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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 274 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6O-01944

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether all victims of crime are given notice in advance of their case going to court.

Question reference: S6O-01842

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will start publishing information collected via Scotland’s Census 2022.

Question reference: S6W-13553

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13303 by Angus Robertson on 16 December 2022, whether it will provide the full production costs, including staff costs.

Question reference: S6W-13301

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when all six rural hospitals in Scotland each will have three general surgery consultants.

While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, it is for each NHS Board to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs.

We will develop a Remote and Rural workforce recruitment strategy by the end of 2024. This will support employers to ensure that the Health and Social Care needs of people who live in remote and rural communities are met.

As part of the Scottish Government’s work to develop a sustainable healthcare workforce, we continue to look for opportunities to increase levels of recruitment and retention of healthcare staff in rural areas.

The number of doctors in training is also up 24.3% under the SNP - or 1,295.6 WTE (from 5,336.1 WTE as at September 2006 to 6,631.7 WTE as at Sept 2022). And we have now created the biggest ever expansion of medical training posts – 152 places at £37m over the next four years to help future-proof our NHS. This equates to 2.5% increase in WTE workforce of 6,100 trainees – who make up 42% of doctors in hospitals. This brings the total number of additional places created by Scottish ministers to 725, since 2014.

In all areas of NHS Scotland, a great deal of effort is going into ensuring that services have sufficient capacity to deal with COVID-19, manage other risks and resume planned services as safely and effectively as possible. This includes ensuring that there are sufficient levels of consultant, including general surgeons.

Question reference: S6W-13552

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13389 by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2022, what discussions it has had with the private rented sector regarding rent cap provisions under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022, and whether it is its intention to expire the rent cap provision in the private sector in March 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01742

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place with the Royal Household regarding the Coronation of His Majesty The King, in relation to events across the Highlands and Islands.

Question reference: S6W-12736

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10644 by Michael Matheson on 26 September 2022, whether it will provide an update on its consideration of whether the gross revenue from the option fees raised via the ScotWind leasing process should fall within the scope of the existing 9% agreement with Crown Estate Scotland, and, if it is the case that this consideration is ongoing, what the timetable is for a conclusion to be reached.

Question reference: S6O-01702

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the National Treatment Centre - Highland will be fully operational.

Question reference: S6F-01608

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2022

To ask the First Minister how many single-crewed ambulances, responding to an emergency, have been deployed in the last six months.

Question reference: S6O-01554

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when HMP Highland will become operational and whether it will accommodate female occupants.