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-04223

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 will aim to benefit the farming sector in Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley.

Question reference: S6O-04230

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Dumfries and Galloway regarding the provision of dentistry.

Question reference: S6W-33124

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 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding was awarded to businesses in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) the Western Isles, (c) the Highlands, (d) Orkney, (e) Shetland and (f) Moray from the Regional Food Fund in the (a) 2021, (b) 2022, (c) 2023 and (d) 2024 round.

A breakdown of funding per year and requested areas for the last three financial years has been provided below as requested:

	2021	2022	2023
Argyll	£26,042	£10,000	£5,000
Western isles	-	-	£5,000
Highlands	£34,262	£10,000	£10,000
Orkney	£5,000	-	-
Shetland	£5,000	£4,957	£2,700
Moray	-	-	£9,900

Final funding for financial year 2024-25 will not be available until April 2025.

Information on funding awarded to projects from 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-32935

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 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what key performance indicators will be used to assess the (a) functionality and (b) reliability of SEPA’s automated customer hub.

As SEPA are directly responsible for its day-to-day operations, I have asked Nicole Paterson, Chief Executive of SEPA to respond. Her response is as follows:

SEPA plan the work it will deliver each year and regularly monitor, review and report on performance in a variety of formats.

The automated customer hub enables greater data insights for regular and accurate performance reporting. KPIs include first call resolution, average handling time, call abandoned, time spent customer facing as percentage of rota, forecast and adherence time and customer satisfaction.

Question reference: S6W-32928

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 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how SEPA is engaging with stakeholders, including local authorities and emergency services, to communicate operational changes to its 24-hour support system.

Question reference: S6W-32933

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 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether SEPA’s customer hub will include specific provisions for handling regulatory compliance queries outside of standard working hours.

Question reference: S6W-32926

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 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it has sought from SEPA that the transition to a customer hub will not impact its ability to respond to emergencies as a category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

Question reference: S6W-32924

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 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the transition by SEPA to an automated 24-hour customer hub, and how it will ensure that the system is operationally ready before the closure of the current call centre.

Question reference: S6W-32918

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is being provided to support those on low incomes to access cancer treatments and appropriate care.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to keeping our NHS true to its founding principles – publicly-owned, publicly-operated, and free at the point of need.

We have increased funding for oncology services to ensure cancer treatments and appropriate care are more equitably accessible.

We are also currently working in partnership with Macmillan to improve the service we offer patients with cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme. The programme will ensure that every person with cancer in Scotland has access to a specialist key support worker, who can provide financial, emotional and other practical support to those who need it most.

Financial support for travel is also available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements. Boards are expected to support patients to identify and access support available, taking account of individual circumstances and ensuring that patient care is at the centre of all decisions.

Question reference: S6W-32890

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many working-age adults in Scotland are currently both not in work and in receipt of universal credit.