Parliamentary questions

Liam McArthur

3,644 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to freedom of information request reference FOI/18/01056, whether it will place in SPICe a copy of the annual costs since 2017-18 associated with the Saltire Prize and the subsequent Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund, broken down by the costs for (a) launch, (b) events, (c) ad…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21626 on 7 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out on projections for climate emissions for each of the next 10 years, and whether it will place a copy of this in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scottish Government anticipate that the statutory annual emissions reduction targets set in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 will represent the future national emissions trajectory. A full list of the levels of these target…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5T-02535 by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2020 (Official Report, c.5), what its projection is for exporting each type of waste and recycling in each of the next 10 years, and whether it will place a copy of these in the Scottish Parliament Information Ce…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The amount of waste exported will be affected by the type, volume, and quality of waste generated in Scotland, as well as the nature of contracts put in place by businesses and local authorities to manage their waste. We have not made projections for the expo…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25014 by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2019, in light of the cabinet secretary's comment regarding re-establishing the Scottish Prison Service Throughcare Support Service "when circumstances permit", what these circumstances (a) were prior to and (b)…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. The suspension of the Throughcare Support Service (TSS) was a difficult decision for SPS to make in September 2019 and was necessitated by the need to have staff…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were (a) trained and (b) employed to provide SPS Throughcare Support Services in July 2019, and how many there are currently.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. The suspension of the Throughcare Support Service (TSS) was a difficult decision for SPS to make, necessitated by the need to have staff return to their original…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average processing time has been for applications to the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership scheme, for applications completed in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019 and (d) each month of 2020.

Answer · Maree Todd: With the agreement of Ministers, Disclosure Scotland invoked business continuity plans in March this year, and since then has been dealing with two separate application channels: business as usual, and coronavirus work. Applications in relation to recruitment…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many vehicles have been in the ministerial fleet in each of the last five years, also broken down by how many were ultra-low emission vehicles.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The following table details how many vehicles have been in the Government Car Service (GCS) fleet in each of the last five years, broken down by Ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV’s). Year Number of ULEV’s on fleet Total number of vehicles on fleet (1) …

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30438 by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2020, on what dates ministers have met Heathrow Airport since 21 June 2018, which cabinet secretary is currently attending the meetings at six-monthly intervals, and whether it will place copies of the minutes of…

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have met with Heathrow Airport on 5 December 2018, 22 May 2019, 31 March 2020 and 8 October 2020. These meetings are to discuss ongoing implementation of the actions in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government and Heathrow Airport Lt…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. The following table shows the number of people assisted by the SPS Throughcare Support Service for each month during 2017, 2018 and 2019 up to July. 2017 2018…

20 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S5W-30433 and S5W-30434 by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2020, whether its policy on the proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport has been the subject of a specific review, and, if so, whether it will provide the information requested regarding when this (…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The decision to support Heathrow airport’s expansion was taken by the UK Government and UK Parliament. The Scottish Government remain committed to the memorandum of understanding with Heathrow and I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30436 on 27 …

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the most recent travel restrictions, whether people living in England can travel to Scotland to attend wedding ceremonies and, if so, to which areas and levels of restrictions they are permitted to travel to for this purpose.

Answer · Ash Denham: From 6pm on 20 November 2020, the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels (Scotland) Regulations 2020 restrict a person living in Scotland from leaving Scotland in order to travel to England, Northern Ireland, Wales and t…

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects LumiraDx Platform instruments that can carry out 12-minute tests for COVID-19 to be made available for island NHS boards.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Scotland Virology experts recommend that the LumiraDX SARS-CoV2 Antigen Test is used for symptomatic individuals showing clinical signs or symptoms compatible with COVID-19 on admission to hospital. This will help ensure symptomatic patients are tested q…

19 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the adult care homes visiting guidance will next be updated.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Adult care homes visiting guidance has been kept under review throughout the pandemic as understanding of the virus, general advice and the evidence base continually evolves. The most recent guidance was issued on 17 November. Guidance for care homes on visit…

18 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has published for students who will require public transport to return home at Christmas.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33579 on 26 November 2020, in which the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills outlined the amending Regulations made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus)(Restrictions and Requir…

18 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the COVID-19 testing process for students will be run.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Universities began the asymptomatic testing of students on 30 November. Testing is being offered on a voluntary basis to all university and college students who are changing households or returning home at the end of term and is being administered by individu…

18 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether specific guidance will be published for students from Scotland who are studying abroad and looking to return home for Christmas and, if so, by what date this will be published.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Students studying abroad who are returning to Scotland should do so in line with our guidance for residents or visitors travelling to the UK. Those travelling from a country not exempt from quarantine requirements must complete a passenger locator form and se…

18 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of travel restrictions in Level 3 and 4 areas, whether parents or other family members will be allowed to travel to collect students at universities or colleges to bring them home for the Christmas holidays.

