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-27966

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to manage badger populations in the south of Scotland.

Badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011.

NatureScot, the licensing agency in Scotland, may consider issuing licences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to undertake actions for a specific purpose, such as to prevent serious damage by badgers to agriculture.

Recent research investigating reports of badger predation on lambs on Scottish farms was undertaken in 2022 and 2023 by Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), in conjunction with NatureScot, Scottish Land and Estates, and the National Farmers Union Scotland, The research found that whilst the results cannot fully rule out the occurrence of badger predation, they strongly suggest that foxes are most likely to be responsible for the majority of lamb predation events on Scottish farms. A copy of the report of this research can be found at:

https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-research-report-1345-investigating-role-badgers-meles-meles-lamb-predation-scottish-farms

Question reference: S6W-27888

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Scotland-based manufacturers on (a) the manufacture and (b) marketing in (i) the UK and (ii) international markets of hydrogen buses manufactured in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-27917

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with (a) the City of Edinburgh Council and (b) other partners to discuss the housing emergency, and whether it discussed the provision of additional (i) financial, (ii) regulatory and (iii) planning support to alleviate the impact on residents.

Since taking up post last year, I have met regularly with Councillor Jane Meagher, the City of Edinburgh Council Housing Convener, with our last meeting taking place on 18 April. The housing emergency has been raised in my discussions with other Housing Convenors and housing and homelessness partners as follows:

Members of the Cross-Party Group on Housing on 27 February
Councillor Allan Casey and Councillor Kenny McLean, Glasgow City Council on 13 March
Jenni Minto MSP, Argyll and Bute Council officials and Argyll and Bute registered social landlords and community trusts on 4 April
Alison Watson, Shelter Scotland on 16 April
Members of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group on 16 April
Strategic Homeless Action Partnership in Edinburgh on 1 May
Sally Thomas and Carolyn Lochhead, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations on 15 May
Councillor Davie McLachlan, South Lanarkshire Council on 16 May
Councillor Maureen Chalmers, COSLA on 21 May
Councillor Judy Hamilton, Fife Council on 5 June

There have also been discussions at official level over recent months with other partners, including the Scottish Housing Regulator, ALACHO, COSLA and Homes for Scotland.

These meetings are used to discuss the homelessness pressures and housing supply matters in Edinburgh and other areas across Scotland, including the decisions by councils to declare a housing emergency. Within these discussions, a range of issues are covered, which have their basis in the proposals developed by local authorities in response to the pressures they are facing. Various financial and planning issues and potential regulatory changes have been discussed at these meetings in the context of reducing the use of temporary accommodation and improving housing outcomes for residents.

Question reference: S6W-27886

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the £4.65 million awarded through the Energy Transition Fund to Aberdeen City Council to expand its hydrogen bus fleet was used to purchase hydrogen buses that were manufactured in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-27951

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is acting to improve the safety of food delivery drivers, in light of a recent survey by Heriot-Watt University that found that 81% of food delivery drivers feel unsafe.

Question reference: S6W-27642

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what data it has on the (a) uptake and (b) outcomes of support from the Mode Shift Revenue Support scheme in each year of its operation.

The following table shows the level of Mode Shift Revenue Support grants awarded by the Scottish Government since the introduction of the scheme plus details of the committed traffic.

Year	MSRS - Grants Awarded	Containers Moved by Rail or Water
2010-2011	£753,751	121,100
2011-2012	£739,280	115,740
2012-2013	£759,801	114,930
2013-2014	£751,575	121,280
2014-2015	£727,327	132,453
2015-2016	£636,899	103,148
2016-2017	£638,157	122,565
2017-2018	£688,480	129,537
2018-2019	£776,484	140,441
2019-2020	£597,714	124,143
2020-2021	£574,903	151,224
2021-2022	£477,423	85,099
2022-2023	£539,853	129,872

The Scottish Government has a range of annualised data on the uptake and outcome of the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme including the value of Grants Awarded and the number of containers moved by rail or water. In total, between 2010-11 and 2022-23, £8,661,647 of awards were made leading to 1,591,532 containers moved by rail or water.

Question reference: S6O-03581

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether a simplified employment process could be introduced for temporary staff working for just two or three days, for reasons such as covering sickness.

Question reference: S6O-03587

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what action it is taking to recognise Pride Month, including how it supports LGBTQ+ staff and visitors by ensuring that the Parliament remains a visibly inclusive environment.

Question reference: S6O-03548

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on how it is widening access to its educational services.

Question reference: S6O-03582

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the review commissioned by the security team, in light of the protest that took place on 21 February 2024.