- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the reported competitive disadvantage faced by west coast fishermen following changes to the minimum landing size for lobster.
Answer
Scotland’s diverse fishing industry is subject to a variety of management measures including temporal and spatial restrictions on gear deployment, vessel type and catch. As with the 2017 change to minimum landing size for lobster, there are instances where management measures vary between areas, to help ensure sustainable fisheries. It should be noted that the 2017 measures were informed by scientific advice, a 12-week public consultation and engagement with our Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RFIG) network.
Decisions made regarding the management of Scotland’s commercial fisheries are based on stock assessment advice provided by our scientific advisors and we recently shared updated reports based on landings from 2020 – 2023 with our stakeholders.
In addition, the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics publication has information on landings and sales data, and can be accessed through the Scottish Government website. This can be used to compare the landings of different species and different geographic areas.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that registered social landlords do not grant social housing tenancies to individuals subject to immigration control.
Answer
Registered Social Landlords are not subject to the exclusion on granting tenancies to persons subject to immigration control. Section 118 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which applies in Scotland applies only to local authorities. Registered Social Landlords do not need to consider nationality or immigration status and can allocate homes to any person. Our Social housing allocations in Scotland: practice guide published in 2019 offers practical assistance to social landlord staff with responsibility for reviewing, monitoring and updating allocation policies and procedures to ensure they comply with current legislation.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35432 by Kaukab Stewart on 19 March 2025, whether it will provide a breakdown of the costs associated with the "Connected Communities Budget Funding – Engagement with Afghan women 2022".
Answer
This grant was a single payment of £4,100. No further breakdown of costs was required.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many businesses in Scotland have relocated (a) to the rest of the UK and (b) overseas since 2021.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. However, data are available on the number of businesses operating in Scotland that are rest of the UK owned and Abroad owned. These estimates, sourced from the Businesses in Scotland 2024 publication, are shown in the following table.
Table 1: Registered businesses operating in Scotland, Rest of the UK and Abroad owned, 2010 to 2024
Year | Rest of the UK owned | Abroad owned |
2010 | 2,715 | 1,980 |
2011 | 2,675 | 2,005 |
2012 | 2,665 | 2,130 |
2013 | 2,720 | 2,165 |
2014 | 2,715 | 2,230 |
2015 | 2,715 | 2,310 |
2016 | 2,790 | 2,305 |
2017 | 2,785 | 2,350 |
2018 | 2,775 | 2,610 |
2019 | 2,800 | 2,870 |
2020 | 2,935 | 3,010 |
2021 | 2,730 | 3,090 |
2022 | 2,645 | 3,155 |
2023 | 2,550 | 3,315 |
2024 | 2,555 | 3,530 |
Source: Businesses in Scotland 2024
Notes:
1.These data are available from Table 3 of the Scottish Government Businesses in Scotland 2024 publication: Businesses in Scotland: 2024 - gov.scot
2.Estimates are rounded to the nearest five.
The latest report on the 2024 EY Scotland Attractiveness survey (https://www.gov.scot/news/record-inward-investment-secured/) showed that Scotland's market share of UK investments has been growing over the past few years, hitting record levels in 2024 - Scotland’s share of UK foreign direct investment (FDI) projects increased for a fifth year in a row to 14.4%.
According to Scottish Development International (SDI) results, inward investment into Scotland from international FDI projects accounted for substantially more than UK projects. International projects into Scotland accounted for 69% (2021-22), 73% (2022-23) and 72% (2023-24) of total projects.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove the qualifying period for (a) adult and (b) child disability payment for young people diagnosed with cancer.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35938 on 25 April 2025. 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
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for any disparities between local authorities in the proportion of children that they identify as having additional support needs.
Answer
Local authorities have the statutory responsibility for delivering education and for ensuring that those pupils identified with an additional support need, are fully supported to learn. Work is underway through the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan to improve the consistency of all communications regarding additional support for learning. This includes the data that is recorded and published.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the findings by the Scottish Human Rights Commission in its November 2024 report, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands, in areas where the Commission identified obligations that were being (a) partially and (b) not met.
Answer
We expect to issue our response to the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s report before the Scottish Parliament's summer recess. Our response will outline the actions being taken to respect, protect and fulfil economic, social and cultural rights in the Highlands and Islands.
We acknowledge that more can be done to advance rights realisation in Scotland's Highlands and Island communities. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders, duty bearers and delivery partners to achieve this.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s November 2024 report, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer
We thank the Scottish Human Rights Commission for their detailed report. We expect to issue our formal response to the report before the Scottish Parliament's summer recess.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration was given to the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s November 2024 report, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the Highlands and Islands, when allocating its 2025-26 Budget, and what the outcome was.
Answer
The Scottish Government's 2025-26 Budget was published on 4 December 2024. This was a week after the Scottish Human Rights Commission published their report on rights in the Highlands and Islands, so there was not sufficient time to fully consider and incorporate the report and its recommendations into the Scottish Government's 2025-26 Budget.
However, an Island Communities Impact Assessment was undertaken on the 2025-26 Budget, to consider the unique needs of Scottish island communities.
We are considering the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s report with a view to formally responding to its recommendations ahead of the summer recess.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to withdraw from Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme.
Answer
The Scottish Government renewed its annual membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions scheme for 2025 and therefore has no plans to withdraw.