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-24434

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it consults and engages with businesses and employers regarding the Job Grant.

Question reference: S5W-24425

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by which year Fair Start Scotland aims to have supported 38,000 people into work.

Question reference: S5W-24451

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether recipients of the Job Grant in rural areas will receive additional funding to account for higher transport costs and reduced access to public transport.

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a Job Grant to support a smooth transition into employment for young people on low incomes. In January this year we published a consultation to gather views on the key eligibility criteria and the payment format of the Grant. The analysis of consultation responses, published on 3 July 2019, shows that an overwhelming majority of individuals and organisations who responded believe that the Job Grant will meet its policy intention.

The Scottish Government will publish its response to the Job Grant consultation analysis in due course.

Question reference: S5W-24430

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by what date will the online application service will open for Best Start Foods.

Question reference: S5W-24342

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government on what date applications will be open for the next round of Coastal Communities Fund awards.

Question reference: S5W-24341

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 July 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 2 August 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how the amount awarded from the next round of Coastal Communities Fund awards will compare with the previous levels.

The Scottish Government has provided funding through the Coastal Communities Fund since it was established in 2012. Since 2017, when responsibility for the Coastal Communities Fund was devolved to the Scottish Government, Scottish Ministers have allocated £3.4 million to Coastal Communities Fund projects in Scotland.

I shall make an announcemnt on future funding for coastal community benefit in Scotland in the near future.

Question reference: S5W-24059

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 31 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to finance the Scottish Child Payment.

The introduction of the Scottish Child Payment is a significant investment in children and families, and will play a leading role in helping meet Scotland’s statutory child poverty targets which were passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament.

Finances for the Scottish Child Payment will be set out in the forthcoming Scottish Budget and Spending Review, when MSPs will have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate those proposals.

Question reference: S5W-23757

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what funding plans it has for the LEADER programme post 2020.

The Scottish Government has published clear proposals for Brexit transition in the Stability and Simplicity consultation. These proposals provide as much certainty as possible to help adjust to the confusion and uncertainty of Brexit. Scotland is the only part of the UK with such a detailed transition plan.

However the continued uncertainty on replacement funding by the UK Government (UKG) after 2020 is unacceptable. Commitments made by the UK Government are vague and provide no clarity regarding future funding levels. For example, the UK Government have announced that a Shared Prosperity Fund will be set up and will possibly fund some elements of CAP funding which may not covered by the UKG commitment to fund ‘farm support’, which includes LEADER. However, nothing has been confirmed.

Our position remains that all lost funding should be replaced in full and devolution should be fully respected. Decisions made by Scottish Ministers should continue to be made by Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government has repeatedly pressed the UK Government for clarity on future funding and I raised this again when I met the UK Minister on the 24 June.

Question reference: S5O-03458

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South 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 progress has been made with the inquiry into the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Question reference: S5W-23578

Asked by: Michelle Ballantyne, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there should be a blanket ban on the mass release of balloons.