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-01630

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Homeless Deaths 2021 figures from the National Records of Scotland, which show that an estimated 250 homeless people died in 2021.

Question reference: S6O-01633

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports local authorities to ensure that the provision of local services meets the needs of local communities.

Question reference: S6O-01615

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with relevant stakeholders to support animal welfare over winter.

Question reference: S6O-01618

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Carbon Neutral Islands project.

Question reference: S6O-01635

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Age Scotland's report, Keeping the Doors Open.

Question reference: S6W-12509

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recruitment of a permanent chair of the board of Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow).

The Scottish Government is pleased to announce that as of 1 December 2022 Andrew Miller will be appointed as the new Chair of the Board FMPG.

Andrew brings a wealth of experience from previous senior positions, including Chair of the Board of Prestwick Airport, and is clear on the strategic and commercial issues for the yard. I am confident his experience will help to deliver Ministerial priorities.

Question reference: S6W-12524

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Supreme Court judgement on the reference by the Lord Advocate to the Supreme Court on whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate for an independence referendum.

Question reference: S6W-12221

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11686 by John Swinney on 28 October 2022, whether it will provide detail on what steps it will take to invest in innovation to boost productivity in Scotland.

Investing in our innovative businesses is a key priority of the Scottish Government and we are committed to becoming a world leading, innovation nation, to increasing productivity, growing our economy and creating sustainable, green jobs.

That is why this winter we will publish a new National Innovation Strategy for Scotland, that will set out our 10 year vision for Scotland to become one of the most innovative small nations in the world by 2032.

As investing in our innovative businesses is key to productivity growth, the strategy will introduce a comprehensive and joined up package of investment support.

We will build on the support already available to businesses through our Enterprise Agencies, who since 2017 have distributed around £600m directly to businesses to build their capacity and capability to innovate, and initiatives such as the Digital Development Grant, which since September 2020 has invested almost £50m to over 5,600 SMEs to help them utilise digital technologies and enhance workforce skills.

This will ensure that all of our businesses, people and institutions are ready and able to meet the global economic challenges and opportunities we face over the next ten years.

Question reference: S6W-12222

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11686 by John Swinney on 28 October 2022, whether it will provide detail on how it plans to expand international opportunities to boost productivity in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s drive to boost productivity and innovation is set out in the third programme of the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) . Our approach to expanding international opportunities is set out in NSET’s fifth programme “New Markets”, which is in turn driven by our Trade and Investment plans, Shaping Scotland's Economy: inward investment plan and A Trading Nation: a plan for growing Scotland's exports .

The inward investment plan, which was published in October 2020, takes a targeted approach to attract high quality inward investment into nine opportunity areas where Scotland’s strengths meet international demand, that fall within the overarching areas of Net Zero, Digital and High Value Manufacturing. The export plan refocuses the enterprise agencies’ export support activities to the markets with the international opportunities that best match our strengths, and to support the companies most able to service these opportunities.

Evidence suggests that foreign owned firms make a disproportionate impact to our economic performance and productivity. Just 3% of business in Scotland are foreign owned but account for over a third of jobs, almost half of GVA, just under two thirds of business research & development spending and three quarters of exports.

Progress to date on both the export growth and inward investment plans was set out in detail in A Trading Nation: progress review 2022 and Shaping Scotland's Economy - progress report 2022 .

Question reference: S6W-11884

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-10939, S6W-10940 and S6W-10941 by Clare Haughey on 22 September 2022, whether it has any plans to promote, including through the launch of a national campaign, the proposed change that will enable parents to access automatic deferral funding for early learning and childcare for four-year-olds, prior to the implementation date of 1 August 2023.

Local authorities are responsible for school enrolments in their area, including providing information for parents and carers who may wish to defer their child’s primary school start. We have written to local authorities to encourage them to update the communications they share with parents to reflect the change in legislation. The Scottish Government provides information about deferrals on the Parent Club website .

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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