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-11290

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what upgrades to the A77, excluding maintenance works, are planned for 2023.

Since 2007, the Scottish Government has invested approximately £64 million on five separate road schemes on the A77 including the recent completion of the £29m Maybole bypass which opened in January 2022.

The Scottish Government continues to invest in the A77 and its safe and efficient operation with the following minor improvement schemes planned for construction in 2023:

Layby improvements;
Glengall (slope stability works);
A77 Whitletts (studs, lighting and signals);
A77 Dutch House Roundabout and general road Improvements; and
A77 Cairnryan drainage improvements.

Question reference: S6W-11285

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08830 by Keith Brown on 8 June 2022, whether it will provide an update on its plans to create a Peace Institute by 2022, and what the (a) location, (b) cost and (c) remit of this body will be.

It is important that we build on our existing peace work and increase our knowledge and experience to strengthen Scotland’s peace offer. That is why we are actively considering options from the expert research we commissioned. The Scottish Government is committed to Scotland being an active and responsible global citizen and our priority now is to ensure that our future peace offer is an appropriate and responsible contribution to the existing activity underway in Scotland and internationally. I look forward to updating Parliament with our plans in due course.

Question reference: S6W-11284

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of its Humanitarian Emergency Fund spending for the last 12 months.

Our independent Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) Panel, supported by the HEF Secretariat, have prepared an Annual Report on HEF spend across 2021-22. In the interests of transparency and accountability, the Scottish Government will make this available on our website in due course.

In the meantime, I am able to confirm the Scottish Government's £1 million Humanitarian Emergency Fund was activated four times in the 2021-22 financial year. Additional funding of £4.4 million was provided to respond to crises in Ukraine and Malawi. A breakdown of funding allocations in 2021-22 is available in the following table.

Crisis Location	Activation Type	Recipient Organisation	Funding Amount
South Sudan	HEF Stream 2	Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF)	£120,500
South Sudan	HEF Stream 2	Christian Aid	£120,500
Afghanistan	HEF Stream 2	Tearfund	£120,000
Afghanistan	HEF Stream 2	Christian Aid/Islamic Relief	£240,000
Afghanistan	HEF Stream 1A	Disasters Emergency Committee	£192,000
Afghanistan	HEF Stream 1B	SCIAF	£48,000
Burkina Faso	HEF Stream 2	Tearfund	£123,000
N/A	HEF Secretariat Admin fee	Disasters Emergency Committee	£36,000
Malawi	Additional funding - Storm Ana flooding response	British Red Cross	£400,000
Ukraine	Additional funding - Ukraine humanitarian response	SCIAF	£500,000
		British Red Cross	£500,000
		Disasters Emergency Committee	£2,000,000
		UNICEF	£1,000,000

To date, the HEF has been activated twice in the 2022-23 financial year. We have provided £250,000 to assist people affected by the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. This was split equally between Christian Aid, for work in Ethiopia, and Islamic Relief, for work in Somalia.

The Scottish Government have also committed £500,000 to respond to the floods in Pakistan, with £250,000 coming from the HEF and a further £250,000 from the Climate Justice Fund. £400,000 of this has been committed to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal, with the remainder split equally between the two non-DEC members of the HEF Panel, Mercy Corps and SCIAF.

Question reference: S6W-11263

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements it will make to ScotRail in order to improve the punctuality of trains arriving at (a) Ayr and (b) Girvan railway station.

ScotRail has challenging performance targets to deliver and it is expected to work in close partnership with Network Rail to ensure passengers are provided with a reliable and punctual service.

As the member will be aware, ScotRail’s published reporting for the prior period (21 Aug - 17 Sep) shows that more than 9 out of 10 trains arriving at both Ayr and Girvan stations met the industry standard Public Performance Measure (PPM) target across a 12 month rolling period, and services at both stations scored above the network average on PPM.

Question reference: S6W-11283

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06933 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 March 2022, whether it will provide updated figures of how many of the (a) laptops and (b) tablets due to be provided to school pupils in (i) South Ayrshire and (ii) East Ayrshire are yet to be delivered.

I refer the member to answer to question S6W-08832 on 7 June 2022. 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

We continue to work with local authorities on plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this parliamentary term in 2026.

Question reference: S6W-11261

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it will have with Museums Galleries Scotland to ensure that current funding is distributed in a way that most effectively meets the sector's needs.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with Museums Galleries Scotland to understand the current challenges faced by the sector. We have agreed with Museums Galleries Scotland that it will repurpose the grants it receives from the Scottish Government into a new Resilience Fund, in order to support museums to build their resilience through activity that will reduce costs, increase income and support communities. This new fund was announced on 12 October.

Question reference: S6W-11262

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Museums Galleries Scotland regarding the body's decision to pause its small grants programme.

The Scottish Government has had regular discussions with Museums Galleries Scotland on its decision to pause its small grants programme during the current cost of living crisis. It was jointly agreed that MGS would pause its programme to determine the best way to make use of the remaining funds it receives from the government and address the sector’s needs and priorities at this time.

MGS has created a new Resilience Fund to better support the sector for the remainder of the year. This was announced to the sector on 12 October.

Question reference: S6W-11289

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07194 by Neil Gray on 16 March 2022, whether it will provide an update on the progress of protecting the properties in the care of Historic Environment Scotland that are reportedly being left to “gracefully die”.

While Historic Environment Scotland is currently undertaking a prioritised inspection programme on each Property in Care affected by High Level Masonry issues, no site is being left without care. Each individual assessment will study the condition and the impact of climate change on the site and will inform a subsequent programme of repairs and conservation work at affected properties.

There are over 300 Properties in Care managed by Historic Environment Scotland, the vast majority of which are currently open and with free entry to visitors. Providing access to our world-renowned historic sites, particularly during the cost-of-living crisis, is one of the ways we can make cultural places accessible, understood, shared and enjoyed by everyone.

I will continue discussing future potential approaches for our Properties in Care with Historic Environment Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-11287

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the creation of a fund for public artwork, fulfilling the SNP manifesto commitment, and when it anticipates that this will be in place.

We are committed to broadening the range of people represented in Scotland’s public places, in particular the contribution of women and ethnic minorities. We will work with Creative Scotland, whose remit includes public art, on what form a fund would take and how a fund might best be deployed within available resources. The effects of the pandemic and the current cost crisis facing the culture sector, along with the challenging outlook for public expenditure, mean that we do not have a confirmed timeframe for when this will be in place.

Question reference: S6W-11288

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on establishing a Percentage for the Arts scheme, and when it anticipates that this will be in place.

We are currently in initial stages of scoping a ‘Percentage for the Arts’ scheme, which would channel a small percentage of spending on all new public buildings and spaces into support for arts and culture. This work will require significant engagement and consultation with the culture, creative and heritage sectors, local authorities, and across Government, to put in place assessments of the legal, analytical, regulatory, and financial issues. Consideration must also be given to the environmental and equalities impacts of the scheme.