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-20013

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what active strategies it has in place to reduce roads deaths, and what evaluation has been carried out into the effectiveness of any such strategies.

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with road safety partners, developed a world leading Road Safety Framework to 2030 (RSF 2030) which was published in 2021 and sets out a compelling long-term goal for road safety, where no one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.

The journey to achieving this goal also includes ambitious interim targets where the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads will be halved by 2030.

The delivery of the RSF 2030 is monitored through the three-tier structure of the framework governance and reported through its annual delivery plans .

The Scottish Government and our partners are committed to road safety and never complacent. We are resolute in our determination to save lives and meet the long-term goal set out in the framework.

Question reference: S6W-20026

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of school buildings that currently pose a risk to life, (a) in total and (b) broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-20112

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of police resource is currently allocated to tackling cybercrime.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of police resources that are dedicated to tackling cybercrime.

The police budget has increased by £80 million in 2023-24 bringing the overall budget to over £1.45 billion. The allocation of this budget is a decision for the Chief Constable and Scottish Police Authority, including the allocation of resources to tackle cybercrime.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority work together to ensure the necessary resources and expertise are in place to tackle emerging areas of threat, such as cyber-crime and fraud.

The Scottish Government works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Police Scotland to ensure Scotland is well prepared for cyber threats and would urge all organisations to follow the NCSC’s advice and guidance.

Question reference: S6W-20086

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19682 by Joe Fitzpatrick on 19 July 2023, which local authority has asked for financial support.

Question reference: S6W-20028

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of school buildings are currently believed to be past their estimated initial design life, which could be extended with adequate maintenance, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-20088

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in relation to the work of the Climate Change Plan Advisory Group (CCPAG) and what policy outcomes can be reported as a result of the input from the CCPAG.

The Climate Change Plan Advisory Group has undergone 4 of 7 plenary meetings and has so far elicited wide ranging input from diverse stakeholders into the next draft Climate Change Plan. This input includes on topics such as our vision for the future of Scotland, just transition work and energy use, with a Sub- Group meeting on the topic of heat in buildings planned in September.

The Scottish Government will produce an Outcomes Report regarding the policy outputs from the Climate Change Plan Advisory Group after the final meeting in October 2023. Policy outcomes from the group will be used to inform development of the upcoming draft Climate Change Plan.

Question reference: S6W-20008

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) Transport Scotland and (b) ScotRail Holdings has entered negotiations with Stena Line on increasing the availability of "Rail and Sail" tickets between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast.

Question reference: S6W-20022

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools have been identified as containing asbestos, from 2015 to date, (a) in total and (b) broken down by local authority.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. However, local authorities are required to keep an up-to-date record of the location of asbestos in their schools.

Although Health and safety legislation is not devolved to the Scottish Government, we take the issue of asbestos within schools very seriously and expect local authorities to strictly follow Health and Safety Executive recommendations. Moreover, we remain in close contact with the Health and Safety Executive regarding asbestos in schools.

Question reference: S6W-20027

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of using external designers for school building projects, from 2016-17 to date, (a) in total and (b) broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-20023

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total current overspend costs are on building new (a) schools and (b) nursery buildings, broken down by local authority area.