Parliamentary questions

Alexander Burnett

1,406 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

13 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses and organisations are currently still waiting for COVID-19-related funding and payments to be paid out to them.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has supported businesses with more than £4.7bn since the start of the pandemic. All funds have been allocated and no payments remain to be paid out by the Scottish Government. All Covid-19 business support funds have now closed.

13 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08590 by Keith Brown on 6 June 2022, what improvements can be evidenced since the implementation of this new procedure of delivering reforms to support early resolution of summary cases, and (a) how and (b) when any such reductions in delays will be…

Answer · Keith Brown: Progress on implementing the summary case reform pilot has been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic and it is intended that the package of reforms will now be taken forward on a pilot basis recommencing in September 2022. The impact of the reforms will be cl…

9 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08590 by Keith Brown on 6 June 2022, whether it can provide details of any improvements that can be evidenced since the implementation of the new procedure of delivering reforms to support early resolution of summary cases, and how and when it plans…

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09221 on 28 June 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…

8 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns over the impact of seals entering rivers, what information it has on where in Scotland the seal, Spearmint, is due to be relocated to; how seals released from captivity, or which have had previous interaction with humans, are monitored and assessed for any …

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The juvenile grey seal Spearmint was released on the Farne Islands, Northumberland on 30 June 2022. Grey seals are regularly found injured or sick along the UK coastline. In most cases these animals are taken to rescue centres where, following a period of re…

8 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the report on the analysis of bird stomach contents, provisionally reported on in June 2020, will be published and available to local fishery organisations who supported the study.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The report of the study on goosander and cormorant diet on four Scottish rivers is being finalised and will be published shortly.

7 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of its overseas offices.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08724 by Michael Matheson on 7 June 2022, whether it will provide the timeframe for when a decision on whether to grant planning approval for Fetteresso Wind Farm, case reference WIN-110-1, will be made.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Ministers received the Public Inquiry Report on 18 February 2022 and are currently considering the terms of the report. The timeframe for considering reports, in addition to considering all other material considerations and application documents is v…

6 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many non-disclosure agreements that it has signed prevent disclosure to Audit Scotland.

Answer · Kate Forbes: There is no formal definition of an NDA and the government does not hold central records of NDAs. In an employment context where a settlement agreement is entered into to resolve an employment dispute, a confidentiality clause may be inserted following prescr…

6 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what record it keeps of the non-disclosure agreements it keeps, and how many are currently in operation.

Answer · Kate Forbes: There is no formal definition of an NDA. The Scottish Government does not keep a central record of all NDA’s currently in operation other than in the context of record-keeping of employment settlement agreements. In an employment context, data in relation t…

1 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how mobile home owners who are on sub-meters for their energy can register for the Priority Services Register.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Mobile home owners that are eligible for inclusion in their energy supplier’s Priority Services Register can request their site owner to register with their energy supplier as having vulnerable people on the site, if the residents do not have their own accoun…

31 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the (a) scale of the reported problems that seals have caused to salmon fishing on the River Dee to date and (b) impact that this has had on local businesses, and what action it will take to prevent seals from entering the river.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government recognises that seal predation is one of a number of pressures affecting wild Atlantic salmon in rivers, which is why it commissioned work in partnership with Crown Estate Scotland to review measures that have been adopted globally and…

31 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what economic assessment it (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake regarding the reported decline of salmon numbers and any impact that this has had on local businesses and tourism.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government takes the issue of Scotland’s declining populations of wild Atlantic salmon very seriously and is working to ensure the protection and recovery of this iconic species. In January 2022 the Scottish Government published the Wild Salmon S…

26 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a pledge similar to that in place in England for NHS patients who have their operations cancelled to be offered a new date for their procedure within 28 days or the treatment will be funded at the time and hospital of the patient's choice.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: In accordance with waiting times guidance, cancellations resulting from hospital operational circumstances should not result in any detriment to the patient. The Scottish Government expects that NHS Boards will offer a rescheduled appointment as soon as possi…

24 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement of trials in England and Wales to monitor excessive noise from car exhausts in towns, whether it will introduce a similar initiative.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: My officials in Transport Scotland are aware of the DfT Roadside Vehicle Noise Measurement trials and will be monitoring their progress and effectiveness. Setting of legal limits for noise levels from vehicles is reserved to UK Government via the Construction…

20 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has reportedly been a delay to the decision on whether to grant planning approval for Fetteresso Wind Farm, case reference WIN-110-1, and when a decision will be made.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Now that the Public Inquiry is complete Scottish Ministers are considering the terms of the report received on 18 February 2022 and should be in a position to make a decision in due course.

17 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08258 by Jenny Gilruth on 12 May 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown of the numbers of electrical vehicle charging points by local authority area.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The total charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland network owned by Local Authorities and Commercial Businesses for 2021 can be viewed on The Scottish Transport statistics report, Chapter 13: Environment and Emissions. The full breakdown of the …

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to update the labelling requirement for honey products to prevent honey fraud.

Answer · Maree Todd: There is currently no formal plan to review the labelling requirements within the Honey Regulations (Scotland) 2015. However, as the body with policy responsibility for these regulations, Food Standards Scotland continues to monitor the effectiveness and suit…

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07899 by Maree Todd on 3 May 2022, whether it will confirm how it is supporting the Scottish honey industry.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The honey industry and honey production is dependent on maintaining a healthy population of honey bees. The Scottish Government has a dedicated Bee Health Team, including bee health inspectors, that works in close partnership with the Bee Health Improvement P…

12 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to ease the reported delays within the justice system caused by continuous late-stage evidence disputations by the defence that force proceedings to be persistently rescheduled.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government recognises the adverse impact on victims, witnesses and on the accused of prolonged proceedings, and is supporting justice agencies to improve the management of cases to minimise unnecessary delays. For example, through its investment …

5 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it records the number of (a) children and (b) children diagnosed with autism, who have been referred to the Scottish Children’s Reporter annually, in light of reports of an increasing number of supervision orders being issued for autistic children in 2021.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) is responsible for the recording of data relating to children and young people in the Children’s Hearings System. Official Statistics, published annually, are available on the SCRA website https://www.sc…

3 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is being provided to people on the Highest Risk List who require treatment if they test positive for COVID-19, in the event that they are away from home with no access to their local NHS board.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Guidance on accessing COVID-19 treatment is provided on NHS Inform . Notably, there are different treatment options available for different groups of individuals who are thought to be at higher risk from COVID-19. The online guidance states that individuals…

3 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are being used to determine eligibility for new COVID-19 treatments for people who are on the Highest Risk List.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07939 on 29 April 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether suitable signage in parks and other outdoor recreational areas should be required to include information about the appropriate steps that a visitor can take to prevent tick bites, how to identify Lyme disease, and where to seek treatment.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08300 on 12 May 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to ensure that visitors to parks and other areas for outdoor recreation are aware of the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.

27 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent actions it has taken to promote public awareness of Lyme disease, including its prevention and symptoms.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is committed to continuing its work on raising awareness of Lyme disease and ticks. The public awareness sub-group, established following roundtable events in April and June 2021, includes a wide range of representatives, from organis…