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-24810

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of any potential challenges faced by universities and students impacted by new UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, what steps it is taking to support universities in Scotland to (a) adapt to the new restrictions and (b) provide information and guidance to affected students.

The Scottish Government remains deeply concerned about the new UK visa changes and the impact on Scotland’s ability to attract international students.

The Scottish Government will launch a Talent Attraction and Migration Service in 2024. The service will help address Scotland's demographic challenges and will attract and welcome more workers from outside Scotland, including the rest of the UK, with the skills that our economy needs.

The service will provide immigration support for employers, including our universities and colleges, based in Scotland and for those wishing to set up in Scotland, to enable them to use the UK’s immigration system effectively and efficiently to help meet Scotland’s skills and labour needs.

The service will also cater to immigration queries from people whose leave is about to expire and to international students approaching the end of their studies who wish to remain in Scotland and seek employment with a Scotland-based employer.

We have also recently launched our International Education Strategy which sets out steps we will take to work collaboratively with the sector to support international students to study in Scotland.

As immigration is a complex legal area, students may wish to seek professional advice, as the Scottish Government cannot provide legal or immigration advice. An immigration advisor can be found through the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner which regulates immigration advice and services.

Question reference: S6W-24811

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are in place to monitor any impact of UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, on (a) student enrolment, (b) university finances and (c) the wider economy, in order to understand any long-term effect of the policy in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03051

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the potential harm of gambling to individuals, families and communities.

Question reference: S6O-02914

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many children in Aberdeen have received the Scottish Child Payment since its inception.

Question reference: S6F-02655

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2023

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to grow the green economy.

Question reference: S6O-02809

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work the NHS is undertaking to support people with gambling addiction.

Question reference: S6O-02781

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what difficulties there are, if any, in recruiting staff for jobs in the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-22378

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the impact on production in Scotland, what its position is on whether the current industrial hemp licensing regime is a "light touch regime", as stated by the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-22377

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding changing the licensing regime to increase the production of industrial hemp in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22358

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21542 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, whether it plans to lobby the UK Government and the Gambling Commission to restrict the advertising of gambling in Scotland.