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-10995

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023 to tackle isolation.

The Scottish Government recognises that Social Isolation and Loneliness is a public health issue, which has been exacerbated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to be affected by the ongoing cost crisis.

As part of the COVID response, £1 million was allocated by the Directorate for Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights to organisations working to tackle social isolation and loneliness up to the end of March 2022. This funding has supported work including helplines, befriending, and practical support. The Scottish Government is also providing funding to 48 organisations through the Equality and Human Rights Fund (2021-2024); many of these organisations make a valuable contribution to tackling social isolation.

In addition, £21 million has been spent in 2021-22 via the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, which helps to tackle priority issues including social isolation and loneliness. This fund has been continued for 2022-23 with a further £15 million.

A total of £48 million has been spent via the Connecting Scotland programme to improve connectedness through digital inclusion.

Tackling social isolation and loneliness is a shared responsibility across government and the wider public sector, as well as the private and third sectors. There is a range of work being carried out across Scottish Government which will also make a positive impact on social isolation and loneliness in the short, medium and longer term. This work will be referenced in the forthcoming Social Isolation and Loneliness Plan.

I have continued to meet regularly with the Social Isolation and Loneliness Advisory Group during 2022. The Advisory Group has been instrumental in developing the Social Isolation and Loneliness Plan referred to above. Engagement with the Advisory Group, and work to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and the cost crisis on groups most adversely affected by social isolation and loneliness, will continue during 2023 and beyond.

Question reference: S6W-10932

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has undertaken regarding storm overflows and their impact on public health.

The independent Scottish EPA is required by law to identify unsatisfactory CSOs, primarily for water quality or sewage related debris impacts, in order to reduce those impacts on the water environment. SEPA also identifies unsatisfactory CSOs that impact on bathing water quality classification at the 87 designated Bathing Waters to reduce the risks to public health. Between 2010 and 2021 Scottish Water invested £335m improving 279 CSOs previously classed as unsatisfactory. The Scottish Government takes very seriously the issue of sewage spills, and my statement in Parliament last December set out comprehensive plans to reduce sewage spills over the coming decade.

Question reference: S6W-10833

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it spent on the restoration of peatland in 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-10836

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly chose not to support the Welsh and UK governments' proposals for a UK-wide ban on the sale of horticultural peat for use in the amateur gardening sector.

In our 2021-22 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government pledged to take forward work to develop and consult on a ban on the sale of peat-related gardening products as part of our wider commitment to phase out the use of peat in horticulture. This aligns with the Welsh and UK governments’ proposal, as stated in their joint consultation, to end the retail sale of peat and we support their approach. We chose to continue with our plans to launch our own consultation, designed to gather the information we need to form a plan honed to the specific needs of Scotland and its people.

Question reference: S6W-10835

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether a ban on the sale of peat will be in place in Scotland before the end of 2023.

Question reference: S6W-10475

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose a government debate on the findings of the Sturrock review into cultural issues related to allegations of bullying and harassment in NHS Highland.

At the time of publication of the Sturrock Report, all Health Boards were to consider the recommendations, review their internal assurance mechanisms and develop action plans.

The Scottish Government are now developing the Improving Wellbeing and Workforce Cultures Strategy alongside the new national leadership development programme called Leading to Change for health, social care and social work sectors to carry this work on. This will help foster an open and welcoming culture, where all staff are valued and treated with dignity and respect.

Leading to Change aims to recognise and support leadership at all levels. Ultimately, we want to equip current and future leaders with the skills and capabilities they will need to enable compassionate and collaborative working and deliver whole-system transformational change against any challenges they may face.

An update to Parliament, in the form of a Ministerial Statement, on the progress made in this space is planned for later this year.

Question reference: S6W-10746

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many laptops it has purchased since 1 March 2020, broken down by the brand of laptop, and what the total cost was of these purchases.

Question reference: S6W-10773

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timeline for the introduction of its Public Health Bill.

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-11001

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm the costs associated with the production and publication of the paper, Independence in the modern world. Wealthier, Happier, Fairer: Why Not Scotland.

The external costs associated with the production and publication of the Building a new Scotland paper, 'Independence in the modern world. Wealthier, happier, fairer: why not Scotland?', are set out in the following table.

Costs
Task	VAT %	VAT	Net Price
Overall Prospectus Design	20.0	883.35	4,416.74
Formatting and Online Publication (including HTML Web Conversation)	20.0	1,130.50	5,652.49
Printed Copies	0.00	0.00	2,124.12
Summary Document	20.0	114.58	572.91
Summary Document – Language Translations	20.0	415.85	2,079.24
Summary Document – BSL Translation	20.0	108.85	544.24
Summary Document – Audio Translation	20.0	14.84	74.22
Summary Document – Easy Read Version	20.0	143.47	717.37
Total (GBP)		£2,811.44	£16,181.33
Total including VAT (GBP)			£18,992.76

Papers in the Building a New Scotland prospectus series are available at the following link: www.gov.scot/newscotland .

Number of laptops	Brand	Total Cost (inc VAT)
7584	HP	£4,845,550
55	Microsoft	£78,900