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-04128

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any specific impact on tenant farmers in Scotland of the announced changes to agricultural property relief on inheritance tax.

Question reference: S6O-04149

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what levels of support are currently available to women experiencing domestic abuse.

Question reference: S6O-04150

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle any fraud in Social Security Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04104

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that it plans to double the funding available to local authorities through its school meal debt fund from £1.4 million to £2.8 million, whether it plans to allocate the same amount of funding on a recurring basis in future Budgets.

The Scottish Government has taken steps to address the historic school meal debt accrued by local authorities by increasing the funding available through the School Meal Debt Fund from £1.5m to £2.8m in 2024/25. This increase has fully met the requests made by local authorities on school meal debt.

The 2025/26 budget will deliver a really strong deal for councils that means they can avoid families building up significant debt. This funding along with the measures outlined in the COSLA guidance on this matter, will ensure that future school meal debt is managed appropriately, as far as possible, for families.

Question reference: S6W-31986

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that the fishing quota for Scotland following exiting the EU has been used to support the fishing businesses with the most selective and/or lowest impact approach to fishing, in line with duties set out in section 25 of the Fisheries Act 2020.

Since exiting the EU, the Scottish Government has set aside additional quota for use by our 10 metre and under sector (predominantly inshore vessels that make up the vast majority of the Scottish fishing fleet). These vessels are associated with fishing methods that are more selective and typically fish with methods that have less impact on the seabed.

In 2025, the Scottish Government will distribute a portion of West of Scotland cod based on an application process which will place environmental considerations at its heart. This seeks to incentivise the use of selective fishing gear and fishing techniques or vessels with a reduced impact on the environment.

Question reference: S6W-31985

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish the criteria that it will use when allocating fishing quotas in 2025, as required by section 25(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 2020, which states that these must be "transparent and objective".

The Scottish Quota Management Rules were published on 18 September 2024, these detail how fishing opportunities are distributed to the Scottish fishing industry.

The rules state that a further update may be made, when the application process for West of Scotland cod additional quota launches in 2025. This initiative will invite bids for quota, principally on the basis of enhanced fishing gear selectivity and reduced environmental impact.

Question reference: S6W-31924

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that communities do not lose access to dentistry services.

The Scottish Government remains committed to securing access to NHS dental services, and the draft budget published on 4 December includes an uplift of £65.2 million (14.6%) for primary care dental services, taking total funding to over half a billion pounds for the first time in 2025-26.

Official statistics published by Public Health Scotland show that, following reform, NHS dental services are performing well at a national level with almost 4 million courses of treatment delivered to patients between November 2023 and September 2024.

We recognise that in some areas, particularly within rural and island communities, access to NHS dentistry remains challenging despite our significant and continuing investment in the sector. This is why the Scottish Government is clear that payment reform must be the first step in a wider journey, with further action to target the drivers of reduced access, including actions to improve the size and sustainability of our dental workforce across Scotland.

I have therefore taken a leading role in bringing together the four nations on the actions required to increase NHS dental workforce capacity, including the review and reform of international pipelines.

Question reference: S6W-31950

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Household Survey 2023 findings, which show a further decline in respondents' formal volunteer participation, will be considered when finalising the decision regarding the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) fee proposals for volunteers in qualifying voluntary organisations.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Long and short term trends in formal volunteering, including information gathered in the Scottish Household Survey 2023, have informed the development of policy options on the future of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme fee waiver for volunteers in qualifying organisations. The Scottish Government will take this into account when finalising decisions.

Question reference: S6W-31968

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the report, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Services in Scotland: An analysis of updated NHS Board survey data, in November 2024, what action it is taking to address the gaps in service provision for people with ME that are identified in the report.

Question reference: S6W-31942

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to support any people wishing to access Medication Assisted Treatment services who experience travel barriers due to cost and/or distance.

Pilots of a non-statutory support scheme began in spring 2023, with funding provided for distribution by local services to remove the barrier of transport costs for people with substance dependency, when accessing treatment. These Pathfinders, also covering people with multiple and complex needs, are taking place in 11 locations, with full implementation to support a national practice model expected to be complete in Summer 2025.

As part of their work to support implementation of the MAT standards, the 2023 National Benchmarking Report published by Public Health Scotland (PHS), detailed assessments of how areas are trying to overcome the challenges of rurality. Approaches include: high use of self-referral and telephone, ‘tele-health’ technology such as NEAR ME; wide use of bus passes, taxis, and third sector to take people to appointments. Also offering a choice of venues to be seen at, such as a GP practice, home and community hubs, as well as settings to deliver care when weather disrupts usual access.

A strength in many areas is the utilisation of informal local networks and relationships to respond to urgent presentations, even when no formal arrangements are in place. Many areas now also have formal arrangements with other Health Boards to utilise and share expertise.