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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-11417

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 25 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has carried out on its review of the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Homes for Ukraine is the UK Government scheme and the Scottish Super Sponsor scheme works within it to offer an alternative route for displaced people from Ukraine to come to the UK.

The review convened a number of experts from across national and local government, academia and the third sector. It also took account of the perspectives and experiences of Ukrainians who participated in focus groups.

Findings from the review are being taking into consideration when developing the next steps to enhance our ability to provide appropriate and sustainable longer-term support to those who are here, as well as those who are still to travel. I will provide a statement to Parliament soon to update on the findings of the review.

Question reference: S6T-00915

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported “perfect storm” that the arts and culture sector is facing, in light of reports that organisations such as the Falkirk Town Hall, the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, the Belmont in Aberdeen and the Edinburgh International Film Festival recently entered into administration and the Modern Two art gallery in Edinburgh was forced to close for winter.

Question reference: S6W-11153

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation is carried out following the allocation of international development spending.

Question reference: S6W-11154

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will publish its refreshed Culture Strategy Action Plan.

We are working towards publishing the refreshed Culture Strategy Action Plan before the end of the year. As part of this, we have been working with the culture sector to identify priority workstreams to support recovery and renewal, taking into account the combined impact of the Covid pandemic, EU Exit, and the cost of living crisis, and are considering the recommendations from the Creative Industries Leadership Group and National Partnership for Culture. We published the Scottish Government’s response to the National Partnership for Culture recommendations in September 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11152

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its current decision-making criteria are for international development spending.

The Scottish Government's decision making criteria for international development spending are as set out in our 2016 Strategy available at Global Citizenship: Scotland's International Development Strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). However, we are currently implementing a review of our International Development Strategy following a review in 2021 (full details available at Coronavirus (COVID-19): review of international development programme - International development - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). We are planning to have a revised International Development Programme in place from 2023 which is being guided by the recommendations of the 2021 review. Full details of the new International Development Programme, covering decision making criteria and more, will be made available on gov.scot as these become available.

Question reference: S6W-11145

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the decision was taken to pause the Youth Music Initiative’s funding as part of the cost of living emergency budget review.

The announcement of the emergency budget review, as noted in the response to question S6W-11144 on 19 October 2022, confirmed a pause to all non-contracted spend, which included the remaining Youth Music Initiative budget.

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

Question reference: S6W-11144

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the decision was taken to include the Youth Music Initiative’s funding as part of the cost of living emergency budget review.

Question reference: S6W-11147

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding for the Youth Music Initiative will be secure after March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-11414

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review funding to Museums Galleries Scotland in order to help it support its member organisations during the cost of living crisis.

Question reference: S6W-11157

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 18 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its scheme to provide free bicycles to children who cannot afford them.

In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. A further four pilots were then established by the end of 2021.

The official pilot period for these pilots has now concluded, and a final evaluation is being collated. We expect to receive the evaluation in early November and will be publishing it on the Transport Scotland website thereafter.