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-26219

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 15 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on alcohol (a) consumption, (b) hospitalisations and (c) deaths in Scotland.

Public Health Scotland published a summary of evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol consumption and harm in Scotland and England looking at data up to around 2021. This found that, overall, alcohol consumption decreased following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, changes in drinking behaviours were polarised with some increasing their alcohol consumption and others decreasing . This was associated with drinking behaviour before the pandemic: those who increased their alcohol consumption tended to drink more before the pandemic, and those who decreased consumption tended to drink less. Over the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol-related hospitalisations decreased, and alcohol-related deaths increased – potentially due to changing patterns of consumption and to the decrease in access to services over the pandemic.

More recent data shows that:

For all adults, prevalence of hazardous or harmful drinking has generally decreased over time, with levels dropping from 34% in 2003 to 22% in 2022.
In 2022/23, there were 31,206 alcohol-related hospital admissions (stays) in Scotland, a decrease of 11% since 2021/22.
In 2022, 1,276 people in Scotland died from alcohol-specific causes, a 2% increase from 2021 and the highest number of annual deaths recorded since 2008

It is not possible to know the extent to which these trends are attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, increases in alcohol-specific mortality since 2019 are observed across many other countries including all 4 nations of the UK, other European countries, the US and Canada. It is widely observed, including by The Office for National Statistics, that these rises are likely in part to be the result of increased alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public Health Scotland’s evaluation has found that the evidence points to minimum unit price having a positive impact on health outcomes. It is estimated to have cut alcohol consumption, alcohol-attributable deaths and likely to have reduced hospital admissions during the study period.

Question reference: S6W-26501

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect people and properties, in light of SEPA's recently reported warning that around 400,000 homes are at major risk of flooding within 50 years due to climate change, which is an increase of 40%.

SEPA’s 2018 National Flood Risk Assessment set out the numbers of properties at risk of flooding now and in the future. The numbers have not changed since that assessment, which are that 284,000 properties are at risk of flooding now and by the 2080s this number is expected to increase by 110,000 through climate change.

Improving resilience to flooding is a priority for the Scottish Government and we continue to work with, and support, local authorities to fulfil their obligations to deliver flood risk management. To support flood protection measures, the Scottish Government provides £42 million each year to local authorities. In August 2020, the Programme for Government also committed an additional £150 million over 5 years to support flood risk management actions.

It is clear that climate change must become a core consideration in decision making for our places and communities if they are to achieve a level of flood resilience. We will consult on a Flood Resilience Strategy for Scotland this spring. The Strategy will initiate a transformational change to flood management to adapt our places and set Scotland on a long-term course towards a sustainable level of flood resilience.

Question reference: S6O-03319

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly delayed the approval of the budget for Skills Development Scotland, which, according to the National Union of Students Scotland and the National Society of Apprentices, led to unnecessary distress and disruption for thousands of apprentices.

Question reference: S6W-26552

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 10 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to introduce a bill on ending conversion practices.

The Scottish Government is committed to introduce legislation to end conversion practices in Scotland that is as comprehensive as possible within devolved competence.

Conversion practices, which aim to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, are damaging and destructive acts that violate people’s human rights. Whilst our proposals will protect people from the harms of conversion practices, our approach also recognises and respects established rights and freedoms. This includes freedom of thought, conscience and belief and private and family life as well as parents exercising their rights and responsibilities in relation to their children.

Our public consultation, containing detailed proposals, ran for 12 weeks and closed on 2 April 2024. Responses to that consultation will now be analysed and considered.

Future legislative programmes will be announced in relevant Programmes for Government in the usual way.

Question reference: S6W-26261

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on ScotRail's plans to include a split-ticket offer on its digital retail platforms.

Question reference: S6W-26161

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to (a) NHS boards and (b) local authorities to ensure that there is sufficient funding for the training of (i) audiologists, (ii) speech and language therapists and (iii) teachers of the deaf in the provision of Auditory Verbal therapy to help improve outcomes and opportunities for deaf children.

Question reference: S6W-26160

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps are being taken to ensure that there is sufficient funding for the training of Auditory Verbal therapists to enable all deaf children to have the opportunity to access this specialist support.

Question reference: S6W-26159

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure equitable access to Auditory Verbal therapy for all deaf children under the age of five whose families want them to learn to listen and speak.

Question reference: S6W-26258

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a short-life working group with representation from local authorities, private developers and community representatives to undertake a comprehensive review of the repowering process.

Repowering existing and operational wind generating stations will, in most cases, involve the full or partial replacement of a constructed generating station. This requires extensive construction works, such that a new development consent will be required. The process to consider these applications is already well established.

The recently signed Onshore Wind Sector Deal has a number of commitments that support the streamlining and speeding up of the consents process, as well as commitments from industry to collaborate with communities, engage at all stages of the project life cycle and offer impactful community benefits. These commitments all apply to repowering applications.

Question reference: S6W-26202

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25890 by Siobhian Brown on 11 March 2024, when it will report back to the Parliament on its discussions with Police Scotland, local authorities and animal welfare organisations regarding the identification of XL Bully-type dogs.

I provided an update to the Scottish Parliament on this issue when I appeared before the Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee on 27 March 2024 to give evidence to the Committee on The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (Scotland) Order 2024 .

The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with Police Scotland, local authorities and animal welfare organisations in relation to the new safeguards and this includes in relation to how XL Bully dogs can be identified.

The conformation standard guidance document XL Bully dogs: applying the conformation standard - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) on the Scottish Government website is intended to be used to assist all those involved in the operation of the safeguards relating to XL Bully dogs in Scotland. This includes law enforcement, local authorities, animal welfare organisations and owners of dogs that may be XL Bully dogs.

The conformation standard guidance document also includes a video from ‘Blue Cross UK’ to show how to measure a dogs height.