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-18197

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce legislation relating to pet-friendly residential tenancy agreements.

Question reference: S6W-18233

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the policy is for people employed by the Scottish Ambulance Service who have had their C1 licence temporarily revoked due to medical issues.

Question reference: S6O-02326

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments by Scottish Opera, regarding the disbanding of an orchestra due to the lack of young people in the industry.

Question reference: S6W-17970

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the (a) other UK administrations, (b) Health and Safety Executive and (c) stakeholders regarding alternatives to Asulox as a bracken control measure going forward.

Scottish Government officials meet regularly with counterparts from other UK administrations and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as the UK regulator, on general pesticide policy and specific points of interest. Sustainable methods for the control of bracken and the 2023 application for the Emergency Authorisation of Asulox has been regularly discussed at these meetings.

Stakeholders have the opportunity to raise and discuss pesticide issues, including bracken control, at the quarterly Pesticide Stakeholder Group meeting with Scottish Government officials. I regularly attend these meetings and bracken control has been discussed. The Scottish Government also continues to listen to views presented by the Bracken Control Group (BCG), and other stakeholders, on appropriate methods for the future control of bracken.

Question reference: S6O-02258

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to announce the delivery plan for the second Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Question reference: S6W-16749

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is now on the legal advice that it received in 2017, on which the decision of the then Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform not to extend powers to the Scottish SPCA for investigating wildlife crimes was based.

The Scottish Government does not routinely publish or discuss legal advice received.

During the Parliamentary passage of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020, the Scottish Government committed to establishing a taskforce to look again at the arguments for and against extending wildlife crime investigation powers to the Scottish SPCA. This commitment was re-affirmed in both the 2021-22 Programme for Government and in the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Shared Policy Programme.

Question reference: S6W-16748

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider bringing forward an amendment to the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill to include provisions on snaring.

Question reference: S6W-16741

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the results of the Scottish Agricultural Census for 2022.

Question reference: S6W-16764

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support (a) the provision of and (b) access to grassroots football (i) coaching and (ii) activities for children and young people.

We understand the importance of sport and physical activity for children and young people in Scotland and the positive impact that it has on their physical, mental and social health.

Through sport scotland, our national agency for sport, we are working in partnerships with Scottish Governing Bodies of sport (SGBs), local authorities, leisure trusts, sports clubs and community organisations, schools, colleges and universities to provide opportunities for all to participate in sport, to break down the barriers, financial or otherwise, that keep too many people from leading active lives.

sport scotland has provided the SFA with an investment of £1,347,400 in the current financial year to help support a wide range of grassroots activity, supporting the SFA’s Football for All strategy. This includes developing children and young people’s football, all of which aims to provide a pathway for anyone to enjoy participating in football.

As set out in the Programme for Government we are working with sport scotland to ensure that Active Schools programmes are free for all children and young people by the end of this Parliament, providing them with more opportunities to take part in sport, such as football, before, during and after school.

In the 2021-22 academic year (last full year of data - 2021-22 data reflects the return to activity following the COVID-19 pandemic), 218,000 participants made 3.5 million visits to Active Schools activities with Football being the most popular and visited activity.

Question reference: S6W-16951

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any requests from Dumfries and Galloway Council regarding improvements to the A75.

Dumfries and Galloway Council were one of 165 organisations which responded to the consultation on the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) draft report, undertaken between January and April 2022. The Council’s responses covered a range of topics, including potential improvements to the A75. All responses were considered in production of the suite of final reports and statutory impact assessments, published on 8 December 2022.