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-17968

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's proposed "immediate justice" approach to antisocial behaviour, which will reportedly require people who vandalise public spaces to repair the damage within 48 hours of being given an order, whether it is considering introducing similar measures in Scotland.

The Scottish Government condemns all acts of antisocial behaviour, including vandalism, and we believe that our focus should be on preventing these crimes from occurring in the first place.

There are currently a number of provisions contained in the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 and Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 that specifically deal with the offence of vandalism and these include on the spot fixed penalties that the police can issue to those suspected of low-level statutory vandalism offences. Local agencies, such as Police Scotland and local authorities, are best placed to deal with these offences and it also open to them to undertake early intervention and diversionary work to prevent antisocial behaviour in their areas . We currently have no plans to replicate the UK Government’s proposals, but will monitor the development of this approach.

Question reference: S6W-17940

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17423 by Patrick Harvie on 9 May 2023, how much funding has been allocated for the loans to date, and whether it has a target for the number of private rented sector landlords that it hopes will use the scheme.

The Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme was launched in April 2020 to support landlords with the cost of installation for energy efficiency improvements, renewable systems and energy storage systems.

The funding allocated for the scheme is set out in the following table:

Allocated Budget for Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme
Year	Allocated Budget
2020 - 2021	£1,000,000
2021 - 2022	£500,000
2022 – 2023	£500,000
2023 – 2024	£500,000

The scheme is demand led and as such, there are no specific targets set for the usage of the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17945

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many (a) police and (b) fire stations contain asbestos, and whether it will list them.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

Responsibility for the management of the (a) police estate is for Police Scotland, which is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority; and (b) the fire estate is for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Meeting health and safety requirements across their estates continues to be a high priority for both Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Question reference: S6W-18020

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have been reimbursed by NHS Scotland for private surgery in other parts of UK in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-17905

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Question reference: S6W-17906

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure there is support in place for GPs to interpret and act on CA125 blood test and ultrasound results.

Question reference: S6W-18014

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have written off school meal debt in each year since 1999.

The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government as the management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments.

The Scottish Government is aware, however, that Glasgow City Council announced at the end of March that it would write off outstanding school meal debts at all schools under its management at a cost of around £300,000 to the council; City of Edinburgh Council cancelled £64,000 of outstanding school meal debts in August 2022 and, earlier this month, councillors at Midlothian Council announced they had cancelled all outstanding school meal debts in the area totalling around £32,000.

Local authorities also have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, if they do not meet the regular eligibility criteria.

COSLA, working with partners from across Local Government, have developed a set of good practice principles for the management of school meal debt, which were published on 20 February 2023. The intended audience for these principles is local authority staff across a range of departments (including education, catering, finance and debt collection) as well as Head Teachers, class teachers and other school staff. The principles can be accessed through the following link: COSLA Publish Good Practice Principles for Managing School Meal Debt - 20th February 2023 | COSLA .

Question reference: S6W-17944

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the investigation by the BBC programme, Panorama, into pregnancy advice centres outside the NHS giving misleading information about abortion, which found that more than a third of these services gave misleading medical information or unethical advice, and sometimes both, what its response is to Stanton Healthcare East of Scotland obtaining charitable status to operate a pregnancy advice centre in Scotland.

The Scottish Government believes all women in Scotland should be able to access timely abortion care without judgment, should they require it. We would encourage all women wanting advice on an abortion or considering options for their pregnancy to contact their NHS Board, who can help offer advice or signpost them to other appropriate services.

The Scottish Government respects the fact that many individuals and organisations do not support abortion and may wish to discuss alternatives with patients, where patients request this. However, we expect all organisations to provide clear information for clients about the nature of the services they provide.

Decisions on the registration of charities in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Charities Regulator OSCR, which is independent of the Scottish Government. Concerns about the actions of a charity should be raised with the charity trustees in the first instance and then with OSCR. If there is any evidence to suggest that Stanton Healthcare East of Scotland has provided any misleading or unethical advice, the Scottish Government would be happy to discuss this and, if appropriate, share any relevant evidence with OSCR.

Question reference: S6W-17993

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17458 by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023, what its position is on whether the extension of the current operating hours of the Glasgow Subway is an opportunity to improve public transport services in the city, and whether it is a consideration in the planning of the wider Clyde Metro by Transport Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-17995

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) retaining Glasgow Prestwick Airport in public ownership and control under Prestwick Aviation Holdings Limited is (i) in the public interest and (ii) the best way to realise the long-term economic and industrial development potential of the site and (b) the site is strategically important for the Scottish economy.

The Scottish Government intervened to secure the future of Glasgow Prestwick Airport when the business was under threat of closure. It was in the public interest to secure the continued operation of Glasgow Prestwick Airport as an asset of strategic importance to Scotland.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport has performed well in a highly competitive aviation market and is now a profitable business, however we remain committed to returning the airport to private ownership at the appropriate time. Any decision to sell Prestwick Airport must be informed by what is right for the long-term success of the business and it's contribution to the local and Scottish economy.

There is considerable potential for Glasgow Prestwick Airport to drive economic development as the anchor of an aerospace cluster in South Ayrshire. The Scottish Government will work with all relevant parties to make the most of this opportunity.