval for use.

The CSO, NRS and health boards work closely with the UK Vaccines Taskforce to bring a range of vaccine trials to Scotland.

Regulatory approval and licensing conditions for the use of COVID-19 vaccines is a statutory responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

More information about the trials being supported by NHS Research Scotland is available at: COVID-19 vaccine studies | NHS Research Scotland | NHS Research Scotland .

Question reference: S6W-02911

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government on which dates meetings have taken place between (a) cabinet secretaries, (b) ministers and (c) representatives of Scottish Enterprise and representatives of CalaChem in Grangemouth.

As no timeline has been specified by the member, information from 22 March 2021 to 22 September 2021 is provided. During this period, no meetings have taken place between Cabinet Secretaries or Ministers with representatives of CalaChem Ltd in Grangemouth. I last visited CalaChem as Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation on 5 November 2019. The Scottish Government does not hold the information on Scottish Enterprise meetings with CalaChem Ltd centrally. However, I have requested that Scottish Enterprise respond to the member directly with this information.

Question reference: S6W-02941

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many community centres there have been in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-02916

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19003 by Jeane Freeman on 11 October 2018, by what date it will publish the national falls and fracture prevention strategy.

The consultation on the draft National Falls and Fractures Strategy closed on 30 September 2019. Analysis of the responses highlighted a disparate range of views, expectations and desired outcomes from a strategy including feedback that a separate strategy may not be the best mechanism to achieve improvement in this area.

The review of the strategy was subsequently delayed due to the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. Taking into account the changed landscape, officials are currently considering the comments received, including how and where they align with the shared ambitions for our new health and social care strategy for older people.

Question reference: S6W-02745

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Programme for Government for 2021-22, whether it can provide details regarding the Just Transition Commission's (a) chair, (b) membership and (c) remit in the new parliamentary session.

We announced the launch of the new Just Transition Commission and confirmed Professor Jim Skea as returning Chair on 15 September. Further announcements on the wider membership will be made in due course.

Our response to the previous Just Transition Commission’s report was published alongside Programme for Government and set out our ambitious agenda to achieve a fairer, greener future for all. We are determined to get this right for the people of Scotland, bringing all affected communities with us while learning from unjust transitions in our recent history.

The previous Commission called on the Scottish Government to pursue an orderly, managed transition through the creation of Just Transition Plans for high-emitting industries. In our response, we set out our approach to just transition planning across the Scottish economy and I want the new Commission to play a crucial role in this.

Our new Commission will be delivery focused. It will support (and scrutinise) the production and delivery of Scottish Government-led transition plans.

Specifically, the Commission will be tasked with:

Providing scrutiny and advice on the ongoing development of Scotland’s Just Transition Plans, including the application of the planning framework, as they are developed;
Advising on the most suitable approaches to monitoring and evaluation;
Supporting the Scottish Government’s ambition to be a leader in the international community and to take decisions informed by international best practice;
Meaningful engagement with those most likely to be impacted by the transition; hearing from a broad range of representative voices to help shape just transition planning in Scotland;
Publishing an annual report to reflect on Scotland’s progress.

Question reference: S6W-03203

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-00764

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government by what date secure COVID-19 vaccination status documents will be ready for use by people travelling from Scotland to Norway.