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-15858

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the dualling of the A1 in its entirety.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role the A1 plays in providing access to key markets, jobs and services between the south east of Scotland and the north east of England, and beyond. The Borders Transport Corridors Study , identified interventions on the A1 within its recommendations, these were subsequently considered in more detail as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The section of the A1 between Edinburgh and the border with England is a trunk road and therefore it’s under Scottish Minister’s remit to decide on further investment and development of the projects.

There has been no recent engagement with the UK Government on the dualling the A1.

Question reference: S6W-15864

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NatureScot, by signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium, and making disclosure of significant amounts of information relating to it and its operation confidential, has placed an obligation upon itself not to disclose any such information on the basis of it being commercially confidential.

Question reference: S6W-15881

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the minutes and the annual report of the Project Board envisaged under the Memorandum of Understanding between NatureScot and Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium will be made public upon production.

Question reference: S6W-15738

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether retailers will be reimbursed for any deposits paid on Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) articles that are recalled for non-DRS reasons, and, if so, how.

Where there is a product recall, we would expect current procedures to apply with the product being recovered intact to the producer who would manage the destruction as production waste or recycling.

Deposits and product costs would be reimbursed by the producer to the retailer and the producer will adjust their 'placed on market' report to Circularity Scotland Limited (CSL) by reporting the volume of product they have ‘placed on market’ via a self service portal. This allows CSL to calculate deposits and producer fees resulting in a refund of deposits and producer fees to the producer.

Question reference: S6W-15850

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken on the financial impact of extending 20 mph speed limits.

The Scottish Government has provided local authorities with an additional £1.4 million in funding to undertake the necessary road assessments to identify the number of communities where a speed limit reduction is appropriate and the financial costs for implementation. This work is scheduled to conclude in Spring 2023 and will enable the multi-partner 20 mph Task Group to then scope the next steps, options for implementation and understand the financial impact of extending 20 mph speed limits in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-15984

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Deferral Working Group last met and when minutes of that meeting will be published.

Question reference: S6W-15985

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the dates of all Deferral Working Group meetings since 2021.

Question reference: S6W-15982

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a response to the National Childhood Bereavement Project report, Growing Up Grieving, which was published in September 2022.

The Scottish Government funded a national Childhood Bereavement Coordinator project, which concluded in September 2022 with the publication of the final report ‘Growing Up Grieving’. The Co-ordinator’s report included 7 recommendations, which span a number of portfolios across Scottish Government. The publication of the report coincided with that of the UK Commission on Bereavement, and many of the principles in the UK report align with those of the Scottish National Childhood Bereavement Co-ordinator. The Scottish Government is considering how best to implement the recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-15832

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Scotland are estimated to be living with coeliac disease, and, of those, how many are undiagnosed.

Question reference: S6W-15841

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13011 by Humza Yousaf on 21 December 2022, whether it will directly address whether it plans to provide support to facilitate the provision of nutritious food at NHS workplaces.

NHS employers should take steps to ensure that wherever possible staff have access to nutritious food, out of hours catering and rest spaces.

In March 2023 we confirmed funding to Health Boards for the purchase of small hot food appliances for all hospital Doctors in Training.

In 2021, the Scottish Government made £12 million available to the NHS workforce, including funding for practical support such as access to hot food and drinks.

New ‘EnergyPods’ were introduced at Victoria Hospital in Fife, providing staff with the opportunity to boost their energy and take time out with a personalised guided power nap in comfortable surroundings. We are reviewing the feedback from this pilot and considering next steps.