16 Nov 2020 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will reduce the amount of waste that it exports, in light of reports that 1.7 million tonnes left the country in 2018, including almost all plastics, for recycling.

12 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32625 by Kevin Stewart on 4 November 2020, what will be involved in the process to develop the final Fuel Poverty Strategy, and whether this will be published before the end of the parliamentary session.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: As stated in my answer to your earlier question (S5W-32625), planning is currently underway to establish the process and timetable for producing the final fuel poverty strategy, which the Programme for Government commits us to publishing next year. I will be …

12 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on calls for Ofgem’s statutory duties to be expanded to include the delivery of net-zero emissions.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: My colleague, Michael Matheson, wrote to the UK Government on the 31 August this year to highlight a range of issues where we need the UK Government to act in order to support net zero and a green recovery in Scotland. In that letter he specifically called on…

12 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out regarding the implications of Ofgem’s draft determinations for the RIIO-2 price controls on the delivery of its commitment to (a) net-zero emissions and (b) increase offshore wind capacity to 11GW by 2030.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: I have engaged directly with Ofgem on a number occasions to ensure they are considering the implications of our net zero and decarbonisation targets. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33219 on 30 November 2020 for more detail on this engagement…

12 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Ofgem to ensure the regulatory framework for the RIIO-2 price controls supports its commitment to net-zero emissions.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government has been engaging closely with Ofgem over recent months to highlight the vital role that electricity networks will play in meeting Scotland’s more ambitious decarbonisation and net zero targets. I responded in October to Ofgem’s consu…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the maximum current threshold value of polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19 undergo a viral culture performance for diagnosis of viral infections.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Viral culture is not recommended diagnostic practice, as outlined in current advice on diagnostic testing for SARS CoV-2 by the WHO, as linked below. RT-PCR tests are used to identify and amplify specific sections of the viral genome “targets”. The document c…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessment it has made of the impact of each level of the COVID-19 Strategic Framework on (a) physical health, (b) mental wellbeing, (c) the risk of social isolation and (d) people with at least one underlying health condition, and whether it will publish this.

Answer · John Swinney: COVID-19 Scotland’s Strategic Framework is rooted in the 4 harms approach set out in COVID-19 Framework for Decision-Making . In taking and reviewing decisions about the different levels, we consider the direct impact of the virus on health, the effect of mea…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration it has given to distinguishing between the number of fatalities registered where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate and the number where it was (a) found to be the only cause of death and (b) determined that the deceased person had at least one underlyi…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: National Records of Scotland (NRS) publish weekly statistics on the number of deaths where COVID-19 was written on the death certificate, either as a suspected or probable involvement in the death. The latest publication was released on 18th November and a li…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) hospital and (b) ICU admissions there have been for people presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 who have not tested positive for the virus.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. Information on the number of hospital admissions and ICU admissions where individuals have tested positive for Covid -19 are published daily at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-data-for-sco…

10 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact of the restrictions on social gatherings, what its position is on developing and running a campaign that promotes alternative ways for people to stay connected.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government is aware that the ongoing restrictions are impacting on social gatherings, and that people are keen to see family and friends. We are working hard to balance the need to keep people safe and control the virus, whilst recognising that p…

10 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to alleviate social isolation arising from the restrictions on social gatherings.

Answer · Michael Russell: We know that social isolation and loneliness is a public health issue and there are well documented negative impacts on mental health, that is why the Scottish Government has considered these issues when developing the rules on social gatherings. The Health …

9 Nov 2020 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to improve the mental health support available to police officers and staff, in light of the service reporting increasing numbers of absences.

6 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for support through the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme have been received in each of the last five years, broken down by eligibility criteria, and how many (a) have been approved, (b) have been rejected and (c) are awaiting a decision.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table shows the number of referrals made to Warmer Homes Scotland and a) the number of installs completed, b) the number of applications that were cancelled and c) the number of applications currently being processed that are either waiting for …