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: S6W-28743

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on people in Scotland who are refugees, what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding applying the lessons learnt from the schemes to support people from Ukraine and explore ways to offer safe routes to others seeking sanctuary.

Question reference: S6W-28741

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to help displaced people across the private rented sector.

Question reference: S6W-28742

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on people in Scotland who are refugees, whether it has made representations to the UK Government to publish a national integration strategy that promotes more equal support for all displaced people and builds on learning across each of the four UK nations.

Question reference: S6W-28740

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential impact on people in Scotland who are refugees, whether it has made representations to the UK Government to strengthen the Homes for Ukraine scheme in order to protect the safety and sustainability of sponsorship, as recommended by British Red Cross.

Question reference: S6W-28744

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reports that the salmon farm operator, Bakkafrost, is proposing an extension of its temporary closure of the Arnish Harvest Station and Marybank Processing Facility in Stornoway, putting around 80 employees at risk of redundancy.

Question reference: S6W-28647

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update the Sea Fish (Prohibition on Fishing) (Firth of Clyde) Order 2024 within the next year, in light of reports that the order was based on a draft report whose authors stated that, for the data to have statistical significance, the study should be considered as part of a number of years' worth of survey results.

Question reference: S6W-28745

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on commissioning a review of climate risks to salmon farms, in light of reports suggesting that higher sea temperatures will have serious implications for the viability of these businesses, which could put jobs at risk.

Question reference: S6W-28376

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to ensure that local authorities provide adequate support to pupils and students with additional support needs in order to prevent the need for parents to appeal to the additional support needs tribunal, particularly in light of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 coming into force on 16 July 2024.

The Additional Support for Learning Code of Practice is statutory guidance which explains the duties on education authorities and other agencies to support children’s and young people’s learning. It provides guidance on the provisions of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act as well as on the supporting framework of secondary legislation. Education authorities and agencies involved in advising or supporting children and young people with additional support needs and their families, should encourage and support their employees in gaining knowledge of the content of the code and understanding of its application in their day-to-day work. To ensure that it continues to fully support schools and local authorities to fulfil their duties under the ASL Act, we have committed to a refresh of the Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice during this parliamentary term. The update will take account of the incorporation of UNCRC.

In terms of funding to support local authorities, spending on additional support for learning by authorities reached a record high of £926m in 2022-23 an increase of £386m in the last 10 years. We have invested £75m since 2019-20 to help schools respond to the individual needs of children and young people, which has contributed to the highest recorded level of support staff in Scotland. We also provide over £11m of funding each year to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and services to support children and families.

The early resolution of concerns and disagreements is actively encouraged. Where this is not possible, the Additional Support for Learning legislation sets out a range of dispute resolution mechanisms and the Scottish Government provide for a range of services to support parents, carers and young people through this process.

In response to the Additional Support for Learning Review in 2020, Scottish Ministers are committed to ensuring that Additional Support for Learning legislation is UNCRC compliant, and will deliver this through the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-28533

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether its webpage, fairdeliveries.scot, which was planned to provide an online data hub and interactive parcel delivery map and be updated on a monthly basis, is available, and, if this is not the case, what the reasons are for it not being available.

In August 2020, the Scottish Government launched an interactive website, fairdeliveries.scot, which provided users with information allowing them to measure the fairness of delivery pricing, improve transparency, and drive positive behavioural change from parcel delivery companies.

In January 2023, fairdeliveries.scot was decommissioned as the low levels of traffic did not represent best value for money. As an alternative, Highland Council Trading Standards runs the Delivery Law UK website which provides comprehensive information for consumers and businesses on their rights and obligations in relation to parcel delivery.

Postal services is a reserved policy which places a limit on any actions that the Scottish Government can take. We will continue to work collaboratively with our partners in Consumer Scotland and Trading Standards to advocate for a fair approach to parcel delivery for both households and business.

Question reference: S6W-28534

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the eight action points in its Fairer Deliveries For All: An Action Plan.

Fairer Deliveries For All: An Action Plan was launched in November 2018, with a focus on tackling unfair parcel delivery practices, and understanding the root causes of over-charging for these services.

The plan identified eight action points to be taken forward by the Scottish Government and its partners:

1. We will develop an interactive data hub to allow users to measure the fairness of delivery pricing to improve transparency and drive behaviour change.

2. We will develop the Scottish Parcel Delivery Map to understand consumer experiences and target interventions.

3. We will celebrate best practice by retailers and parcel delivery companies.

4. We will work with industry to explore how to increase the impact and reach of the Statement of Principles.

5. We will make it easier for consumers to know and exercise their rights.

6. We will improve the accuracy of postcode classification tools.

7. We will establish the Improving Consumer Outcomes Fund to explore new approaches to tackling long-standing consumer issues, including misleading and unfair delivery charges in rural and remote areas of Scotland.

8. We will shape UK Government action to further strengthen consumer protection.

In August 2020, the Scottish Government published a progress update on the eight action points, which can be found here: Fairer deliveries action plan: progress statement - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

At the time of the publication, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the creation of a new public body to tackle the causes of consumer harm in Scotland. As a result, Consumer Scotland came into existence in April 2022, impacting on the role and remit of the Scottish Government in relation to consumer issues.

Work on the Action Plan concluded in 2022 in response to the establishment of Consumer Scotland and its role considering consumer detriment in Scotland. Post and delivery services are key priorities for the organisation as set out in its work programme, which can be found here: Work Programme 2024-2025 (HTML) | Consumer Scotland . As part of this, Consumer Scotland works with UK Regulators, governments and partner organisations to ensure that the parcel delivery market is meeting the needs of current and future consumers living in Scotland.

Postal services is a reserved policy which places a limit upon actions that the Scottish Government and Consumer Scotland can take.