Parliamentary questions
Jamie Halcro Johnston
536 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Sep 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many free personal care hours were assessed by local authorities to be needed, but were subsequently not delivered, in 2024-25.
15 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of each contract required for chartering the MV Alfred from Pentland Ferries, including extensions.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40538 on 25 September 2025, which covered the costs of the current charter agreement between CalMac Ferries Limited and Pentland Ferries Limited. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on …
15 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the discussions that it is holding with ferry companies and brokers regarding the availability of vessels to operate on the ferry network.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government continues to hold regular discussions with Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), on the charter and potential purchase of available and suitable vessels to support and improve services on Scotland’s ferry networks. The opera…
15 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the total cost of chartering the MV Alfred from Pentland Ferries, including the cost of any agreed future commitments.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The total cost of chartering MV Alfred, from the commencement of the charter in April 2023 to the end of September 2024, amounted to £16.2m. From October 2024 onwards i.e. the beginning of CY9, costs are estimated to be in the region of £1m per mo…
3 Sep 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage increase in re-determinations of Pension Age Disability Payment assessments there has been since January 2025.
27 Aug 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the economy secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the economic impact of any increased taxation by UK, Scottish and local governments on people and businesses across the Highlands and Islands.
17 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what restrictions it places on the use of its overseas aid.
11 Jun 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what new measures it has introduced in relation to supporting improved community engagement and respecting local democratic decision-making, when section 37 applications for energy infrastructure are considered.
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the vessels engaged in the Scottish squid fishery have an Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (I-VMS) installed.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: It will not be known how many vessels that engage in any future squid fishery will have an Inshore Vessel Monitoring System (I-VMS) installed until after the parameters of the project have been established.
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many vessels in the Scottish squid fishery are licensed to use (a) trawling gears and (b) jigging gear.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Squid is a non-quota species and consequently there are no Scottish vessels specifically licenced to fish for this species as their primary catch. Details of the Scottish fishing fleet and primary gears employed can be found in the annual Marine Directorate s…
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the spawning period is for (a) Loligo forbesi and (b) L. vulgaris in Scottish waters, and what relevant research has been conducted in the last 10 years.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In Scottish waters, Loligo forbesi have a spawning period extending from January to May, with the most intensive period from February to March. Loligo vulgaris are a rare sight in Scottish waters, being more commonly found in southern North Sea and the Englis…
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any stock assessments have been conducted for (a) Loligo forbesi and (b) L. vulgaris in Scottish inshore waters since 2010, and, if so, what the findings were of any such assessments.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We are not able to provide you with this information as no stock assessments have been undertaken for squid in recent years.
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any assessment has been made of squid bycatch by the inshore Nephrops fisheries.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: There is limited evidence about the impacts of targeted squid fishery and associated bycatches. The occurrence of squid in samples of bycatch from the Nephrops fleet is rare. The Marine Directorate is undertaking a limited trial with a number of inshore vesse…
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the predominant areas are of Scotland’s inshore waters where squid fishing has taken place in each of the five years up to 2024, and what seasonality the fishery exhibits.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Squid fishing is a sporadic fishery with the majority of landings of squid occurring between May to October. Historically squid has been present in the Moray Firth and is becoming prevalent in Shetland.The information you have requested to do with the areas o…
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many fishing vessels registered in Scotland participated in the squid fishery in each of the five years up to 2024.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Under the landing obligation all Scottish vessels are required to report all catch.The number of vessels that have reported squid catch or bycatch in the five years up to 2024 are set out in the following table.yearNumber of vessels landing squid catch or byc…
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many licence derogations for squid fishing in Scottish waters were issued in each of the five years up to 2024.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government does not hold this information as there is currently no specific licence derogation for squid in Scotland and so none have been issued.
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36786 by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025, when it plans to publish the findings from the North Sea Cod Avoidance Plan regarding squid bycatch.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Ministers have asked the Marine Directorate to undertake a limited trial and pilot project with a number of inshore vessels to help gather further information to support a longer-term policy development on fishing for squid under the North Sea Cod Av…
29 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36787 by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025, what the membership is of the co-management group established to develop a squid fishing trial.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Squid Co-management Group was established for the purpose of bringing industry and eNGOs together to work collaboratively with Scottish Government officials to support a longer-term policy decision on fishing for squid under the North Sea Cod Avoidance Pl…
20 May 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has introduced in the last year to improve road safety across the Highlands and Islands.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any NHS boards have reported difficulty in commissioning external care providers in each of the last five years, and, if so, what impact this has had on (a) service delivery and (b) waiting times.
Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. This information would therefore need to be requested from the Health Boards. There have been no national tenders since the pandemic, during which time private hospitals supported with cancer …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average weekly number of care-at-homehours delivered has been, and how this compared with assessed need, in each ofthe last five years, also broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: Information on Care at Home hours is not held centrally. Instead, Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) submit data to Public Health Scotland (PHS), detailing the number of hours of Care at Home services received. This data is published annually and can…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many cataract operations have been conducted per week since 2020, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: Public Health Scotland publish annual information on cataract procedures in our Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (annual) publication.The publication does not have weekly figures but annual figures for cataract procedures between financial yea…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide figures for the vacancy rate within the social care workforce, including average time to fill posts, in each NHS board since 2018.
Answer · Maree Todd: Responsibility for publishing data and intelligence on the social service sector in Scotland was delegated to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in 2001 by Scottish Ministers under the Regulation of Care Scotland Act 2001.Reports on sector vacancy ra…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for specialist palliative care referrals to be actioned in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally.Referral to specialist palliative care services for people living with serious health conditions and/or those who require specialist palliative care when they are dying is based on individualised needs assessments. As a …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times for the commencement of social care services following assessment, and what the current expected waiting time is compared with the targets, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold full data with regards to waiting times and there are no national targets. However, a maximum wait time of 6 weeks is recommended in critical cases.Data up to 2022-23 on Social Care eligibility and waiting times is public…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been on a waiting list for a social care assessment in each year since 2018, also broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is not held centrally for all years requested.However, weekly data on the number of people waiting for a social care assessment is published monthly by Public Health Scotland at Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) level. The …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total estimated number of care hours required was, and how many were delivered, in each year since 2018, also broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: Data on the total number of care hours planned for delivery is not held centrally.Data on the number of hours of care at home funded by Health and Social Care Partnerships in Scotland is published annually by Public Health Scotland and can be found via the da…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals assessed as eligible for social care support have not received their full entitlement in each year since 2018, and what proportion of individuals assessed as needing social care support received only a partial care package in each of the last five years, both broken …
Answer · Maree Todd: Under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships have a duty to assess the social care support needs of people and decide, in light of that assessment, to arrange suitable services, if required.While the Scot…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any NHS boards have reported difficulty in recruiting specialist palliative care professionals in the last five years, and what actions it has taken in response.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Health boards are autonomous institutions responsible for their own planning, recruitment, employment and deployment of staff. The Scottish Government supports Health Boards in these matters through the setting of strategic policies and frameworks at a nation…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to NHS boards on the maximum recommended waiting times for cataract procedures, and whether NHS boards are meeting those standards.
Answer · Neil Gray: We know that some patients have waited too long for treatment but we are committed to ensuring patients receive the care they need as quickly as possible and across various specialities we will deliver over 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in the com…