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-26645

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the oral evidence by representatives of the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 21 June 2023, what information it has on when the loan of £9 million from SNIB to Circularity Scotland was drawn down, including what sums were paid to Circularity Scotland by SNIB and on what dates, and whether it will publish any documents that it has on this matter, including any correspondence that it has had with SNIB regarding any such payments and the loan generally.

Question reference: S6W-26646

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the oral evidence by the Chair of the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 21 June 2023, in which he referred to SNIB's "notes" on its engagement with the UK Government on the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, whether it will publish any information that it has on these "notes", and whether it will publish any correspondence that it has had with the Scottish National Investment Bank on the Act.

Question reference: S6W-26643

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to sue the UK Government in respect of any losses that the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Scottish National Investment Bank incurs as a result of the Deposit Return Scheme not proceeding.

Question reference: S6W-26641

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the most recent estimate of the sum available to be distributed to creditors of Circularity Scotland from the liquidators, from the assets held at the time of the liquidation, which were reported to be £2.1 million, and what information it has received on the total level of fees and outlays (a) paid to date and (b) still to be paid to the liquidators.

Question reference: S6W-26644

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it stating that the UK Government is responsible for the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland not proceeding, which will reportedly result in an estimated loss of £9 million of public funding, whether, following the completion of the liquidation of Circularity Scotland, it will attempt to recover any such losses from the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-26642

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what security, guarantee or other assurance was provided to Biffa in relation to its obligations under the contract that it entered into with Circularity Scotland, and whether it will publish the full details of these, including any letters or other written documentation.

Question reference: S6O-03284

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider its decision to pause capital funding for NHS Highland in respect of completion of the refurbishment of Grantown Health Centre, in light of reports that these works were nearly completed and that the pause of the contract may lead to additional costs in excess of the notional sum saved.

Question reference: S6W-25625

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of emergency legislation to quash wrongful convictions in Scotland of sub-postmasters and mistresses that were based on evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system, and, if it is the case that it prefers an alternative approach, whether it will provide details of this.

Question reference: S6W-25626

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the potential issues arising from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system in Scotland, what its response is to the comments of former sheriff Kevin Drummond KC that an approach to resolving the potential issues “could be done tomorrow… by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Crown Prosecution Service bringing to their respective criminal appeal courts a list of convictions with case references and informing the court that investigations have revealed these convictions to be flawed and inviting the court to overturn the convictions”.

The Scottish Government is aware of this proposal. During the Lord Advocate’s statement to Parliament on 16 January 2024, I am aware there was discussion of this issue. The Lord Advocate explained that:

‘… It is misleading to suggest that I could simply attend the appeal court with a list of cases and tell the court of criminal appeal to quash the convictions. There is such a process but, for reasons of sound public policy and in recognition of the constitutional role of our court of appeal, prosecutors always have to be able to explain why they are no longer relying on a conviction. As I have explained, not every Horizon case will involve a miscarriage of justice. In some cases, there was sufficient evidence to support a criminal conviction. That is demonstrated by the material from England and Wales that shows that, of the cases that have been referred to the Court of Appeal in England, only some—not all—have resulted in a conviction being quashed because of a miscarriage of justice. Therefore, it is not as simple as my providing a list of convictions to be quashed.’

Question reference: S6W-25624

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it will ensure that all sub-postmasters and mistresses whose wrongful convictions in Scotland were based on evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system will be identified, and all such convictions quashed.

On 13 March 2024 the UK Government introduced the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill which, if passed, will automatically quash on coming into force any convictions which fall within the scope identified on the face of the Bill. Details of the UK Bill can be found on the UK Parliament website: Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

The Scottish Government believes that the best way to deliver a quick, fair and equal solution for all affected sub-postmasters is through a UK-wide Bill, and will continue to press the UK Government to deliver a solution that provides this.

We will introduce Scottish legislation if necessary, but any such legislation cannot be passed in the Scottish Parliament until after the UK Bill has been passed to ensure full compatibility with both the UK legislation, and the UK compensation scheme in which the Scottish Government has no locus.