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: S5W-29771

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce local COVID-19 lockdowns in areas where it believes that the R rate might go above 1.

The R number is calculated for Scotland and we publish it on a weekly basis. The R number is not calculated for smaller areas such as Scottish local authorities as the ranges around the estimates would be very large and it would not allow us to understand the differences between different areas of Scotland. We are looking at other means of monitoring and forecasting the levels of COVID-19 infection in local authority areas.

We are building surveillance systems to ensure that, not only at a national level but at a local level, we can monitor and, where possible, predict what happens with the virus in the weeks and months to come.

We have a range of powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020 that would allow us to take appropriate and proportionate actions as might be necessary.

Question reference: S5W-30034

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 10 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, and the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, by how much expenditure investment and asset maintenance will have grown between the 2015-21 price control period and that envisaged at the higher level for (a) 2021-27 period and (b) 2021-40.

The investment expectations are set out in the Decision Papers “Asset Replacement” and “Prospects for Prices”, available on the Water Industry Commission for Scotland’s website. As noted in the answer to S5W-30017 on 2 July 2020, Scottish Water had estimated investment of £730 million in 2020-21.

The Commission estimates that £1 billion - £1.1 billion annual investment will be required by 2040. The actual investment level at 2027 will depend on price profile, growth assumption, growth starting point, borrowing available and Scottish Water’s cash balance at the start of the 2021-2022 financial year. It is expected that further clarity on the investment profile will be provided when the Commission publishes its draft determination.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at

Question reference: S5W-28443

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-27952 by Jeane Freeman on 15 April 2020, how many samples have been taken each week; what this confirms about prevalence, and when it will publish prevalence data.

The COVID-19 data and trend charts for Scotland are published daily and provide a range of information, including the cumulative number of people tested for COVID-19 in Scotland and how many of the tests had a positive result. The link to the daily data update is: .

In addition, Test and Protect was rolled out across Scotland on 28 May 2020 and the Test and Protect data is published on Public Health Scotland's website at:

Health Protection Scotland are conducting surveillance swab testing in the community for individuals with mild to moderate symptoms. Testing commenced on 27 April and results are available a week later by HPS report for internal planning and surveillance purposes. Details of this can be found at:

Antibody testing will help us understand if a person has had the infection and will enable us to learn more about the virus and gain an understanding of how it is spreading through the population in Scotland. Health Protection Scotland commenced antibody testing on 6 May. This will inform wider published information on the Government's response to the virus. Evidence is evolving on whether the presence of antibodies indicates that someone is immune, and if so, for how long that immunity would persist.

Question reference: S5W-29241

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many tests for COVID-19 have been carried out on people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) other support needs who are resident in care homes.

The COVID-19 data and trend charts for Scotland are published daily and provide a range of information, including the number of care homes notifying cases of COVID-19 and the number of suspected cases of COVID-19 in care homes. The data also includes the daily number of people in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 but does not include details on how many of these are care home residents or staff. The cumulative number of people tested and the number of positive and negative tests is also provided.

Weekly data on COVID-19 in adult care homes in Scotland is available at:

You can find figures updated every day at 2pm (including care home data) here: .

Question reference: S5W-30021

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, how the figure of an additional £50 million per annum for service improvements and growth was calculated and whether it will publish the methodology used.

Question reference: S5W-30019

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, whether a media release for this was issued and, if so, which media outlets in Scotland it was sent to.

Question reference: S5W-30025

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, whether it will publish the analysis that underlies the international cost comparisons that are made.

Question reference: S5W-30017

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much capital expenditure Scottish Water plans for 2020-21.

Question reference: S5W-30023

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2020 decision paper, Prospects for Prices, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, what analysis the Commission undertook to arrive at the figure of up to £150 million that could result from including emissions in appraisals, and whether it will publish any such analysis.

Question reference: S5W-30020

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the 2019 decision paper, Asset Replacement, by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, whether it can confirm the sum envisaged for asset replacement is calculated on the basis of like-for-like replacement of existing assets and, if so, whether such an approach is compatible with the work of the Scottish Infrastructure Commission, which recommends that future planning of asset replacement should be based on a presumption against like for like replacement of assets.