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

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6O-03632

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its decision to grant early release to prisoners currently in custody, whether all victims and their families will be duly notified of the early release of any prisoner.

Question reference: S6O-03636

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is undertaking to tackle racism in justice and community safety-related public bodies.

Question reference: S6W-28045

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to (a) address the ongoing industrial disputes over pay and funding in the further education sector, in light of the repeated industrial actions taken by staff, and (b) ensure the provision of quality education.

As I set out in my statement to Parliament on 30 May 2024, the Scottish Government has no locus to intervene in the current dispute; it is for college management and trade unions to negotiate pay and terms and conditions. We continue to urge the employers and EIS-FELA to work collaboratively to find a fair and affordable settlement, in order to bring the current dispute to an end as a matter of priority.

I have made clear to college management that I expect colleges to do everything within their power to ensure students are not adversely impacted by industrial action.

Question reference: S6W-28172

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to specialist teenage and young adult (TYA) clinical psychology services, as set out in the cancer strategy for children and young people.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving support services for children and young people with cancer. Last year we provided recurring funding for the existing dedicated psychologists for children and young people with cancer.

A review of further psychological support services in Scotland is currently being carried out by the Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer and the Scottish Government remains engaged with this.

Question reference: S6W-27893

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government on how many days court business has included time dedicated to hearing fatal accident inquiries in each court in Scotland in each of the last five years.

	Financial year
Court	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
Aberdeen	4	22	41	4	0
Airdrie	0	0	0	0	0
Alloa	2	2	8	6	10
Ayr	4	13	14	4	0
Banff	0	9	6	2	0
Campbeltown	0	0	0	0	2
Dumbarton	0	5	2	3	0
Dumfries	2	8	3	7	18
Dundee	21	21	10	0	6
Dunfermline	4	12	12	7	2
Dunoon	0	3	8	2	0
Edinburgh	20	15	10	5	7
Elgin	0	5	0	5	7
Falkirk	13	4	0	12	60
Forfar	0	0	2	17	0
Fort William	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow	54	20	25	57	56
Greenock	0	18	6	4	8
Hamilton	12	19	49	35	21
Inverness	20	14	3	9	14
Jedburgh	0	2	2	0	2
Kilmarnock	1	10	5	10	4
Kirkcaldy	0	0	0	9	4
Kirkwall	13	11	2	7	0
Lanark	6	4	0	2	6
Lerwick	2	0	0	0	2
Lochmaddy	1	4	3	0	0
Livingston	7	10	12	14	10
Oban	3	11	14	0	13
Paisley	2	0	17	27	0
Perth	30	39	16	17	14
Peterhead	9	10	4	9	1
Portree	0	0	0	0	0
Selkirk	0	0	0	0	0
Stirling	11	4	5	7	17
Stornoway	0	0	5	5	0
Stranraer	0	0	0	0	0
Tain	0	1	0	2	23
Wick	0	0	0	6	0
National	241	296	284	294	307

Question reference: S6W-28097

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what training packages are in place for judicial office holders in relation to environmental (a) legislation and (b) crime.

The Scottish Government is not involved in the training of judicial office holders. Part 2 of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 sets out that the Lord President is responsible for making and maintaining appropriate arrangements for the welfare, training and guidance of judicial office holders. This ensures that training is free from political interference and is essential to preserve the independence of the legal system. The Lord President delegates responsibility for the delivery of judicial training to the Judicial Institute of Scotland. Any queries on judicial training should therefore be directed to [email protected] .

Question reference: S6W-28104

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the current national school clothing grant level is for eligible (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils; when the most recent increase to the grants took place, and when the next increase to the grants is due to take place.

The national minimum school clothing grant is £120 per annum for primary pupils, and £150 for secondary pupils.

The Scottish Government has increased funding for local authorities to £13.9 million in the 2024-25 financial year. This includes an inflationary uplift of £0.9 million on the previous year’s funding. The purpose of this increase is to support local authorities to manage increases to the minimum amounts of school clothing grant paid to eligible families in the 2024-25 academic year.

It is for local authorities to determine their own eligibility criteria for school clothing grant and they also have the option to set their school clothing grant levels higher than the minimum if they wish to do so.

Decisions about funding to local authorities in respect of the school clothing grant in future financial years will be through the Budget process in the usual way.

Question reference: S6W-27894

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding fatal accident inquiries, what the average length of time has been between the conclusion of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service investigation and the issuing of the determination by a sheriff, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-28070

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to fatal accident inquiries, how many people are currently employed in the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and what the comparative figure was for the former unit for investigating deaths that the SFIU replaced.

The Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU) is one of a number of specialist units within COPFS which investigates deaths and may conduct Fatal Accident Inquiries. Current staffing figures are shown in the following table:

	Legal & Case Preparer Staff	VIA (Victim Information & Advice) Staff	Administrative Staff	TOTAL
Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU)	42	5	31	78
Health & Safety Investigation Unit (HSIU)	25	4	5	34
Custody Deaths Unit (CDU)	8	0	0	8
COVID Deaths Investigation Team (CDIT)	50	20	17	87

Staffing levels in these units have increased in recent years to reflect the importance of this area of work.

Prior to the commencement of SFIU in April 2012, deaths were primarily reported to Procurators Fiscal who would carry out investigations alongside their other core function of the prosecution of crime. It is therefore not possible to provide comparative staffing figures.

Question reference: S6W-28072

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S6F-03197 by Kate Forbes on 6 June 2024, in relation to the reported concerns expressed about delays in holding fatal accident inquiries, whether it will provide further details of the timing of any statement to the Parliament by the Law Officers.