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-29270

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28109 by Jenni Minto on 25 June 2024, whether it has undertaken an analysis of what impact the publication of its Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy has had on the psychological support offered to patients living with non-communicable diseases, including chronic kidney disease.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy was published in June 2023. To show how the Strategy is making a positive difference to people’s mental health, at all levels of need, it is structured around a Vision and a set of Outcomes so we can be held to account for our progress.

We published our Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan in November 2023. Both set out the actions we will take in order to make progress on these outcomes. This requires local and national leadership as we collectively work towards key national outcomes whilst maintaining local flexibility.

We are committed to robustly review, monitor and evaluate the Strategy, the accompanying Delivery Plan and the Workforce Action Plan to ensure we are committed to the right actions. We will shortly begin publication of regular reporting on progress towards our Strategy Delivery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-29269

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28109 by Jenni Minto on 25 June 2024, whether it plans to publish guidelines outlining best practice provision of psychological support services to patients living with non-communicable diseases, including chronic kidney disease.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring high-quality care for people with kidney disease, and other non-communicable diseases, expecting adherence to existing guidelines and best practice, such as the National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions.

The Specification sets out how access to and the quality of psychological service delivery can be improved, and what the people of Scotland can expect.

To support the implementation of the Specification we are producing a number of ‘Once for Scotland’ guides, in collaboration with key partners. These national guides will support the delivery of psychology therapies in Scotland and promote best practice.

Question reference: S6W-29290

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the annual deer cull figures in Scotland in each of the past five years.

Data from the reported annual cull returns is set out in the following table:

Season	Red	Roe	Sika	Fallow	Total	Mortality
2019-20	60711	38499	6964	2211	108385	617
2020-21	66373	36587	8154	2521	113626	4529
2021-22	66575	43455	8495	2640	121165	1079
2022-23	73251	48662	9427	2582	133922	1016
2023-24	31739	14940	2961	928	50568	TBC

NatureScot regularly publish this data and further breakdowns can be found on their website https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-deer-census-results which includes a breakdown of reported cull information from 1996 – 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-29282

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the planned date of commencement of the prohibition of the use of snares, as provided for in the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

Question reference: S6W-29347

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is committed to at least maintaining current funding levels for the Nature Restoration Fund during the remainder of the current parliamentary session, in light of the reported continuing loss of nature and the Fund's positive reputation amongst stakeholders.

Protecting and restoring our natural environment is key to addressing the twin crises of nature loss and climate change. Our commitment to the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), and to introduce a Natural Environment Bill which will set a framework for statutory targets to restore and protect nature, are reiterated in our most recent Programme for Government.

While capital funding of £5 million from this year’s NRF allocation to Local Authorities has been redirected to fund the public sector pay offer, it will be restored in 2025-26. The competitive strand of the NRF, administered by NatureScot, remains unaffected by this temporary reallocation of local authority funding.

Question reference: S6W-29315

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when Scotland's Mental Health First Aid: Young People (SMHFA: YP) courses will be available, following the reported pausing of the programme in 2020.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) holds the national licence for Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid: Young People- (SMHFA:YP). Following COVID, PHS took the decision to pause the delivery of the SMHFA: YP, due to the content of the course being considered out of date, given changes to the social and cultural context in which young people live in Scotland (for example, content in relation to alcohol and drugs and bullying). There are no current plans to update the content or reverse the current pause on this programme; as many alternative and up-to-date sources of advice are available to adults who support children and young people.

A new professional learning resource for school staff, supported by the Mental Health in Schools Working Group, was published in 2021. The resource provides essential learning required to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The resource is free and can be found at: CYPMH – Professional Learning Resource. A number of education resources linked to Curriculum for Excellence are also available to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in schools and other settings. Just this week, a new resource will be launched – One Good Adult:Job Description. This was designed by children and young people to help those around them provide the support they need.

In addition, Public Health Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland have developed further digital resources aimed at those supporting the mental health, self-harm and suicide prevention needs of young people. These can be found at: Informed level of practice | Turas | Learn (nhs.scot)

Interactive training is also available on specific topics. For example, Self-Harm Network Scotland provides free training sessions, in-person or online. Anyone can sign up for these sessions, and there are a range of options offered, with more in-depth sessions for professionals. Since these started in early 2023, the service has already trained over 2,500 people.

These sources of advice complement expanded provision of supports and services for children and young people – with access to counselling available through every secondary school; over 300 community-based mental health and wellbeing supports for children and young people now in place across Scotland; and advice for young people themselves available through the investment we have made in the likes of Young Scot’s Aye Feel website.

Question reference: S6W-29312

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that individual artists can still apply for and have access to public funding, in light of Creative Scotland's recent change to its guidance on applications from individual artists.

Question reference: S6W-29363

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there was any increase in passenger levels on the (a) Aberdeen to Inverness and (b) Perth to Inverness route during the ScotRail peak fares removal pilot compared with passenger levels prior to the pilot being introduced, and, if so, whether it can outline this as a percentage of passengers.

Question reference: S6W-29350

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent report from the Design Council, Design Economy: The Green Design Skills Gap, what work is being conducted to ensure that environmental impact is at the heart of the design process in Scotland.

Creative Scotland, in its role of supporting the growth of sustainable creative businesses in Scotland, has an explicit focus on environmental sustainability. This is detailed in their 2022 A Climate Emergency and Sustainability Plan for Creative Scotland | Creative Scotland and subsequent annual reviews, Environmental Sustainability Review 2023/24 | Creative Scotland as well as in the detailed guidance in the form of funding criteria Environmental Sustainability | Creative Scotland that is employed in assessing applicants to its Grant-in-Aid and National Lottery funds.

The design sector, as defined by Scottish Government, reported GVA of £570.8m in 2022, but its impact and benefits are often overlooked. In response to this, Creative Scotland and V&A Dundee have been working together under the banner of ‘Design for Scotland’ to progress a project involving the design community responding to a call to action of ‘Ask not what Scotland can do for Design, but what Design can do for Scotland’. This has included consideration of the environmental impact of design.

In Scotland, we benefit from excellent design education in our colleges and Universities. Per head of population, Scotland has more of its art and design schools in the global top 100 ranking Universities than any other European country.

Furthermore, Architecture and Design Scotland helps support the design of sustainable buildings and places in Scotland, including with local authorities, agencies, stakeholders and communities to address environmental impacts of the built environment and promote positive environmental outcomes.

We can be confident that both the Design community and the structures that support them are looking forward to ensuring that their skills and aspirations are fully employed in ensuring that environmental impact is at the heart of the design process in Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-02111

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported announcement that issues with the gearbox of the MV Caledonian Isles have been identified, resulting in a further delay to its return to service on the Arran route.

Route	Change in demand from Peak Fares
ABERDEEN-INVERNESS	4.5%
GLASGOW/EDINBURGH-INVERNESS	3.5%