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-22491

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 2 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates it has met local government representatives to discuss Brexit funding, and what issues were raised.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with local government stakeholders as part of our ongoing work to identify and prepare for the potential implications of the UK leaving the EU, including the possible costs. The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government met the President of COSLA on 13 March 2019, at which Brexit and a number of other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

Question reference: S5O-03213

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve performance on ScotRail services.

Question reference: S5T-01624

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 April 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out on the potential impact on businesses across Scotland of no longer using the pound.

Question reference: S5O-03126

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met local authorities and the Scottish Prison Service to discuss the provision of secure care units.

Question reference: S5W-22268

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 27 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02991 by Graeme Dey on 14 March 2019 (Official Report, c. 42), how the (a) £55 million received for 2019-20 is being and (b) remaining £10 million for 2018-19 has been allocated, broken down by portfolio.

As a responsible government we are preparing for all EU Exit possibilities. In 2018-19, the Scottish Government received £37.3 million in consequentials; £27 million was allocated to specific Brexit related activity in the Scottish Government and its agencies, with the remaining £10 million being spent by portfolios as part of the 2018-19 Scottish Budget.

The 2019-20 Scottish Budget will support vital preparedness activities. All Portfolio areas have benefited from all of the £54.7 million EU Exit funding consequentials being allocated via the 2019-20 Scottish Budget; these are fully absorbed in supporting work already underway, including EU exit preparation. We are prioritising activity in areas that will be heavily impacted by Brexit such as the economy, transport, food and drink, medicines, agriculture and the rural economy.

The UK Government’s indecision over Brexit has made it difficult to forecast potential costs, however we continue to press the UK Government through various channels for as much detail as possible to support our own necessary preparations for EU Exit. Given the range and diversity of work ongoing across the Scottish Government and its interaction with day-to-day responsibilities, it is simply not possible to provide a full breakdown of cost to date. What we do know is Brexit is going to cost Scotland more than the consequentials delivered by Westminster.

We are also engaged in civil contingencies planning around any impacts that may have an immediate and direct effect on citizens. Intensive planning and preparation for a ‘no deal’ outcome has been underpinned by detailed work across government to identify the risks and potential impacts of EU exit and the mitigating actions that we and others could take across a wide range of issues, including impact to businesses.

Weekly meetings of SGoRR – the Scottish Government Resilience Room Committee – have been held with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister convening. These meetings have input from Cabinet Secretaries including those responsible for Health, Justice, Transport, Rural and my own Portfolio, as well as other organisations such as Transport Scotland, COSLA, and Police Scotland.

I am working with the Deputy First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations to ensure that any decisions to reprioritise resource towards EU exit priorities are made collectively and consistently.

Question reference: S5O-03015

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the priorities are for its external affairs budget spend in 2019-20.

Question reference: S5O-02993

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how its plans for a future independence referendum have been informed by the Sustainable Growth Commission.

Question reference: S5O-02934

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5O-02898

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Question reference: S5W-21133

Asked by: James Kelly, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 6 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations it consulted when drafting the anti-hate crime campaign, Dear Haters.

On 26 September we launched a hate crime campaigning partnership with Police Scotland which aimed to encourage witnesses to report. The campaign was developed in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including:

Police Scotland
COPFS
COSLA
Education Scotland
BEMIS
CEMVO
Glasgow City Council
Central Scotland Regional Equality Council
Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights
Community Safety Glasgow
Interfaith Scotland
Edinburgh Interfaith Association
SCoJeC
Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society
Equality Network
LGBT Youth Scotland
Mental Health Foundation
People First (Scotland)
I Am Me Project
Inclusion Scotland
YouthLink Scotland

The campaign ran until 1 November and was Scotland-wide.