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: S5O-04015

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to identify children, young people and adults with dyslexia.

We provide free professional learning opportunities for practitioners in order to support education authorities to meet their duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act – including identifying, providing for, and reviewing the additional support needs of all their pupils. These support practitioners to further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in supporting learners with dyslexia, including through the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit and the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice online professional learning modules.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Dyslexia Scotland who provide support to adults with dyslexia.

Question reference: S5O-04027

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to preserve buildings and landmarks of historic interest.

Question reference: S5O-03500

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support police in tackling drug use at football grounds.

Question reference: S5O-03456

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to raise awareness of the Apologies (Scotland) Act 2016 since it came into force on 19 June 2017.

Question reference: S5O-03343

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime.

Question reference: S5O-03319

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it can take to ensure that customers pay a fair tariff for their home energy bills, including older people.

Question reference: S5O-03185

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle the use of new psychoactive substances in prisons.

I hope you will understand that it would be inappropriate to place into the public domain specific details about all of the responses deployed to reduce illicit drug use in Scottish prisons.

I can however advise that the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has established a Strategic Risk and Threat Group to identify emerging threats and coordinate tactical responses across the prison estate.

Tactical measures are supported by various technologies, including
‎ X-ray machines, body scanners and other equipment which can assist in detecting attempts to introduce illicit substances to prisons. SPS also has a number of drug detection dogs.

SPS and Police Scotland continue to work closely to prevent the introduction of illicit substances and seek convictions where appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-22156

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetable is for the (a) establishment and (b) full implementation of its proposed publicly-funded energy company.

The outline business case for the public energy company is currently underway and we will publish it once we have considered the consultants final report along with our local authority partners. Once completed it will help inform the Scottish Government’s further discussions with local authorities as to how we can work together to deliver the ambition of a public energy company and its associated benefits. In light of these discussions, we expect to publish the outline business case alongside a consultation regarding the vision for and format of the public energy company.

It remains our intention, subject to the findings on the business case, to deliver by the end of this Parliament a “white label” arrangement as the first phase in the development of the public energy company.

Question reference: S5W-22157

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 27 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its outline business case for its proposed public energy company.

Question reference: S5O-03020

Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent assaults on teachers and classroom assistants.