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-15751

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people to date have repaid their interest-free loans through the Access Bikes scheme.

Question reference: S6W-15754

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional miles travelled by bicycle, that have replaced miles travelled by vehicles, it estimates there have been as a result of the Access Bikes scheme.

Question reference: S6W-15835

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address the recommendation of the UK Commission on Bereavement in its 2022 report, Bereavement is everyone’s business, that governments in each UK nation must invest 79p annually per person in the population for transforming bereavement services over the next five years, with a particular focus on better supporting minority groups.

The Scottish Government welcomes The UK Commission on Bereavement’s report and the focus it brings to improving the experience of people affected by grief. Bereavement affects many aspects of our lives and we recognise that getting the right care and support following a bereavement is crucial for our health and wellbeing.

We are already taking forward a broad programme of work to improve the practical support, care and advice that is available for people who have been bereaved. That includes: prioritising bereavement support within our £15 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund; investing directly in bereavement support services - including for families and workplaces affected by suicide; providing wellbeing advice on the Mind 2 Mind website; widening eligibility for the Funeral Support Payment; and, uprating the Funeral Support Payment annually.

We are also exploring ways to further improve bereavement support through our new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, the new Palliative and End of Life Strategy, and through the creation of the National Care Service. This will include a focus on meeting the needs of minority groups.

Finally, we will continue to engage and listen to bereavement sector partners as we take forward our bereavement work, and will draw on the UK Commission’s findings.

Question reference: S6W-15953

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on how many people have been cited for jury duty more than once in the past year.

Question reference: S6W-15945

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether a solar energy target will be included in its forthcoming Energy Strategy, and, if so, whether it will align with the reported 4GW to 6GW ambition recommended by the solar industry.

Through our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) we are consulting on setting an ambition for solar deployment in Scotland, and what level that ambition should be set at. The consultation period for the draft ESJTP is open until 9 May 2023, and we encourage stakeholders to engage in the consultation and bring forward evidence relating to this.

It is vital that we consult widely upon the need for, and achievability of, any deployment ambition for solar before such an ambition is set. Following engagement with stakeholders and analysis of the consultation responses, we will finalise the solar vision and solar deployment ambition as part of the final ESJTP.

Question reference: S6W-15588

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average response time was to phone calls to the Citizens Advice Scotland Helpline, and how many calls were (a) received and (b) discontinued in each year since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-15824

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with the Ministry of Defence regarding objections to wind farm projects within the 50km safeguarding zone at Eskdalemuir.

If the Ministry of Defence objects to an application for consent for a wind farm which impacts on the Eskdalemuir seismic array, then the Scottish Government would not proceed to consent the application unless that objection is withdrawn.

In cases where further information is provided by an applicant or changes are made to a proposal to overcome an objection, there will be further consultation to establish if the Ministry of Defence are content to remove their safeguarding objection.

Question reference: S6W-15622

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons the percentage of adults participating in the General Dental Service fell from 98.6% in September 2007 to 50.2% in September 2021.

Question reference: S6W-15938

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many cyber-attacks have been recorded on (a) its and (b) its agencies’ computer and data systems since January 2021, and, in each case, what the suspected source was, and to what extent the attack (i) gained information and (ii) damaged systems.

1. The National Cyber Security Centre advises Government departments to withhold specific information that may provide insight into the likelihood of success of specific cyber techniques and the Scottish Government follows this advice.
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2. The Scottish Government is not a formal reporting agency for cyber incidents or cyber attacks, which means that agencies are not obliged to report any cyber incidents or attacks they experience to us. However, we encourage any Scottish public body that does experience a cyber incident to notify the Scottish Government Cyber Resilience Unit under the voluntary Scottish Public Sector Notifiable Cyber Incident Procedure so that we can ensure that all relevant and necessary support can be provided.
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Between January 2021 and 17 March 2023 we were notified of 26 cyber incidents under this procedure.

Question reference: S6W-15472

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in the Wise Group report, Lifting People out of Fuel Poverty in the United Kingdom, what discussions it has had with the UK Government, as it may relate to Scotland, on introducing a permanent ban on forced prepayment meter installations.

The Scottish Government remains opposed to the forced installation of pre-payment meters, and we welcome Ofgem’s recent announcement that suppliers will not be restarting prepayment meter installations next month, as previously intended. Scottish Government officials are engaging with Ofgem on its current review of guidance for suppliers on the use of pre-payment meters to ensure that the rights and interests of Scottish consumers are fully considered.