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-34081

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what outcomes were achieved from the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy’s meetings with German energy companies during her recent trip to Berlin.

Question reference: S6W-34078

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is considering to align public energy policy with the reported findings of the True North survey on domestic energy production and import dependence.

Question reference: S6W-34120

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many surgeries have been delayed due to the presence of so-called medical boarders in surgical wards in each year since 2018, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-34107

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual cost is of maintaining cat’s eyes on (a) the A90 in the (i) section north of Dundee and (ii) other sections and (b) other trunk roads.

Maintenance/replacement costs for road studs on the A90 from August 2022 can be seen in table A.

Table A

Route	2022-23 (16th August onwards	2023-2024	2024-25
A90 North of Dundee	£48,069	£85,721	£29,746
A90 South of Dundee	£19,696	£14,240	£7,053

The above figures exclude expenditure on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route / Balmedie to Tipperty section of the A90. The contract with the DBFO Company, Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL) requires it to fulfil the contractual obligations in respect of maintenance at ARL’s own cost. These associated costs are not shared with Transport Scotland.

The total cost of road stud maintenance/replacement for all trunk roads within the North East Unit (including the A90 but excluding the AWPR/B-T Project) from August 2022 is as follows:

Table B

Unit	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25
NE	£109,906	£171,719	£316,325

Question reference: S6W-34493

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the size is of Scottish Water’s financial reserve.

Cash balances are published in Scottish Water’s annual and interim accounts which are laid before Parliament. The latest figure is available in Scottish Water’s interim report and accounts for 2024-25, published on 18 December 2024 and available at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports/Interim-Reports/SCW2701-Interim-report-2024-NOT-SIGNED.pdf.

Question reference: S6W-34494

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much Scottish Water has paid in debt interest in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-34379

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Railway Guardian app is contributing to increasing travel by rail in Scotland and, if so, how, and how any impact is being evidenced.

Question reference: S6W-34377

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether Railway Guardian app users in Scotland can be identified by protected characteristics such as sex, race and age.

Question reference: S6W-34378

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what concerns have been reported by women and girls in Scotland through the Railway Guardian app in the last year.

Question reference: S6W-34375

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current uptake in Scotland is of the Railway Guardian app, and how it is being publicised (a) in general and (b) on the ScotRail network.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

The British Transport Police managed the Railway Guardian app, which was closed in January 2025.

We understand that British Transport Police will now focus on its text 61016 service, which is now free on major phone networks and the easiest way to report non-urgent crime to BTP.

The British Transport Police is reserved to the UK Government.