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-25528

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 28 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities in implementing and enforcing the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, and whether it has implemented any feedback mechanism that enables it to understand whether any such support is sufficient for each individual local authority.

All Scottish local authorities have a statutory duty under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) to appoint at least one officer for the purposes of the 2010 Act.

Local authority appointed 'authorised officers' (i.e. dog wardens) are expected to be skilled in the control of dogs, and also have the capacity to instruct and advise others in dog control matters.

The number of such staff employed in each council area is entirely a matter for each council to consider.

Scottish Government officials engage regularly with local authorities on matters in relation to dog control, via both COSLA and also the National Dog Warden Association (NDWA).

My statement to Parliament on 18 January 2024 committed the Scottish Government to working with key stakeholders to look at any improvements that could be made to the 2010 Act to strengthen and enhance the approach to preventative measures in the medium term.

Question reference: S6W-25527

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 28 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the (a) Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and (b) Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 contains any mechanism that prevents owners from relinquishing ownership and/or responsibility for a dog that is subject to complaint, and, if this is not the case, what its position is on whether such a mechanism would be desirable.

Section 1 of The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (‘Dogs bred for fighting’) already prohibits owners of such dogs from giving away their pets.

This means that, for example, it is now illegal for the owner of an XL Bully to sell, give away or rehome their dog.

The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) introduced the dog control notice (DCN) regime. The 2010 Act gives powers to local authorities to issue DCNs to owners who allow their dogs to be out of control and this includes discretionary conditions that can be attached to a DCN. The Scottish Government recommends as best practice that when local authority authorised officers issue a DCN to an owner, this should include a condition that the owner is obliged to inform the local authority if they rehome their dog, and provide the name and address of the new owner.

The Scottish Government published updated statutory guidance on the 2010 Act in December 2020. The statutory guidance is designed to enhance understanding of the 2010 Act and assist local authorities and authorised officers: https://www.gov.scot/publications/updated-guidance-control-dogs-scotland-act-2010/

The Scottish Government has no current plans to amend the 2010 Act to prevent dog owners who have a DCN against them from relinquishing ownership and/or responsibility for their dog, but does plan to consider opportunities to enhance and strengthen the 2010 Act in the medium term.

Question reference: S6W-25529

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 28 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many Dog Control Notices have been issued in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government previously collected data on the number of dog control notices (DCNs) issued on an annual basis from local authorities. The figures collected annually cover the year from 27 February to 26 February.

The figures for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 are as follows.

2019-20 – 339 DCNs issued across Scotland

2020-21 – 363 DCNs issued across Scotland

2021-22 – 324 DCNs issued across Scotland

The Scottish Government introduced a national DCN database in February 2022. The national database brought together the DCN records of all local authorities into a centralised database that is accessible by all 32 local authorities and Police Scotland. It is managed by the Improvement Service, who have provided the following figures for the number of DCNs issued in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (as at 22 February 2024):

2022 – 266 DCNs issued across Scotland

2023 – 260 DCNs issued across Scotland

2024 – 11 DCNs issued across Scotland so far.

Question reference: S6T-01797

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether the A96 will be dualled from Inverness to Aberdeen.

Question reference: S6W-24887

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21884 by Graeme Dey on 27 October 2023, whether it will now provide the update that it has promised regarding the new funding model for post-school education provision announced in the 2023-24 Programme for Government.

Question reference: S6W-24885

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 7 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22891 by Graeme Dey on 27 November 2023, whether Scotland’s universities will receive the full £5.8 million in regional innovation funding before the end of the current financial year.

Ministers have decided that the £5.8m allocated to the Scottish Government, as consequentials arising from spending on the Regional Innovation in England, will be used to support university research and innovation in Scotland within the current financial year.

This is in recognition of the vital contribution our university sector make across the breadth of Scottish Government ambitions, including underpinning the excellence of our education system, creating new knowledge and impact for social benefit, and supporting Scotland’s sustainable economic transformation and the delivery of NSET.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has written out to universities to set out further details on this.

Question reference: S6W-24336

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to replace the ScotRail fleet of class 43 HST units; if so, when; what the on-costs of any replacement will be, including any break-fee with the current rolling stock provider, and whether there is a budget line in its 2023-24 Budget for this or whether any cost will come from elsewhere in the railway/transport budget.

It is clear that the High Speed Trains will need to be replaced as an early priority within a ScotRail fleet replacement programme. Work is currently underway, funded within existing rail budgets used for project development, to examine the business case of different options for replacement of these trains. Discussions continue to be held with railway unions to ensure that railway staff are properly engaged.

Question reference: S6W-24344

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12917 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2022, whether it has now finalised what the £200 million of funding on page 11 of the Scotland's Railway July 2022 publication, Enhancements Delivery Plan, will be spent on, and by when, and, if not, when it anticipates it will.

The Scottish Government is continuing to develop the business case for the Aberdeen to Central Belt Enhancements project. This will be considered in in the coming months and within the context of the funding available for rail enhancements.

We remain firmly committed to infrastructure investment as a key factor in securing economic growth and high-quality public infrastructure across Scotland, including spending over £1.6 billion to operate, maintain and improve Scotland’s railway.

Question reference: S6W-24425

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23979 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, whether it will provide the information requested, particularly in light of the actions proposed in its Budget 2024-25, regarding what it anticipates the cost will be of (a) consulting on, (b) establishing, (c) launching and (d) the ongoing running of the Centre of Teaching Excellence (CTE), and, if it is the case that it has not considered what these costs might be and is yet to establish them, whether it will confirm that.

Work to establish a Centre for Teaching Excellence, including co-design and consultation, is being taken forward by the already-established Education Reform Programme. As set out in my statement to parliament on 7 November 2023, the Centre for Teaching Excellence will be funded through repurposing investment currently directed to Regional Improvement Collaboratives. The overall establishment and launch costs for the centre itself will be scoped as part of the design process with key stakeholders.

Question reference: S6O-03014

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to businesses in Aberdeen.