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-15066

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought advice from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding any implications of licensing muirburn.

Proposals to amend legislation relating to muirburn were included in our Wildlife Management in Scotland consultation. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service provided a full response to this consultation and their responses are being taken into account as the provisions for the Bill are developed.

I recently met with Bruce Farquharson, Deputy Assistant Chief Officer and Head of Training for SFRS to discuss their consultation response in more detail.

Question reference: S6W-15142

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of trespassing have been recorded on the (a) Forth Rail Bridge, (b) Forth Road Bridge and (c) Queensferry Crossing in each year since 2018; what the estimated cost of this was to the emergency services, and in how many instances the bridges were closed as a result.

Instances of trespassing recorded on the (a) Forth Rail Bridge, (b) Forth Road Bridge and (c) Queensferry Crossing each year since 2018, the estimated cost of this to the emergency services, and in how many instances the bridges were closed as a result is as follows:

	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Forth Rail Bridge
Instances of trespassing	0	3	0	2	2	0
Resultant closures	0	1	0	0	0	0
Costs to Emergency Services	Information not held by Transport Scotland
Forth Road Bridge
Instances of trespassing	0	0	3	0	0	0
Resultant closures	0	0	0	0	0	0
Costs to Emergency Services	Information not held by Transport Scotland
Queensferry Crossing
Instances of trespassing	0	0	1	0	1	0
Resultant closures	0	0	0	0	0	0
Costs to Emergency Services	Information not held by Transport Scotland

Question reference: S6W-15022

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the procurement of replacement vessels for the Oban-Craignure route on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract.

Question reference: S6W-15338

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the (a) licensing and (b) operation of hydrogen-fuelled (i) ferries and (ii) crew transfer vessels from ports in Scotland.

Transport Scotland officials have been in discussions with UK Government officials regarding regulatory and legislative requirements for a range of future vessel technologies and fuels, including hydrogen. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for shipping regulations in UK waters, to ensure that vessels are meeting UK and international safety rules, promoting and enforcing compliance with maritime regulations and best practice, and making sure that legislation is proportionate.

Question reference: S6W-15126

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask Scottish Government what its position is on the proposed introduction of a congestion charge in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Government welcomes the City of Edinburgh Council’s commitment to cut car kilometres by 30% by 2030, and will work with all local authorities to support equitable measures which discourage car use to accompany greater investment in public transport and active travel for a fairer and greener transport system. As outlined in our route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car kilometres by 2030, jointly developed with COSLA, the scale of the climate challenge means that we need to take forward a broad combination of interventions including infrastructure, incentives and regulatory actions, taking into account the needs of people on low incomes to help ensure a just transition to net-zero.

Question reference: S6W-15007

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) Transport Scotland, (b) Network Rail and (c) Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has engaged with Landsec regarding the proposed £850 million redevelopment masterplan for the Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow, and any potential investment opportunities for infrastructure improvements at Glasgow Queen Street Railway Station and Buchanan Bus Station.

Question reference: S6W-15023

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the operational status of the MV Isle of Mull.

Question reference: S6W-15064

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on the development of regulatory proposals for muirburn, in light of its potential role in mitigating wildfire risk.

Question reference: S6W-15159

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether spill data on monitored combined sewer overflows (CSOs), where data is currently reported to SEPA, will be published annually, in light of the commitment in Scottish Water's Improving Urban Waters route map that annual publication of this data would commence by December 2022.

As indicated in Scottish Water’s first annual update to its Improving Urban Waters Routemap, which I referenced in my response to S6O-01493 on 23 November 2022, spill data has been published at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Sewer-Overflow-Spill-Data .

I refer the member to the Official Report: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-23-11-2022?meeting=14005&iob=126871

Question reference: S6W-15119

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many public parking spaces there have been in each local authority area in each year since 1999.