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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 3507 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-34725

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 4 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the need to extend some university courses to allow practical work to be undertaken, and what provision can be made to ensure that any additional costs incurred do not fall on the students.

The Scottish Government is engaged in regular discussions with students, universities and colleges to address issues facing learners as a result of disruption to learning and teaching caused by COVID-19 restrictions. A Ministerial Task force has been established to rapidly and collectively provide solutions to address these issues. The Scottish Government is committed to taking effective action to enable students to continue and complete their learner journeys and move into employment or further study.

Students studying a course of Higher Education (HE) who require to repeat a full year of study are able to access an additional year of funding known as a ‘+1’. Care Experienced students studying in HE are able to access two additional years of funding. HE students who have exhausted their funding options and require to repeat a year of studies due to COVID-19 will have their requests considered under compassionate grounds by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

Question reference: S5W-34523

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether specific advice will be issued regarding exemptions to travel restrictions to assist people moving out of student accommodation.

Following the First Minister’s announcement on 8 January 2021 that the planned staggered return of students at the start of the new term would be extended, we published for colleges, universities and accommodation providers on 15 January 2021.

The guidance explains how the current restrictions on travel apply to students moving out of student accommodation. It should be read alongside wider Scottish Government guidance and sets out the steps students should take to ensure any move from accommodation is conducted safely. An is also available for students on the Student Information Scotland website.

Question reference: S5T-02631

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 25 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reducing the remand population, in light of reports that it has nearly doubled since April 2020 and that people awaiting trial are restricted to their cells for 23 hours a day.

Question reference: S5W-34607

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay regulations to implement the terms of the single-use plastics directive, which is due to be implemented by the EU in July 2021.

Question reference: S5W-34587

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the programme board established to consider how to take forward recommendations from the report by the Suckler Beef Climate Group will report back solely to it, or in conjunction with farmer-led groups established by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism.

The programme board will provide advice and oversight to the Scottish Government on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Suckler Beef Climate Group on the development of support mechanisms for the sector to reduce GHG emissions of beef production.

The Scottish Government will also hear from four other farmer-led groups on how to farm in ways that reduce emissions and tackle climate change, as reaffirmed in the recently published Climate Change Plan update.

Question reference: S5W-34586

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government who the members are of the programme board established to consider how to take forward recommendations from the report by the Suckler Beef Climate Group, and whether it will provide the minutes of the board’s meetings to date.

Members of the Suckler Beef Climate Group Programme Board consist of: myself (co-chair), Jim Walker, Farmer (co-chair), Claire Simonetta, Farmer, Alan Clarke, QMS, Sarah Millar, QMS, Tim Bailey, SAOS, Pat Lambert, Farmer, Steven Thomson, SRUC, Andrew Moxey, Pareto Consulting, Claudia Rowse, NatureScot, Neil Wilson, IAAS, Scott Walker, NFUS, Andy McGowan, SAMW, Andrew Lacey, SRUC, Bob Yuill, ScotEID/SAOS and Scottish Government Officials. Minutes of meetings are available on the Scottish Government Website:

Question reference: S5W-34608

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many responses it has received to its consultation on the EU single-use plastics directive, and when it will publish a summary of the consultation responses.

Question reference: S5O-04947

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to the businesses and sectors most directly impacted by Brexit.

Question reference: S5W-34106

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29596 by Michael Matheson on 17 June 2020, whether it will confirm which community groups were consulted as part of the islands impact assessment being carried out for Highlands and Islands Airports Limited’s (HIAL) Air Traffic Management Strategy.

Question reference: S5W-34104

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31906 by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2020, whether it will confirm when the community engagement and consultation phase was completed.