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-34527

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 18 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it defines "Fairer Funding".

The Scottish Government recognises that the third sector needs stability and certainty in order to thrive and to help the Government to deliver on its policy agenda. The Programme for Government 2024 commits the Government to continuing to invest in the third sector across the Scottish Government, making improvements to grant making.

We have listened to the views of the Sector and have committed to progress Fairer Funding within the bounds of affordability. In the first instance this includes implementing a multi-year funding pilot and improving the timeliness of grant notifications. Subsequently we will go on to evaluate the impact of the Pilot and make further improvements to the grant making process, including consideration of reporting requirements and grant conditions in order to ensure grants make the greatest impact possible for beneficiaries.

Question reference: S6W-34329

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when legislative regulations regarding alkaline hydrolysis will be laid before the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-33946

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 3 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on strengthening (a) planning law and (b) national guidance to improve the provision of accessible parking spaces.

Accessible parking space provision is influenced by many regimes including planning, building standards and roads policy. It is for the local authority to decide on the suitable parking requirements in each locale, taking a place based approach. Planning law does not govern car parking provision, rather, it is for the local authority to manage existing parking in public car parks and on the road network and requirements for new developments (set out in building standards guidance).

Scottish Government funding for electric vehicle charge points now requires operators to take steps to ensure a reasonable proportion of accessible spaces.

Question reference: S6O-04304

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making bereavement education a formal part of the school syllabus.

Question reference: S6O-04168

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted an assessment of the potential impact of the reported proposed budget reduction for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service on its ability to reduce any court backlogs.

Question reference: S6W-31949

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the decline in formal volunteer participation in Scotland since 2019.

Scotland’s volunteers make a fantastic contribution to people’s lives and our communities.

The Scottish Government provide direct funding to national and local intermediaries to support the national and local volunteering infrastructure. This includes funding for Volunteer Scotland to implement Scotland’s Volunteering Action Plan. This long-term plan seeks to increase participation and reduce barriers to volunteering for all. The Scottish Government also funds the local Third Sector Interface network who support volunteering across all 32 local authorities as well as funding youth volunteering and the Volunteering Support Fund.

Volunteer Scotland has strategic leadership of volunteering, including provision of a national advice centre and delivery of research. We very much welcome the launch, in September, of a national volunteering recruitment campaign, led by Volunteer Scotland, to address volunteer shortages. This will provide volunteer involving organisations with practical guidance and promotion materials to help attract and retain volunteers.

Question reference: S6W-31950

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Household Survey 2023 findings, which show a further decline in respondents' formal volunteer participation, will be considered when finalising the decision regarding the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) fee proposals for volunteers in qualifying voluntary organisations.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Long and short term trends in formal volunteering, including information gathered in the Scottish Household Survey 2023, have informed the development of policy options on the future of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme fee waiver for volunteers in qualifying organisations. The Scottish Government will take this into account when finalising decisions.

Question reference: S6W-31530

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to repeat the Health and Wellbeing Census; if so, what the earliest date is by which this may be implemented; which local authorities have confirmed so far that they (a) will and (b) will not participate; whether children's identity numbers will be gathered again, and what consultation has been undertaken with (i) parents and (ii) groups representing parents regarding (A) methodology and (B) question choice.

Question reference: S6O-04118

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to enhance regional transport partnerships over the coming year.

Question reference: S6W-31487

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to (a) the Marie Curie report, Dying in Poverty in Scotland 2024, and (b) its finding that one in five people will be in fuel poverty at the end of life.

The Scottish Government supports the delivery of the highest standards of palliative care, and we will give this report and its recommendations careful consideration. Our palliative care strategy, currently out for public consultation, aims to ensure that people can access well-coordinated, timely and high-quality palliative care, care around dying, and bereavement support based on what matters to them.

High energy prices are the single most important driver of fuel poverty. Within our devolved powers we continue to support vulnerable households through our winter heating benefits, provision of free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice and energy efficiency schemes. However the powers to make a real difference remain reserved to Westminster. That is why the UK Government must introduce a social tariff mechanism as a means of targeted support for those who need it most, including terminally ill people who are struggling with their energy bills. The Scottish Government is making progress on co-designing such a mechanism with industry and has agreed to report to the UK Government on this work as soon as possible.