Parliamentary questions

Sarah Boyack

2,373 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

18 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with National Lottery (a) distributors and (b) funding recipients in Scotland regarding the possibility of Good Causes funding being raised from sales of lottery tickets by a company with reported links to Russia.

Answer · Shona Robison: The National Lottery is reserved to the UK Government. To date there have been no discussions between the Scottish Government and the distributors or funding recipients in Scotland regarding the possibility of Good Causes funding being raised from sale of lo…

18 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the economy in Scotland of any decline in National Lottery ticket sales.

Answer · Shona Robison: Ministers were alerted to a decline in National Lottery ticket sales and to a consequent reduction in National Lottery good cause income in December 2016. A mitigation strategy has been in place since October 2016 for a collaborative approach bringing togeth…

18 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many National Lottery tickets have been sold in Scotland in each year since 2015.

Answer · Shona Robison: The National Lottery is reserved to the UK Government and this information is not held by the Scottish Government.

18 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are potential risks associated with any increased prevalence of instant win games offered by the new operator of the National Lottery.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government recognises that there are potential risks associated with playing instant win games. Instant win games can have some of the characteristics of commercial gambling products such as increased speed of play and instant gratification which…

10 May 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what modelling it has undertaken to estimate the impact on its Covid Recovery Strategy of removing population-wide testing and contact tracing at the end of April.

5 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking in response to recent reports of the Glasgow Airport Welcome Hub being unstaffed despite reassurances that face-to-face advice would available from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Welcome desk at Glasgow airport is staffed to coincide with individuals from Ukraine arriving who may require assistance and my officials continue to work in partnership with the local authority to provide support and services for all arrivals. The welcom…

5 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a record of any periods during which the Glasgow Airport Welcome Hub was unstaffed, and, if this is the case, how many times it has been left unstaffed since it opened, and, in each case, (a) what the reason was and (b) for how long it was left unstaffed.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold this level of information, however, I can assure you that the Glasgow airport welcome desk is staffed to coincide with individuals from Ukraine arriving who may require assistance. Outwith daytime hours, signage providing…

5 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans to meet with any refugees who arrived in Scotland during periods when Welcome Hubs were unstaffed, in order to support them and make them feel welcome.

Answer · Neil Gray: To confirm, the Welcome desk at Glasgow airport is staffed and my officials continue to work in partnership with the local authority to provide support and services for all arrivals. I am aware of one incident where an individual arrived to an unattended desk…

24 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will issue revised guidance for the High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013, in light of the opinion of Lady Carmichael regarding the petition for judicial review of 27 February 2020 (CSOH 22).

Answer · Ben Macpherson: We currently have no plans to issue revised guidance for the High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013. Application of the legislation and associated guidance is the responsibility of local authorities and my officials will continue to engage with them to ensure that t…

21 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will consult on its proposed Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Questions S6W-07586 and S6W-07587 have been combined for response. The Programme for Government (2021) outlined the Scottish Government’s proposal to bring forward a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill during this Parliamentary session. This will cons…

21 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its proposals for a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill.

7 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to offer home fee status to refugees and other people displaced from Ukraine who wish to study in Scotland.

3 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is putting in place to support businesses that are adversely impacted by government guidance on pursuing hybrid working where possible.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Hybrid working is one of the ongoing behaviours that will help to manage COVID-19 effectively for the long term and may have benefits that go beyond the need to control the virus. We will work with employer and business organisations and trade unions to under…

1 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will meet with the Life after Essure UK and Ireland support group to discuss its concerns about a lack of awareness and understanding of the reported damaging physical and mental health impacts of Essure sterilisation devices.

15 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans for enabling local authorities to bring in a Transient Visitor Levy.

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to empower local authorities to introduce a Transient Visitor Levy; whether it will be for local authorities to decide (a) when and (b) how to use such a levy, and whether it will affect the distribution formula of the block grant to local authorities.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Work towards a draft bill to provide local authorities with a discretionary power to apply a visitor levy, including a series of roundtable stakeholder events and formal consultation, was at an advanced stage but was necessarily paused at the onset of the COV…

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister’s COVID-19 Update on 1 February 2022, what action it is taking to extend "the protection of vaccination to all countries as quickly as possible".

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises that COVID-19 is an unprecedented global crisis, leaving no part of the world unaffected. Although Scotland is not a member of the COVAX scheme, we will continue engaging with the UK Government on that matter. On 8 December,…

2 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that children living in temporary accommodation have access to permanent homes.

26 Jan 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the COVID-19 certification scheme allows people who have received vaccines and boosters in different parts of the UK to demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated, to meet requirements for travel or visiting events where it is a requirement of entry.

18 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that those with “worker” rather than “employee” status are eligible for financial support as a result of any COVID-19-related closures in the culture sector.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government has provided £240m to the culture sector over the pandemic, including £65m to help alleviate the financial pressures that individuals and organisations face following cultural venue closures and event cancellations in light of the Omic…

12 Jan 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether all homes are on track to comply with the new fire safety regulations by February.

22 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that public transport is accessible to disabled people.

8 Dec 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support and advice it plans to provide to enable the establishment of community heat and power networks to deliver net zero targets.

22 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS Scotland Covid Status App is available through the Apple Store and Google Play only, and, if so, whether it will consider making it available on alternative platforms, including the NHS website.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Full details of how to access your Covid Status can be found on NHS Inform. This includes downloading the NHS Scotland Covid Status App or accessing your status on the existing online portal. From this portal, you can generate a downloadable PDF or request a …

10 Nov 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether regular and last-minute changes to parliamentary business impact on the effective scrutiny that recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic requires.

4 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of people aged 50 and over have received their COVID-19 booster vaccine.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We are making significant progress with 43% of people aged 50 and over having received the COVID-19 booster vaccine as at 11 November 21. Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (J…

4 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has reportedly been a delay in the roll-out of the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We remain on track with the autumn/winter vaccination programme, which has been prioritising the most vulnerable by either inviting them to come forward for vaccination or by vaccinating people in settings such as care homes. We are enabling boards to make u…

3 Nov 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law.

28 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional Qualified Teachers of Children and Young People with Vision Impairment will be recruited as part of its commitment to recruit 1,000 new teachers and 500 pupil support assistants in the next academic year.

23 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that stakeholders in Scotland are represented on the Domestic Advisory Group and Civil Society Forum that were created as a result of the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs wrote to Lord Frost on 10 September stressing the necessity of representation of Scottish stakeholders on the Domestic Advisory Group and Civil Society Forum, including the representation of remote communities, disad…