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-03563

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact that replicating the non-domestic rates relief available to businesses in England would have in Ayrshire, including in relation to job creation.

Question reference: S6W-27858

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide (a) an update on how it has spent the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund to date and (b) a breakdown of its proposed spending plans for the fund in the current financial year.

In 2022-23 and 2023-24 over £70m of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) was invested by the Scottish Government to deliver a transformational change in holistic family support so that families get the right support, in the right way and at the right time. The funding was distributed as follows:

£32m provided annually for Children’s Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) to build local service capacity for transformation and the scaling up of holistic family support in local areas. This funding is being provided on a recurring, multi-year basis to 2025-26.
£0.8m for National Support for Local Delivery – including a package of activity aimed at supporting local transformation. This part of the funding also supports the wider evaluation and research work for WFWF.
£5.3m was provided to Scottish Government led national policy delivery for 12 specific projects that are transforming how families are supported.

We have prioritised £50m funding in 2024-25 to maintain the programme of activity above. Further details will be provided in a Whole Family Wellbeing investment approach to be published in due course.

Question reference: S6W-27695

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support and guidance it plans to provide to Ayrshire College, in light of reports that the college will be required to find an additional £882,000 in revenue savings in order to be able to continue to be financially sustainable, following the reported policy change regarding the transfer of funds between revenue and capital departmental expenditure limit budgets.

The Scottish Government and SFC are very conscious of the challenge colleges face. With regards to the specific issue raised, we are working collaboratively to understand the emerging impact and consider if a solution for 2024-25, as well as the longer term, can be found for affected colleges and keeping the Colleges: Tripartite Alignment Group updated.

The tripartite group provides strategic direction on the pressures and opportunities facing colleges. Further detail on the work of this group is available here: Colleges: Tripartite Alignment Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

My understanding is that the Scottish Funding Council has concluded that the flexibility it was in position to be able to use in previous years is no longer possible because of the budgetary position it is now operating within, therefore, there has not been any change of policy but rather a lack of flexibility to accommodate switching capital to resource.

Question reference: S6W-27694

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported policy change regarding the transfer of funds between revenue and capital departmental expenditure limit budgets that colleges use to manage their estate.

My understanding is that the Scottish Funding Council has concluded that the flexibility it was in a position to be able to use in previous years is no longer possible because of the budgetary position it is now operating within. Therefore, there has not been any change of policy, but rather a lack of flexibility to accommodate switching capital to resource.

This follows the difficult decisions the Scottish Government faced in setting the 2024-25 budget in the most challenging financial context since devolution. The main point therefore is one of SFC budgetary cover.

Question reference: S6O-03523

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether Creative Scotland’s funding will be increased during the next financial year.

Question reference: S6W-27536

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in situations where wayleaves cannot be satisfactorily concluded with landowners, what processes are in place to overcome any such issues, and what is considered a reasonable period within which to conclude such negotiations.

Scottish Ministers have no role in the conclusion of voluntary wayleaves in relation to electricity infrastructure and are only able to act on applications made by licence holders for Necessary Wayleaves under the Electricity Act 1989.

Telecommunications is a reserved matter to the UK Government and the framework for wayleaves is legislated for in Schedule 3A of the Communications Act 2003 (The Electronic Communications Code). The Code gives Code operators rights to apply for a wayleave agreement to be imposed by the courts if one cannot be reached voluntarily with a landowner.

Question reference: S6W-27372

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22266 by Paul McLennan on 16 October 2023, how much of the £500,000 domestic abuse pilot fund has been distributed to date.

The £500,000 fund to leave pilot was announced in October 2023 and ended on 31 March 2024. Women’s Aid groups disbursed the funding on behalf of the Scottish Government in five pilot areas. The Scottish Government expects a full report from Scottish Women’s Aid on the outcomes achieved by the start of June. Interim reports show that the £500,000 fund has been fully distributed, with over 500 applications being approved.

Question reference: S6W-26826

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many current inmates have Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) sentences, and whether that figure has risen in the past five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) figures are available publicly on the Risk Management Authority (RMA) website. The OLR sentences made in the last 5 years are as follows:

Financial Year	OLRs
2023-24	34
2022-23	27
2021-22	28
2020-21	15
2019-20	19

As of 25 April 2024 there were 229 individuals with an OLR sentence in Scottish Prisons.

Question reference: S6W-26991

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is collaborating with (a) other governments across the UK, (b) law enforcement agencies and (c) technology platforms to address the reported proliferation of sexually explicit deepfakes, and what resources are being allocated for (i) education and (ii) prevention of any associated crimes.

Regulation of the internet is a reserved matter falling to the UK Government and Parliament. Within that context, the Scottish Government engages with the UK Government and Ofcom, the new online safety regulator, on the implementation of the UK Government Online Safety Act in Scotland to address illegal and harmful material on the internet.

Decisions about operational policing priorities are a matter for Police Scotland, which is operationally independent of the Scottish Ministers. Where alleged criminal activity relating to intimate image abuse, including where this involves 'deepfakes', is reported to Police Scotland, they will investigate with a view to determining whether there is sufficient evidence to report to Crown Office for consideration of prosecution.

In 2023, Police Scotland undertook a 4-week online child sexual abuse and exploitation media campaign targeting sexual predators who groom and abuse children online, including through use of sexually explicit 'deepfake' images. Police Scotland's Cyberharm Prevention Team are also undertaking a National "sextortion" Prevention Campaign aimed at education and support for those affected by crimes of extortion, including people affected by "deepfake" images.

In terms of resources allocated to education and prevention, school pupils learn how to conduct online relationships safely and understand the risks and consequences of sharing intimate images. The Scottish Government's Gender-Based Violence in School Guidance makes clear that this includes non-consensual sharing of sexual images or threatening to do so.

The Scottish Government also funds Education Scotland to coordinate the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme, focussed on challenging attitudes underpinning gender-based violence, and supports schools to access Rape Crisis Scotland's National Sexual Violence Prevention programme.

Question reference: S6W-26824

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many inmates with Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) sentences have not had an updated risk assessment within the last year.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

OLRs are subject to an annual review of their LSCMI risk assessment which is carried out by Prison Based Social Work (PBSW). In addition to this, each OLR has a Risk Management Plan (RMP), which is largely part of the risk assessment prepared for the courts and updated at significant points of change during their sentence.

In 2023 there were 40 RMPs revised for OLRs and 10 revised thus far in 2024. SPS currently do not hold data on the number of OLRs whose LSCMIs have been updated within the past year.