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-02074

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Scotland’s digital economy will benefit from the UK Government’s revised digital strategy.

Question reference: S6O-02065

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how its cross-government coordination of Covid Recovery policies is addressing the needs of those affected by long Covid.

Question reference: S6W-14801

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a list of any disused train (a) stations and (b) lines that it is currently considering reopening.

Transport Scotland has a highly successful record of reintroducing stations and routes to the network, reconnecting and bringing new opportunities to Scotland’s communities. These include the Airdrie to Bathgate line and the Borders Railway, and most recently, the reopening of Reston Station. A new station at East Linton is expected to open before the end of this control period. Work is well underway on the Levenmouth Railway, which will enter service in 2024, reversing historical closure and returning stations and new journeys and economic opportunities to the communities surrounding Leven and Cameron Bridge.

Question reference: S6W-14796

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of (a) Scottish and (b) non-Scottish firms that Cemre Marin Endustri has signed an agreement with to provide products and/or services, as part of the contract for the two vessels for Islay, awarded by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL).

As part of the contract for two vessels for Islay, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) could not have stipulated that only Scottish or UK suppliers could be used as the Regulations require them to treat economic operators equally & without discrimination and restrict them from artificially narrowing competition by unduly favouring or disadvantaging any particular economic operator.

Kongsberg have an agreement in place with Cemre Marin Endustri for Fin Stabilisers, with the production facility based in Dunfermline. Fifty-eight companies (overseas or based in England) are also set to provide products and/or services for the new build vessels. Forty of these companies have signed agreements, with the remaining 18 companies obtaining signed agreements as the shipyard build programme progresses.

Question reference: S6W-15897

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total spend has been on its policy, Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 Approach.

Since the introduction of the 1+2 approach to language learning in 2013 until the current 2022-23 financial year, the Scottish Government has provided local authorities with a total of £36.8 million in additional funding to support them to implement this approach in schools.

In the same period we have offered grant funding of approximately £15 million to organisations undertaking activities which support the 1+2 approach or complement its broader aims.

Question reference: S6W-15716

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15314 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 March 2023, how much funding has been allocated to local authorities to enable them to forgive school meal debt since 1 January 2022.

The Scottish Government has not allocated funding to local authorities specifically for school meal debt since 1 January 2022.

As referenced in the answer to question S6W-15314 on 6 March 2023, the management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments.

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/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-15688

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that the needs of young disabled people are considered in its Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment.

The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment is being led by Professor Louise Hayward. Professor Hayward is firmly committed to offering an approach that ensures the achievements of all learners, including those with disabilities, can be recognised. The commitment to proposing a system that works for each and every learner is evident in her recently published interim report.

During the Review’s public consultation Professor Hayward sought views on the specific question of how a system of qualifications and assessment can uphold the right of all learners including those with disabilities to have their achievements recognised.

I understand that Professor Hayward has met Angela Morgan, Chair of the Review of Additional Support for Learning Implementation, on several occasions and that Angela Morgan has also offered advice to the Independent Review Group. Professor Hayward is also visiting several schools which provide specialist education and learning for children and young people with additional support needs and complex health and medical needs, and will hear directly from learners, teachers and staff there.

The final Phase of the Review is now underway, and Professor Hayward is seeking views from a range of stakeholders across the education landscape, and beyond, on a draft model for the future of qualifications and assessment, this Phase is open until the 7 April. I look forward to receiving a final report before the end of May 2023.

Question reference: S6W-15719

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of its Health and Wellbeing Census, with information on how frequently S2 and S4 pupils use e-cigarettes, will be published.

Information on the first Health and Wellbeing Census undertaken by local authorities in Scotland between October 2021 and June 2022 is available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-scotland-2021-22/. Pages 22 and 23 of the Key Findings document, contained in the Supporting documents link, set out the frequency of e-cigarette use by pupils.

Question reference: S6W-16115

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-15794

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with SafeDeposits Scotland regarding the increase in its estimated response time, which, according to SafeDeposits Scotland’s automatic reply to website enquiries, is currently up to 5 working days and attributed to the launch of its new system in 2022, and what its position is on whether this elongated response time meets the service standards that SafeDeposits Scotland is expected to provide to (a) tenants and (b) landlords who use the scheme.

Scottish Government officials have had regular engagement on progress throughout the implementation of the Safe Deposits Scotland (SDS) system upgrade and were made aware of some teething issues with system functions. SDS has since confirmed all priority bugs are now resolved and user journeys should be back to normal.

The role of the Scottish Government, since the three approved schemes began operating in July 2012, is to monitor each scheme for compliance with the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 . This includes being satisfied that SDS and the other tenancy deposit schemes have clear and substantial processes in place that meet the requirements laid out in the regulations. As part of this monitoring, SDS quarterly performance reports were analysed and measured against the key performance indicators to ensure these were adhered to.

Officials will continue to liaise with SDS on the operation of their new system.