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-31443

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what priorities for land use each regional land use framework has identified.

The Regional Land Us Frameworks (RLUFs) developed as part of the Regional Land Use Partnership (RLUPs) pilot programme have captured a range of land use priorities for each region including, but not limited to, native woodland expansion, flood mitigation and community wealth building. More information on these is available on the respective RLUP websites:

South of Scotland region: Delivery & Strategies | South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership (southofscotlandrep.com)
North West Highland region: Land+ Project | NORTHWEST2045
Cairngorms National Park region: Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2022-27 - Cairngorms National Park Authority
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park region: Read The Plan - Here. Now. All of us. - Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (lochlomond-trossachs.org)

Question reference: S6W-31063

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its decision to introduce a means-tested Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will have on strategic objective 5 of its National Islands Plan: Implementation Route Map 2024 to reduce levels of fuel poverty.

The Scottish Government continues to call on the UK Government to overturn their decision to limit eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments.

The decision was taken without consultation and has forced us to review the way in which the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) will be delivered.

Nonetheless, the PAWHP will make a significant contribution towards the heating expenses of low-income, pension-aged island households.

Since December 2022, we have also provided £3.4 million in support of island households through the Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund.

Question reference: S6W-31067

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to date to "additional travel and subsistence support for island women to attend courses on the mainland", as set out in its National Islands Plan: Implementation Route Map 2024.

Question reference: S6W-31202

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions it will take in the event that any gaps are identified between safe staffing requirements and actual staffing levels across NHS boards.

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019: Overview - Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019: overview - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) commenced on April 2024, the Act places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

Under the Act, there is a Duty on Health Boards to submit a report on how they complied with their legislative requirements. Following this, Scottish Ministers must publish these reports alongside setting out how they have taken into account and plan to take into account, in their policies for the staffing of health service, the information included in the combined report. The first Health Board Annual Reports are due 30 April 2025.

Question reference: S6W-30952

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Creative Industries Leadership Group's "working group reports", which are referenced in the minutes of the meeting on 8 June 2022, will be published.

Question reference: S6W-30870

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many new skilled workers the renewables industry estimates will be needed for renewable energy and grid upgrade projects.

The Scottish Government is aware of a number of reports that set out the potential opportunities for workers in the renewable energy and electricity grid sectors. For example Robert Gordon University research suggests that there could be between 7,000 and 33,000 offshore renewables sector jobs in the North East of Scotland by 2030 while SP Energy Networks suggest that there could be between 40,000 and 80,000 jobs in 2035 in Scotland in electricity networks and related infrastructure.

Independent analysis prepared by EY to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero suggests that with the right support, there could be almost 80,000 low carbon energy production sector jobs in Scotland in 2050.

Question reference: S6W-31061

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25674 by Patrick Harvie on 7 March 2024, whether it will provide an updated table regarding the number of children who have undertaken cycling proficiency training, based on the latest information available.

Further to question S6W-25674, the latest Bikeability Scotland participation statistics are as follows:

LOCAL AUTHORITY	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Aberdeen City	21%	25%	31%	57%	68%	62%	68%	42%	47%	9%	27%	67%	100%	100%
Aberdeenshire	93%	93%	76%	91%	91%	63%	80%	79%	85%	27%	51%	65%	65%	71%
Angus	74%	72%	74%	57%	43%	45%	50%	67%	78%	41%	71%	88%	94%	96%
Argyll & Bute	45%	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	Pilot	Pilot	22%	26%
Clackmannanshire	11%	11%	37%	37%	39%	44%	17%	33%	100%	33%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Dumfries & Galloway	70%	73%	47%	30%	29%	41%	43%	38%	36%	4%	5%	29%	69%	86%
Dundee	0%	0%	3%	23%	29%	17%	11%	53%	91%	67%	82%	97%	100%	100%
East Ayrshire	7%	9%	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	Pilot	Pilot	10%	8%
East Dunbartonshire	5%	3%	5%	24%	14%	8%	22%	15%	67%	76%	94%	100%	100%	100%
East Lothian	0%	0%	11%	26%	29%	23%	29%	41%	49%	24%	47%	94%	100%	100%
East Renfrewshire	33%	40%	70%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	0%	100%	67%	83%	96%
Edinburgh	29%	40%	52%	72%	70%	48%	68%	60%	53%	7%	26%	40%	41%	38%
Falkirk	4%	6%	10%	8%	22%	12%	4%	6%	8%	19%	6%	2%	21%	19%
Fife	31%	21%	16%	16%	18%	21%	36%	22%	29%	23%	24%	33%	35%	21%
Glasgow	4%	4%	15%	28%	25%	34%	29%	35%	34%	22%	33%	31%	22%	24%
Highland	34%	28%	16%	29%	28%	29%	36%	21%	30%	12%	15%	22%	32%	26%
Inverclyde	4%	21%	35%	10%	30%	30%	20%	15%	26%	0%	5%	5%	10%	30%
Midlothian	10%	40%	63%	87%	63%	63%	81%	75%	69%	22%	41%	65%	67%	67%
Moray	96%	65%	58%	47%	62%	49%	37%	40%	56%	27%	62%	76%	93%	95%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%	96%	100%	0%	100%	100%	100%	100%
North Ayrshire	0%	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return
North Lanarkshire	0%	7%	5%	0%	4%	No return	9%	10%	11%	15%	29%	50%	82%	64%
Orkney	40%	40%	65%	95%	90%	65%	68%	63%	58%	37%	90%	65%	100%	100%
Perth & Kinross	91%	61%	40%	37%	34%	62%	52%	51%	61%	26%	67%	87%	90%	99%
Renfrewshire	6%	8%	22%	29%	20%	22%	20%	22%	29%	10%	59%	72%	84%	86%
Scottish Borders	54%	54%	43%	8%	27%	29%	31%	31%	8%	2%	25%	41%	100%	100%
Shetland	100%	53%	45%	90%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	25%	100%	100%	100%	100%
South Ayrshire	79%	55%	73%	76%	83%	76%	81%	83%	88%	44%	34%	41%	59%	58%
South Lanarkshire	0%	10%	17%	28%	39%	34%	39%	39%	43%	15%	10%	40%	40%	32%
Stirling	17%	18%	5%	43%	65%	68%	50%	72%	66%	26%	58%	74%	87%	100%
West Dunbartonshire	9%	12%	9%	21%	44%	41%	49%	56%	59%	13%	38%	28%	31%	38%
West Lothian	21%	0%	15%	15%	15%	15%	17%	11%	26%	9%	9%	22%	30%	37%
TOTALS	32%	32%	35%	37%	40%	38%	42%	42%	47%	20%	37%	50%	60%	60%

	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Number of pupils trained across all levels of Bikeability Scotland	25,974	30,800	32,105	33,082	36,711	36,314	43,700	16,327	41,046	52,604	60,228*	54,039

Question reference: S6T-02197

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that its income tax increases on the highest earners may have reduced the revenue raised.

Question reference: S6F-03558

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government last met with Ineos or Petroineos to discuss the refinery at Grangemouth.

Question reference: S6F-03550

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the First Minister, in light of reported figures that over 2,000 people were killed or seriously injured on Scotland's roads last year, what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether 2024 could see the highest number of road accidents and fatalities on record.