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-10567

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when details will be made available regarding year six of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, and when it will commence.

Year Six of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund is ready to commence in line with the new 2022-23 academic year.

An evaluation of FWDF is near completion and we expect to publish the report in the coming weeks. In advance of this, minor changes are being made to standardise the offer to organisations this year, with further changes to be considered on completion of the evaluation process. We will consult stakeholders and align any further changes with the strategic lifetime skills commitments outlined in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

In Year Four changes were made to FWDF which made support available to non-UK Apprenticeship Levy paying small and medium enterprises via colleges or the Open University in Scotland (OUiS). At the same time, Levy paying organisations only were able for the first time to access non-college based skills support from other training providers via a Skills Development Scotland grant scheme, but they did not have access to the OUiS option.

In Year Six, all companies will, for the first time, be able to access upskilling support via Scotland’s colleges, OUiS, and the Skills Development Scotland grant offer on a first come, first served basis.

Levy payers will continue to be able to access support up to a value of £15,000 and non-Levy paying SMEs up to £5,000.

Question reference: S6O-01303

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recently reported views of Professor Catherine Barnard regarding the impact on Scotland’s food and drink exports of a potential trade war between the UK and the EU.

Question reference: S6W-08994

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its rail decarbonisation programme and the rolling programme of rail electrification schemes.

The first phase of a rail decarbonisation scheme to electrify the Fife route (Haymarket to Dalmeny section), is moving to construction.

Work on this estimated £55 million scheme will begin in June 2022 with the section between Haymarket and Dalmeny. It is due for completion by December 2024.

This scheme forms part of a rolling programme that is expected to see electrification extended to Dundee and Aberdeen.

Beyond this, further development work on the business cases for decarbonising the Borders Line has been approved to progress to the next design phase for partial electrification of the route using battery electric multiple units.

This continues the Scottish Government’s rolling programme of railway electrification, with work already in delivery on the East Kilbride and Barrhead routes.

Approval has also been given for a procurement competition to identify a preferred manufacturer and financier for new trains to operate decarbonised rail passenger services on the Fife and Borders routes .

Question reference: S6W-08976

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has acted on the recommendations of the Information Commissioner’s Office, following the reprimand issued on 25 February 2022.

Following receipt of the reprimand letter, the Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland immediately began addressing the recommendations set out by the ICO. Action was taken against every recommendation and the Permanent Secretary wrote to the ICO on behalf of both organisations on 28 March, inviting the ICO to review the improvements made.

The ICO Director of Regulatory Assurance has now concluded that no further investigation or action from the ICO is required following the ICO investigation of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app and the resultant actions taken by the Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with the ICO to ensure we uphold information rights and data privacy of individuals.

Question reference: S6O-01094

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are available to stakeholders seeking to manage invasive species and mitigate their impact.

Question reference: S6W-08484

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 May 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by George Adam on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what legislative consent memorandums it anticipates lodging in the Parliament in connection with the legislative programme of the UK Government announced in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May 2022.

In accordance with the Sewel Convention and in line with Rule 9B of Standing Orders, the UK Parliament should not legislate with regard to devolved matters – that is on matters within the legislative competence of the Parliament or which change the competence of the Parliament or the Scottish Ministers – without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.

Within the legislative programme announced by the UK Government, Bills which appear to give rise to the requirement for the legislative consent of the Scottish Parliament are:

Procurement

Trade (Australia and New Zealand)

Bill of Rights

Levelling Up and Regeneration

Energy Security Bill

Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill

Brexit Freedoms Bill

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Social Security (Special Rules for End of Life) Bill

Transport

Modern Slavery

Data Reform Bill

In addition, the following Bills may extend to Scotland but at this stage it is unclear whether they will generate the requirement for an LCM:

UK Infrastructure Bank

Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill

Electronic Trade Documents Bill

Financial Services and Markets Bill

Higher Education Bill

Social Housing Regulation Bill

Harbours (Seafarers’ Remuneration) Bill

The Scottish Government will consider the content of all Bills before making its recommendation to the Parliament on legislative consent. It will then be for the Scottish Parliament to determine whether to give or withhold consent.

It is possible that legislative consent may be required for other UK Bills and those will be drawn to the attention of the Parliament as they arise.

Question reference: S6O-01007

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on establishing a Scottish agency to create a fully-functional, all-species data system for the registration of all livestock births, deaths and movements within Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-08114

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 19 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for future voluntary use of domestic COVID-19 certification in light of the change in guidance on asymptomatic testing and ending of the universal testing offer.

Given the change in guidance on 18 April on asymptomatic testing and the ceasing of the universal testing offer as set out in the Test and Protect Transition Plan , it would no longer be appropriate for Covid Status Certification to be used domestically. We have therefore removed the guidance for customers and businesses on domestic certification from the Scottish Government website and the domestic function of the Covid Status app will be switched off shortly at a date to be agreed in line with the rest of the UK.

The NHS Scotland Covid Status app will continue to be used to facilitate international travel for the foreseeable future until it is no longer required.

Question reference: S6W-07833

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the COVID-19 legislation in place.

Regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.6) Regulations 2022 amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 and will take effect on 4 April 2022.

The Amendment Regulations remove the requirement to wear a face covering for persons who enter or remain indoors within a place of worship, and in any other indoor public place whilst it is being used as a place of worship.

These Regulations also remove the requirement for those at a marriage ceremony, civil partnership registration, funeral or commemorative event related to the end of a person’s life to wear a face covering for the duration of the event. The requirement is removed in respect of such ceremonies and events in all indoor places.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2022/123

Question reference: S6O-00951

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it currently provides to improve road safety.