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-07247

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, High and highly bonded: Fused football fans who use cocaine are most likely to be aggressive toward rivals, by Martha Newson, which found that around 1% of fans reported using cocaine in football stadia and around 30% had witnessed other fans take cocaine at matches, and what action it will take in response to the findings.

The High and highly bonded report has a Britain-wide focus and makes no mention of Scotland. Nonetheless, we fully recognise the need to address the use of drugs in Scotland. January marked the first year of the National Mission to save and improve lives affected by problematic drug use. Over the last year our main focus has been on laying the groundwork so that we can focus on delivering change that will make a real and tangible difference to people's lives.

In January 2020 the First Minister set out clear priorities of the National Mission: to wrap support around people who are most at risk through fast and appropriate access to treatment, increased access to residential rehabilitation, better support after non-fatal overdoses, and recognising the vital role of frontline organisations.

Question reference: S6W-07199

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage cumulative economic growth in Scotland, in terms of increased total GDP, was for the period from May 2007 to December 2019, and how this compares with the equivalent figure for the UK as a whole.

Question reference: S6W-07198

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage cumulative economic growth in Scotland, in terms of increased total GDP, was for the period from May 2007 to May 2016, and how this compares with the equivalent figure for the UK as a whole.

Question reference: S6W-07262

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many classroom assistants have been employed in each local authority in each year since 1999.

Information on the number of pupil support assistants employed in 2021 was published on 15 March 2022 and is available here School support staff statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Information on previous years is available in the answer to parliamentary question S6W-01069: 'To ask the Scottish Government how many classroom assistants have been employed in each local authority area in each year since 1999.'

Question reference: S6W-07155

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when people who are over the age for automatic inclusion in the breast screening programme will be able to make breast screening appointments at locally available screening units.

In recognition of the anxiety the pause for those over the age of 71 to self-refer is causing, I asked for work to explore options that will accelerate the restart of self-referrals for women aged 71 and over. Any decision will be informed by clinical advice and the on-going pandemic. As part of these considerations our goal is to restart the option to self-refer by the end of September 2022, with a number of factors still to be worked through. The restart will be done in a phased way without unduly impacting appointment times for the eligible screening population for whom there are clear screening benefits. Every effort continues to be made to increase capacity in the screening programme, including through deploying additional mobile units and offering weekend and evening appointments.

Regardless of their age, women should remain symptom aware and report any symptoms to their GP immediately for these to be investigated.

Question reference: S6W-07174

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-14658 and S5W-24160 by Shona Robison on 6 March 2018 and Jeane Freeman on 22 July 2019 respectively, what steps it is taking to raise public awareness of the reported potential impact of Essure contraceptive implants on women's health.

Question reference: S6W-07177

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of women in Scotland who had an Essure contraceptive implant have had to subsequently undergo (a) a hysterectomy and (b) any other surgery as a result of the implant.

Question reference: S6W-07176

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to improve the health of any women who may have experienced reported side effects such as chronic pain, nickel poisoning, perforated organs and autoimmune reactions as a result of having an Essure contraceptive implant.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06890 on 9 March 2022.

It is important that anyone who experiences complications receives appropriate and timely care, and so I would encourage any woman with concerns to speak to her GP in the first instance. We are clear that GPs must take any patient’s concerns seriously, and must ensure that they have all the advice they to make an informed decision on their care.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-07108

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) how many reverse vending machines (RVMs) it estimates will be used in its Deposit Return Scheme, (b) the most recent evidence it has regarding the costs of each machine, (c) which companies in Scotland can supply these machines, and how many, (d) any engagement that it has had with any such companies, (e) which companies outside of Scotland supply RVMs, and any engagement that it has had with them and (f) how it will avoid a potential monopoly situation arising in respect of the supply of RVMs that are compatible with its updated requirements for their use and operation.

The number of Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) that will be used in Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), was estimated at 3,021. This information can be found in Table 2 on page 19 of the revised Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA).

The BRIA also indicates that the cost of an RVM could vary from around £19,000 to £25,000 for smaller models, and around £30,000 for a larger machine.

The costs associated with operating of Return Points, including RVMs can be found in Table 1 on page 5 of the Full Business Case Addendum .

The identification and acquisition of DRS-compatible RVMs is a matter for the Scheme Administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd, and retailers to manage. This is consistent with the industry-led approach to DRS.

Question reference: S6W-07110

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity at the meeting of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 25 January 2022 that the annual cost of operating Circularity Scotland “in a steady state” is estimated in the full business case to be £92.9 million, whether it will publish full details of that total; what its position is on whether this is an accurate estimate, and, if it does not consider it to be accurate, what its estimate is, and how many employees it anticipates will be employed through these annual costs.