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: S6O-00262

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish the James Hutton Institute report on the impact on human health and the environment arising from the spreading of sewage sludge on land.

Question reference: S6O-00263

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Swedish national system of collective rent bargaining through a national union of tenants would help to address any housing issues in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-00261

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the problem of gulls in urban areas in the north east and Moray.

Question reference: S6O-00260

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the latest estimate is of the public cost of procuring the ferries MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802.

Question reference: S6O-00264

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent comments from Cancer Research UK regarding cancer survival rates in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-03196

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of future opportunities for kerbside recycling of glass packaging containers that are not included in the forthcoming deposit return scheme.

No specific assessment has been carried out for kerbside glass recycling. However, the Scottish Government is committed to review the Household Recycling Charter’s Code of Practice, which aims to bring more consistency in household recycling services, and encourage higher participation in waste prevention, recycling and reuse. This review will directly consider the impact on kerbside recycling of measures like the introduction of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme, and reform to Extended Producer Responsibility, and enable the Code of Practice to evolve in line with developments across the waste and recycling sector.

We are working with the other administrations on the introduction of an extended producer responsibility system for packaging that will recover full net costs from producers and allocate funding to local authorities for the provision of effective and efficient kerbside recycling services. This will support improved recycling for all packaging types, including glass.

Question reference: S6W-03163

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that football clubs enforce the wearing of face coverings inside their grounds, and what action will be taken if clubs fail to enforce the regulations.

Face coverings are required in indoor spaces. As stadiums are a mixture of both inside and outside, face coverings are required in internal areas such as entering and exiting as well as accessing kiosks or toilet facilities. Local Authorities engage with the Football Clubs through the event capacity limit exemption and Sports Advisory Group process to ensure Covid baseline measures are in in place in football stadiums.

We expect football clubs to use stewards and messaging to fans to encourage supporters to wear facemasks while inside at grounds. While police officers may be present at matches, their primary role is public safety, and while they have the powers to enforce the wearing of face coverings, as in any other setting, Officers would engage, explain and encourage before enforcing.

Question reference: S6W-03160

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria the Single Building Assessment will use to determine which properties have material needing to be removed.

The Single Building Assessment (SBA) pack contains the current criteria and guidance which will used by those undertaking the SBA in conjunction with the Scottish Advice Note. Visual and physical inspections will determine, as part of the SBA process, what needs to be removed on a building by building basis.

The Scottish Advice Note is used to help inform this process by determining the fire risk posed by external wall systems in multi-storey residential buildings. This process will determine which properties require mitigation or remediation.

Question reference: S6W-03227

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms, other than local authority byelaws, it would consider appropriate to create protest-free buffer zones outside clinics that provide abortion services.

All women in Scotland should have access to abortion services without feeling harassed or intimidated when accessing these services. Local authorities may wish to consider using their byelaw powers to put in place protest-free buffer zones outside clinics that provide abortion services where the specific circumstances justify imposing those measures. We have made a commitment in our Programme for Government to support any local authority who wishes to use bye-laws in this way.

Question reference: S6W-03159

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) number and (b) percentage of domestic and non-domestic buildings taller than 11m have external wall systems with combustible insulation and/or cladding (i) in total and (ii) that required a BS 8414 certificate, and what work it has undertaken to establish centrally held estimates of these figures.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number and percentage of domestic and non-domestic buildings taller than 11m. The High Rise Inventory: Summary Report provides relevant information on external wall systems of domestic high rise buildings over 18m. Since 1 April 2021, local authorities have been requested to notify the Scottish Government when a BS 8414 fire test has been used to prove compliance with building regulations. To date, there have been no BS 8414 fire test reports notified to the government.