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-23185

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the content of COVID-19 warnings used in official communications, in particular in relation to the emphasis on "clean hands" and "two metres distance" and the lack of mention of ventilation, since the emergence of evidence that COVID-19 primarily spreads via aerosols and not fomites.

Scottish Government guidance is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that information for the public and workplaces aligns to current policy. Policy is driven by the latest data, evidence and expert advice and is reflected in the communication of guidance. Throughout the pandemic public health advice on a range of complementary protective measures - including good hand hygiene, physical distancing, social mixing and improved ventilation – has been consistently deployed in response to the stage of the pandemic, to reduce risk from all transmission routes and support infection resilience to COVID-19.

Question reference: S6W-23200

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it accepted advice from officials to use the £30 million of Barnett consequential funding through the Moving on Fund in a way that recognises housing pressures in the round, rather than looking at support for Ukrainians and homelessness housing needs separately.

Scottish Government wrote to local authorities on 12 September confirming the strategic objective, distribution methodology and individual allocations of the £30 million fund. The distribution methodology, agreed with local authority leaders, is based 50% on the number of displaced people from Ukraine in each local authority area and 50% on the adjusted Strategic Housing Investment Framework (SHIF) indicator formula that is used for distributing homelessness prevention funding.

While there is an expectation that this funding will help councils support displaced Ukrainians into longer-term accommodation and reduce the risk of homelessness, the funding is not ring-fenced, and local authorities are able to exercise full discretion locally to support other groups. This is in line with the Verity House Agreement and recognises that local authorities are best placed to allocate their resources to meet competing demands for their services.

The letter has been published and is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/ukraine-resettlement-letter-to-local-authorities-about-funding/

Question reference: S6W-23220

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting expedited payments, from Social Security Scotland, for the Adult Disability Payment, in cases where a young person has come to severe financial harm due to an unexpected medical diagnosis.

Adult Disability Payment provides support for people who have a long-term disability or health condition. To be entitled for Adult Disability Payment an individual must have had needs relating to their disability or health condition for 13 weeks before entitlement can begin, although they can apply before the 13-week period is complete. This means that, if they are awarded Adult Disability Payment, payment can be backdated to the date they became eligible.

Where an individual has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, their application is fast-tracked and they are automatically eligible for the highest level of award without being required to meet the 13-week period.

The application process for Adult Disability Payment has been designed with disabled people to ensure it is as straightforward as possible and support is available to help people apply.

Question reference: S6W-23211

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are directly employed in the public sector to undertake peatland restoration work, broken down by public body employer.

The total number of FTE staff (rounded to the nearest whole number) employed in the public sector, within the Peatland Action programme, to undertake peatland restoration work – as of November 2023 – is as follows:

NatureScot – 56
Forestry and Land Scotland – 23
Cairngorms National Park Authority – 8
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority – 5
Scottish Water – 3
Scottish Government – 4

Total – 9

Question reference: S6W-22987

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22541 by Jenny Gilruth on 14 November 2023, when it anticipates that the information will be available.

Question reference: S6T-01678

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect local authorities from the risk of bankruptcy.

Question reference: S6T-01673

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the declaration by more than 20 countries from four continents at COP28 to triple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, recognising the key role of nuclear energy in reaching net zero, for what reason it is reportedly discounting nuclear power.

Question reference: S6F-02619

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address the impacts of obesity and excess weight on the Scottish economy and NHS.

Question reference: S6F-02622

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-02615

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will outline any plans it has for freedom of information reform in the current parliamentary session.