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-30632

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to progress its commitment to establishing a National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

Question reference: S6W-30634

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what stakeholder engagement it has undertaken to progress the delivery of the proposed National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

Question reference: S6W-30633

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the timescales for the delivery of the proposed National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

Question reference: S6W-30593

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm what the full cost and impact of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships has been.

From 3 to 13 August 2023, Scotland proudly hosted the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships – the biggest cycling event ever. This historic and innovative event brought together 13 existing UCI World Championships to create a new ‘mega event’ that will be held every four years in the year preceding the Olympics.

More than 7,000 elite and amateur athletes from 131 countries competed, with 220 World Championship titles awarded. Around 1 million visitors attended the Championships, over a third of whom came from outside Scotland, with people travelling from five continents.

The event was a significant success for Scotland, economically and reputationally. It brought total GVA for Scotland of £205 million, with £129 million in total GVA for Glasgow. The total visitor spend in Scotland was £220 million. The Championships enjoyed significant international coverage, resulting in a global media equivalency value of £330 million for Scotland.

The Scottish Government was a Principal Funder for the Championships, alongside Glasgow City Council, UK Sport and British Cycling. The original budget for the event was £50 million, set in 2018. However, while significant efforts were made to bear down on costs throughout the project, the impact of Covid and inflationary pressures meant it was not possible to deliver the high-quality product required in the legal agreement with the UCI, the event rights holder, within the budget envelope. I can therefore confirm that the full cost of the Championships was £61.4 million. There is a small caveat to this figure which is still subject to final project closure and final company accounts being prepared and submitted, but there is no expectation that this will have a material impact on the overall figure.

The breakdown of costs is as follows:

Area	Cost
Commercial	£2.5 million
Governance and Business Services	£14.7 million
Marketing and Communications	£1.9 million
Operations	£7.3 million
Policy	£0.1 million
Sport	£27.1 million
Workforce	£7.7 million

The Scottish Government’s original forecast funding contribution for the event was £30 million, however the final figure, in part due to inflation, is £39.2 million. We are clear that the significant direct economic and long-term reputational benefits are such that hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships provided a very positive return for this investment.

Our successful delivery in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023 leaves a fantastic blueprint for the next iteration of the Cycling World Championships in France in 2027, and for future major events in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03836

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are for the future provision of Gaelic education in primary schools in the Glasgow Anniesland constituency.

Question reference: S6O-03807

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the provision of levelling up funding for areas of multiple deprivation such as Drumchapel in the Glasgow Anniesland constituency.

Question reference: S6W-29657

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 20 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of interest is on student loans for students from Scotland, and how this compares with other parts of the UK.

The interest rate for Scottish domiciled students is currently 4.3%.

The interest rates currently applied across the UK are as follows:

Plan 1 – Northern Irish borrowers, English and Welsh pre-2012 borrowers – 4.3%

Plan 2 – Post 2012 Welsh borrowers, English borrowers between 2012 – 2023 – 7.3%

Plan 3 – English and Welsh postgraduate borrowers – 7.3%

Plan 4 - All Scottish borrowers – 4.3%

Plan 5 – English post 2023 borrowers – 4.3%

Information on student loan interest rates and further terms and conditions across the UK can be found here: Repaying your student loan: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question reference: S6O-03621

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what recent engagement it has had with third-sector organisations regarding Scotland's constitutional future.

Question reference: S6W-27960

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its 2024-25 public sector pay metrics.

The Scottish Government set out the 2024-25 public sector pay metrics today in a new Framework for a multi-year Pay Policy covering 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27. The cumulative impact of the pay metrics across the 3-year period is 9.3% compared with forecast CPI inflation of 5.7% over the same period. Employers are encouraged to continue our established progressive pay approach, which may include additional protections for the lowest paid.

https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836013686

Question reference: S6O-03525

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what role the Scottish Government Resilience Room would play in the event of a major nuclear incident.