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: S5W-31840

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31185 by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020, whether it will provide an update on the consideration it is giving to introducing an official exemption card for people who are exempt from wearing a face covering.

Question reference: S5W-31813

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in signing a contract for the North Lot of the R100 superfast broadband programme.

Question reference: S5W-31798

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 25 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when section (a) 8 and (b) 14 of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 will come into force.

Sections 8 and 14 of the Act are two of the provisions relating to Island Community Impact Assessments. Section 9 of the Act, which needs to be brought into force at the same time as sections 8 and 14, requires an affirmative Scottish Statutory Instrument setting out the process for reviews of decisions relating to ICIAs.

Activity on ICIAs was put on hold to enable Scottish Government to focus its resources on the response to COVID-19. However, following a meeting with the Chief Executives and Leaders of the Islands Authorities at the Islands Strategic Group on 26 May 2020, this work was re-prioritised.

The regulations required under section 9 of the Act and the associated commencement regulations are due to come into force on 23 December, 2020. This date does remain subject to any further urgent legislative work that may be required as a result of COVID-19 and EU Exit.

The commencement regulations will bring into force sections 7 to 14 (inclusive) of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

Question reference: S5W-31451

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31291 by John Swinney on 26 August 2020, how much funding was allocated to each local authority, and how this was calculated.

As agreed with COSLA, funding allocations to each local authority were based on a distribution formula calculated on the basis of deprivation (70%) and rurality (30%). Agreed amounts allocated are detailed in the following table:

LA	Allocation
Aberdeen City	£503,633
Aberdeenshire	£1,320,234
Angus	£511,133
Argyll and Bute	£447,007
City of Edinburgh	£943,823
Clackmannanshire	£225,168
Dumfries and Galloway	£733,257
Dundee City	£761,110
East Ayrshire	£742,413
East Dunbartonshire	£314,648
East Lothian	£469,946
East Renfrewshire	£211,436
Falkirk	£651,885
Fife	£1,847,197
Glasgow City	£3,123,122
Highland	£1,393,009
Inverclyde	£433,829
Midlothian	£396,645
Moray	£488,001
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£152,880
North Ayrshire	£551,172
North Lanarkshire	£1,612,911
Orkney Islands	£142,900
Perth and Kinross	£721,467
Renfrewshire	£706,764
Scottish Borders	£631,807
Shetland Islands	£180,151
South Ayrshire	£524,128
South Lanarkshire	£1,468,744
Stirling	£454,473
West Dunbartonshire	£448,170
West Lothian	£844,736

We are now considering how best to invest the remaining £1m to deliver further benefits for disadvantaged children and young people.

Question reference: S5O-04589

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Information Commissioner.

Question reference: S5W-31363

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it was made aware of the difference in exam moderation rates in different areas of affluence, and whether it will place a copy of the notification in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Question reference: S5W-31365

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it planned to use a similar system of moderation for the 2020-21 exams before it announced that “details will be provided separately before schools return on 11 August, regarding the approach for the assessment of national qualifications for the 2020-21 session”.

Question reference: S5W-31360

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it received about the tolerable range that was employed by the SQA ahead of the exam results moderation.

Question reference: S5W-31359

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the revised plans for the 2020-21 exam season will be (a) confirmed and (b) announced by the Education Recovery Group.

Question reference: S5W-31361

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it received regarding proposals to moderate exam results ahead of the proposed results being shared on 30 July 2020, and whether it will place copies of this in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

I was briefed on the alternative certification model when the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) published their outline approach, and I received a verbal briefing on 30 July on the detail of the process.

Professor Mark Priestley is already looking at the events leading up the SQA awards on 4 August. The review will be provided with correspondence between the SQA and myself. Professor Priestley will provide a report on his findings in September.