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-31388

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its employees have completed courses through the Scottish Digital Academy in each year since it was launched in January 2018.

Question reference: S6W-31390

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Digital Academy courses have been completed by employees in the third sector in each year since it was launched in January 2018.

Question reference: S6W-31404

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken an assessment of any public health impacts of anaerobic digestion and biogas infrastructure.

The Scottish Government has had no applications for consent under s36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to construct an electricity generating station that uses biogas as its fuel source and has therefore not been required to assess any environmental impacts in relation to anaerobic digestion and biogas infrastructure.

The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 requires those preparing qualifying projects to undertake and prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report. An EIA Report is required to describe the factors specified in Regulation 4(3) within those 2017 Regulations that are likely to be significantly affected by the development. This can include population, human health, biodiversity, land, soil, water, air, climate, material assets, cultural heritage, including architectural and archaeological aspects, and landscape.

The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 (legislation.gov.uk) creates a statutory obligation for those preparing qualifying public plans and programmes to assess their likely environment effects and to seek ways to minimise adverse effects, if they are likely to be significant. A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) offers an opportunity to judge the likely environmental impacts of plan, programme or strategy across a number of receptors, including biodiversity; population; human health; fauna; flora; soil; water; air; climatic factors; material assets; cultural heritage, including architectural and archaeological heritage; landscape; and the inter-relationship between these topics.

Question reference: S6W-31341

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will fulfil the commitment in its Framework For Tax and the recommendation of the Barclay Review of Non-domestic Rates to restore the level playing field with England for commercial premises liable for the higher property rate.

The Framework for Tax 2021 stated the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensuring that the largest businesses pay the same combined poundage in Scotland as in England by the end of this parliamentary session.

Over 95% of properties are liable for a lower poundage rate in Scotland than in anywhere else in the UK. Since the Barclay Review made this recommendation, we have introduced the Intermediate Property Rate on 1 April 2020. On 1 April 2023, we increased the rateable value threshold at which the Higher Property Rate applies, from £95,000 to £100,000.

Question reference: S6T-02208

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on fuel poverty in Scotland, what its response is to the reported announcement that the energy price cap will increase by 1.2% for the period covering January to March 2025.

Question reference: S6T-02209

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is preparing for winter, in light of widespread weather-related disruption over the weekend due to Storm Bert.

Question reference: S6F-03565

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03591

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the First Minister for what reason at least 69,000 patients reportedly waited more than an hour to be triaged in A&E departments in the first half of this year.

Question reference: S6F-03564

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03572

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce the length of time that children are placed in temporary accommodation.