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-32883

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the scope and format is for the review commissioned by Public Health Scotland into the potential regulation of alcohol advertising and marketing.

The Scottish Government has commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to undertake an evidence review to support decisions on potential proposals in relation to alcohol marketing and advertising that may be taken forward in future.

The scope of the review will include analysis of published evidence and existing literature. The commission is not seeking delivery of new studies or research.

The review will be delivered independently of Scottish Government and PHS will deliver its conclusions solely on the basis of its assessment of the evidence.

The commissioning document will be published imminently.

Question reference: S6W-32912

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the 2025 objectives are for reform of the tripartite governance arrangement between Transport Scotland, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and David MacBrayne Ltd.

I wrote to the convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work committee on 19 December 2024. The letter noted that work is currently underway to ensure that Calmac would meet the definition of a Teckal compliant body in advance of the new Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract being put in place by 1 October 2025. It further highlighted that once this work is complete the intention to turn attention to the future reform of the bodies involved in delivering services, with the initial focus on the relationship between the three tripartite bodies of Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, CalMac and Transport Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-32909

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28714 by Alasdair Allan on 13 August 2024, in light of the minister’s comment that, [although] “energy policy, including smart meter policy, is mostly reserved to the UK Government… the Scottish Government has taken the lead in addressing poor coverage by allocating its own resources to ensure Scotland's homes and businesses are not left behind” and that its investment in the R100 programme “will enable Scottish energy consumers to benefit from the advantages of smart meters, helping to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs”, whether it will confirm what (a) action it can take to help upgrade radio network infrastructure to make, radio-based smart meters more accessible to people in rural areas, (b) advice it gives to people whose smart meters cannot connect to the radio network and (c) discussions it is having with the UK Government regarding holding a public awareness campaign prior to the end of the Radio Teleswitch service on 30 June 2025.

The Scottish Government has no powers over the smart-meter network or the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS). Telecommunications is also a reserved issue and radio network upgrades are a commercial matter for mobile network operators and wireless infrastructure providers.

However, through the Scottish Government’s £28.75 million Scottish 4G Infill Programme, we have delivered 55 mobile masts in rural and island areas, all of which are available on an open access basis and could potentially be used to site smart meter radio infrastructure. It is therefore imperative that the UK Government and Ofgem update the regulations to allow the Data Communications Company (DCC) to use mobile technology to provide a signal to homes in Scotland and ensure that all meters can be appropriately upgraded.

Ofgem and Energy UK are leading a cross-industry response to the RTS switch-off, which includes a public awareness campaign. However, with under six months till the switch-off on 30 June 2025, and no clear Plan B, the UK Government must use its powers to direct urgent and proportionate action.

I have written to the UK Minister for Energy Consumers to request that Ofgem include RTS related obligations in licence conditions for both suppliers and the DCC. This change would compel both to use every tool available to ensure that households and businesses in Scotland and across Britain are not left behind. For suppliers, this must translate in practice to ramping up the number of meters upgraded, including targeting several homes or businesses en masse.

Where access to a fully functional smart-meter is not possible, suppliers should offer a non-connected smart meter with pre-programmed switching times – thus providing a temporary solution in the short term. However, it is critical that consumers are not penalised for upgrading their meter and that suppliers are obliged to ensure that consumers are transferred to a like-for-like or improved tariff as part of their meter upgrade.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the UK Government on a frequent and sustained basis to ensure that Scottish communities are not caused any detriment as a result of poor smart-meter accessibility and the RTS switch-off. This includes offering to convene a jointly-chaired roundtable on energy consumer issues and participation in the Ofgem-led RTS communications working group, which brings together consumer organisations, government and industry.

It is clear that considerably more needs to be done to raise awareness and oblige suppliers to offer suitable metering solutions, whether smart or pre-programmed, which do not negatively impact the consumer.

Question reference: S6W-32871

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans ScotRail has to review Inter7city trains to ensure that carriages (a) meet their expected capacity and (b) are fit for purpose.

Trains that currently serve Intercity routes are going to be replaced as the Scottish Government has instructed ScotRail to commence the procurement process, which will secure a replacement for these trains.

Until then, the Scottish Government has funded ScotRail to recruit additional train maintenance staff as part of its programme to improve the availability of existing refurbished Inter7City rolling stock.

Question reference: S6W-32911

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring forward proposals for reforming governance arrangements for public ferry contracts before 30 September 2025.

Question reference: S6W-33134

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 January 2025

A breakdown of successful and unsuccessful applications for the last four financial years has been provided in the following table as requested:

	Approved Applicants	Not Approved Applicants
2021	42	149
2022	23	49
2023	22	53
2024	17	45

Information on approved applications for the Regional Food Fund is published on the Scotland Food & Drink website and can be found at the following link: Regional Food Fund | Scotland Food & Drink.

Question reference: S6W-32944

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what communication strategies are being developed to ensure that the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 are explained to (a) the public and (b) stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-33191

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many animal disqualification and deprivation orders were issued in the period 2022-24; how this compares with 2017-22, and what underlying causes are behind any increase in number.

The number of disqualification or deprivation orders imposed in 2022-24 was 307. In the period 2017-22 the number imposed was 255.

While numerous factors can contribute to fluctuations in these numbers, it is likely that amendments to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), that were introduced by The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act), have resulted in an increase in the number of disqualification orders being imposed by the courts.

Previously, section 40(1) of the 2006 Act provided that where a person is convicted of a relevant offence, the convicting court may make a disqualification order, but it did not specify when such an order should be made. An amendment introduced by the 2020 Act places a stronger requirement on courts to consider issuing a disqualification order in every case where a person is convicted of a relevant offence and makes clear that such an order should be imposed for the purposes of protecting animal welfare.

Section 4(4) of the 2020 Act, also inserted a new section 42A into the 2006 Act to require the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to establish and maintain a record of the reasons relating to disqualification orders.

Question reference: S6O-04237

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting and investing in youth work.

Question reference: S6O-04240

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting community efforts to preserve built heritage, ancient monuments and archaeological sites.