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-10655

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of ScotRail’s rail passenger revenue from 1 January to 31 July 2022.

Prior to the 1st April 2022, ScotRail services were operated by Abellio ScotRail. Under the terms of the franchise agreement, revenue figures for the period are commercially confidential. The published accounts for Abellio ScotRail for this period will be found at Companies House in due course.

For the period after 1st April, relevant revenue figures will not be available until the annual accounts for ScotRail Trains Ltd. have been audited, verified and published after the end of the financial year 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-10617

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what incentives exist to encourage solar farm developers to offer forms of community financial benefit.

Community benefits from renewable energy developments can help generate lasting social and economic benefit for communities across Scotland.

Our longstanding Good Practice Principles for Community Benefit from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments (2019) set national standards, which we encourage all renewable energy developers and communities to utilise, regardless of technology type.

We are keen to see the number of solar installations offering community benefit increase and, as we work with the solar sector towards solutions for its future in our forthcoming draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Strategy, will continue to encourage the sector to consider what packages of community benefit it can offer.

Question reference: S6W-10611

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what research it will undertake into the potential impacts that the three Shetland ScotWind projects, announced on 22 August 2022, could have on haddock nursery grounds and saithe spawning sites.

The Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy(SMP-OWE) has already carried out a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA). The SEA and HRA assessed the potential for impact on nursery and spawning locations from the SMP-OWE and at an individual Plan Option scale.

Developers’ stated ambitions from ScotWind awards have surpassed the SMP-OWE assessment assumptions and the potential for greater impact from larger capacity projects will now be considered in the SMP-OWE Iterative Plan Review (IPR). Where the now known ScotWind projects overlap with spawning and nursery grounds the potential for impact will be considered again.

In addition, the Scottish Marine Energy Research programme (ScotMER) has a specific receptor group focused on fish and fisheries-related evidence needs. This group, which includes fisheries representatives, has been updating the evidence map to ensure that the evidence needs reflect the results of ScotWind and capture a consideration of wider strategic monitoring to determine the potential for impacts on the physical environment that may influence spawning grounds. The potential sensitivity of spawning grounds to noise and vibrations has also been identified. This work can feed into the development of strategic research and project-level Environmental Impact Assessments.

Ongoing work to explore the mapping of essential fish habitats will also help better identify spawning and nursery ground locations.

Question reference: S6W-11036

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will no longer seek to establish the single marketing brand for all Scottish produce, "Sustainably Scottish", and, if so, what the reason is for its decision on this matter.

SG commissioned Scottish Agriculture Organisation Society (SAOS) to undertake market research to establish demand for a new food and drink brand, and possible options. This research was based on branding that would be available to Scottish based producers, manufacturers and suppliers who can satisfy stringent criteria on provenance and low carbon operations.

The final report is expected soon. This research will be used to inform approaches that will allow businesses to capitalise on the provenance and quality that Scotland’s produce is synonymous with.

Question reference: S6W-10842

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a Primary Authority system for devolved regulation following the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, and, if so, when this will take place.

There are no current plans to implement a Primary Authority system for devolved regulation. However, as part of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation we have set out that we are working with stakeholders to consider how regulation can be used to support economic and societal aims and use this work to continuously improve the approach to regulation in the future. This will include reviewing existing powers and processes to identify where changes could be made to support both businesses and regulators in achieving our strategic aims.

Question reference: S6W-10946

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has confidence that the correct regulatory process was followed in setting the retailer handling fee structure for the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-10587

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how long each step of the adoption process should take for children and families seeking adoption through adoption services.

Question reference: S6W-10927

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the electricity and natural gas framework agreements offered via its procurement contracts directory provide an opportunity for eligible third sector organisations to lessen the impact of rising energy prices.

The national frameworks for the Supply of Electricity and Supply of Natural Gas wholesale volumes are bought up to 2½ years in advance in tranches, following a proven ‘hedging’ purchasing strategy overseen by a cross-sectoral Risk Management Committee. The Committee comprises senior managers representing procurement, finance and energy management interests.

Whilst energy prices have risen to unprecedented levels because of global influences, the Scottish Government purchasing strategy has mitigated some of the increases for customers on the frameworks. However, given the substantially increased price risk that this market volatility has brought, the Risk Management Committee has temporarily suspended the on-boarding of all new customers with immediate effect in order to protect the organisations currently using the frameworks from increased costs. Organisations that are currently customers (including some third sector bodies) will remain on the framework.

The Risk Management Committee will keep that decision under regular review and when market conditions and risk profile allow, will permit new customers to join.

Question reference: S6W-10770

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it has undertaken to overcome challenges such as workforce and material shortages and rising costs, to ensure that the social homes it has committed to provide are delivered.

Question reference: S6W-10975

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 22 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting time is for historical researchers and other National Records of Scotland service users to gain access to the Historical Search Room, from the time that a request has been made to when access is granted to the facility.