Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-08985

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider extending the Fair Fares review to include the Aberdeen-Inverness train line, in light of the public ownership of ScotRail and in order to tackle congestion on the A96 and reduce carbon emissions.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a Fair Fares Review to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares as the country recovers from the pandemic.

The Fair Fares Review will look at the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry across the whole of Scotland. The Fair Fares Review will also take into account the cost and availability of services, and will consider options that take cognisance of the relative changes to the overall cost of travel. Public transport services between Inverness and Aberdeen, including rail services, will therefore be considered as part of the wider review.

Question reference: S6F-01132

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is celebrating Scottish Bus Week.

Question reference: S6O-01112

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it can support households with the cost of living crisis through a wellbeing economy approach.

Question reference: S6W-08259

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve support and care for people experiencing perimenopause symptoms.

Through the Women’s Health Plan, we are committed to improving support and care for people experiencing perimenopause symptoms.

A menopause platform has launched on NHS Inform to ensure women have access to information on menopause, including the signs and symptoms of perimenopause. One of the key actions in the Women’s Health Plan is to launch a public health campaign in order to raise awareness of the symptoms of menopause.

We want all women to have timely access to menopause support and services. For those who need specialist support, there is now a specialist menopause service in every mainland NHS Board and support in place for the Island health boards.

A Menopause Specialists Network meets regularly to provide consistent advice and peer support to health care professionals, including primary care teams.

We know that many women will seek support from their local GP practice for their perimenopause symptoms. To support primary care, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is developing menopause training for healthcare professionals, including Practice Nurses and GPs.

A Women’s Health Lived Experience Group has been established by Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland to ensure we continue to engage with women across Scotland on menopause and other areas of Women’s Health.

Question reference: S6O-01010

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the creation of new rural jobs, including in nature restoration.

Question reference: S6F-00950

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the Spring Statement.

Question reference: S6W-06757

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2021 report published by NatureScot, as part of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, Understanding the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglement in the Scottish creel fishery, which identifies concerns about the entanglement rates of minke whales, humpback whales and other protected species, what financial support it will make available to implement new measures to prevent marine animal entanglements in creels.

The Scottish Government recognises the threat that bycatch and entanglement in fishing gear can pose to our iconic marine life. We therefore welcome the Scottish Entanglement Alliance project which improves understanding of entanglement of sensitive marine species in Scottish waters, and will consider its findings as we explore what further work may be required in terms of the development and testing of mitigation measures. This aligns with actions within the developing UK Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation Strategy and the Future Fisheries Management Strategy.

The Marine Fund Scotland will shortly set out its priorities for funding 2022-23 and we would encourage exploration of these opportunities by the creel sector.

Question reference: S6F-00874

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government will do to mitigate the impact of volatile gas prices.

Question reference: S6W-05889

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when all state-owned ferries will be replaced by zero or low emission vessels.

We will explore and consult, as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, on pathways to zero/low emission ferry transport, learning from experience in other countries and on other modes.

In the short-term, there are possibilities for replacing smaller CalMac vessels operating on the shorter routes with low or zero emission vessels and this is being explored as part of the current Small Vessel Replacement Programme. Our current commitment is to have 30% of the fleet low or zero carbon by 2032.

However, the technology required for larger vessels has not yet reached a proven stage to allow it to be commercially available. We are however able to achieve greater efficiency through the delivery of new vessels with modern hull designs. For example on Islay this will deliver approximately 31% lower emissions than the MV Finlaggan currently operating on the route.

Question reference: S6W-05740

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government on reported plans to bring forward UK-wide legislative proposals to ban the domestic sale and advertising of tourism experiences overseas that involve unacceptable animal welfare practices.