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 MSPs 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

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Question reference: S6O-02417

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has in place to ensure that there is full transparency when it comes to the use of public money.

Question reference: S6W-18465

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15973 by Ivan McKee on 22 March 2023, whether it will provide a further update on efforts to recommence operations at Stoneywood paper mill, in Aberdeen, in light of reports from 12 February 2023 that there was about to be a "credible bid" made.

Question reference: S6W-18326

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what targeted interventions it has planned to ensure that vulnerable or disadvantaged groups have access to reliable broadband services.

The Scottish Government has already undertaken work to ensure that vulnerable or disadvantaged groups have access to digital services.

Connecting Scotland aims to reduce digital exclusion by providing people with opportunities to access and utilise the internet effectively. The programme delivered internet enabled devices and connectivity, as well as providing training and support to individuals and communities who are digitally excluded. Over 61,000 devices have been issued since the programme launched in 2020.

Connecting Scotland continues to provide internet connectivity to current users, thereby ensuring that they have reliable access to internet services.

Question reference: S6W-18323

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it can put in place to ensure a competitive framework for the Project Gigabit programme in Scotland.

Given the reserved nature of telecoms legislation, responsibility for ensuring that Project Gigabit creates genuine competition between bidders ultimately sits with the UK Government, who oversee the parameters of the programme and its implementation.

The Scottish Government is, however, working closely with the UK Government and in March 2023, the Scottish Government and Building Digital UK (BDUK) carried out Procurement Area Market Engagement. This engagement sought to determine the level of interest from the broadband supplier market in bidding for new contracts. Feedback from these sessions is being used to help shape the development of potential procurement areas. This process will help ensure that procurements attract bids from as many suppliers as possible, encouraging competition.

We continue to urge the UK Government to be flexible in their approach to funding for Project Gigabit, as there can only be meaningful supplier interest and competition if a sufficient level of funding is available to deliver coverage across all parts of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18321

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that areas with vulnerable or disadvantaged groups have adequate, affordable full fibre coverage.

Full fibre is now available to over 1.2 million properties in Scotland, with coverage now standing at 45% – an increase of 14 percentage points from January 2022 and 26 percentage points from January 2021.

This represents an increase of over 400,000 premises in the past 12 months – the largest year-on-year increase in full fibre coverage we have seen in Scotland to date.

The Scottish Government's Reaching 100% (R100) programme is contributing to this by delivering a significant number of fibre to the premises (FTTP) connections through the R100 contracts.

In order to ensure that customers on lower incomes can access reliable broadband at a more affordable cost Ofcom, as telecoms regulator, is urging internet service providers to offer a social tariff.

Social tariffs are more affordable broadband and phone packages for people claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and some other benefits.

Details of social tariffs that are currently available are provided on the Ofcom website: Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages - Ofcom .

Question reference: S6W-18322

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with the UK Government on the delivery of the Project Gigabit programme in Scotland, including what progress has been made in designing the programme, and when the first procurements will be announced.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the UK Government on Project Gigabit activity in Scotland.

In March 2023, the Scottish Government and Building Digital UK (BDUK) carried out Procurement Area Market Engagement, engaging with broadband infrastructure suppliers to gauge the level of market interest in bidding for new gigabit-capable broadband contracts in Scotland.

On 23 March 2023, the Scottish Government launched a Scotland-wide Public Review (PR). The PR collected information about suppliers’ delivered and planned gigabit-capable networks across Scotland and will confirm eligible premises for public investment via Project Gigabit.

The PR closed on 24 April 2023 and the responses are being analysed.

The first Project Gigabit procurements in Scotland are expected to launch later in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-18325

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a target date to achieve 100% gigabit-capable broadband coverage across the whole of Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not set a 100% gigabit-capable broadband coverage target for Scotland.

Given the reserved nature of telecoms legislation, the UK Government’s Project Gigabit programme has set an 85% UK-wide coverage target to be met by 2025, and aims to achieve ‘nationwide’ coverage by 2030.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the UK Government on Project Gigabit activity in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18324

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many suppliers are signed up to the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.

The R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme – offering vouchers worth up to £5,000 for eligible properties - currently has 50 suppliers registered to deliver services.

The list of registered suppliers is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is only listing suppliers who are actively participating in the scheme and is kept up to date here: Find a supplier | Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband .

Question reference: S6W-17998

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Barnett consequential funding that it received as a result of the £63 million swimming pool support package announced by the UK Government in the Spring Budget 2023, and how much of this additional funding has been passed on to local authorities.

The Scottish Government places great importance on swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

The financial package announced by the UK Government to support swimming pools in England has resulted in consequentials being added to the overall Scottish block.

We will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and local government partners to consider what additional support can be provided to swimming pools and the wider sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-17476

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the changes to the planned Deposit Return Scheme announced on 20 April 2023 change how the scheme will operate in stadium events, such as those that take place at Murrayfield Stadium, in light of the previous position being that they could not operate a "closed loop" system, even where customers are not permitted to leave the stadium with drinks containers.

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