- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what impact its reported proposed reduction of £516,000 to the Gaelic Broadcasting budget will have on MG ALBA and its ability to deliver its services.
Answer
Following the 2024-25 budget settlement, the Scottish Government reviewed a number of budget lines in Education and Skills. In relation to Gaelic the outcome of this review is that there will now be no reduction to the MG ALBA funding for 2024-25. There will also be no reduction of the Gaelic, Education and Culture budget line which would have had an impact on the funding of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Storlann and other organisations and the Scottish Government has now provided additional funding to enable Bòrd na Gidhlig to continue its support for the Gaelic Officers’ Scheme in 2024-25.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to pay the real Living Wage or provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.
Answer
Monitoring compliance with Fair Work First principles, including the requirements to pay workers at least the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective voice, is the responsibility of individual grant managers across government and of relevant funders across the wider public sector. It takes place within existing grant assurance and monitoring processes, as with any other condition of grant, such as agreed outcomes.
Where an exception to the real Living Wage requirement is approved, the relevant funder is asked to record these. Officials are in the process of commissioning this information which will be collated and published in due course. There are no exceptions to the effective voice requirement, however funders may apply flexibility to recognise the different forms of voice appropriate for different organisations.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many practitioners have been trained to be cervical screening sample takers in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally as it is a matter for NHS Boards.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much the fluoride varnish aspect of the Childsmile programme has cost in each of the last five financial years.
Answer
Funding provided to NHS Boards for the delivery of Childsmile covers the full programme, and we do not separate the cost of certain aspects of the programme, such as the fluoride varnish element.
My answer to the Member’s separate question (reference S6W-26265 on 15 April 2024) sets out how much the Scottish Government has spent on the Childsmile programme in the last five years.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been distributed in each local authority area from the £50 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund since 2020.
Answer
Funding for Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services for children, young people and their families has been distributed to each local authority area as follows:
| | 2019-20 £ | 2020-21 £ | 2021-22 £ | 2022-23 £ | 2023-24 £ |
Aberdeen City | 62,500 | 144,000 | 576,000 | 585,000 | 577,000 |
Aberdeenshire | 62,500 | 197,500 | 790,000 | 797,000 | 809,000 |
Angus | 62,500 | 81,500 | 326,000 | 322,000 | 324,000 |
Argyll and Bute | 62,500 | 61,250 | 245,000 | 246,000 | 247,000 |
City of Edinburgh | 62,500 | 34,750 | 139,000 | 135,000 | 136,000 |
Clackmannanshire | 62,500 | 108,250 | 433,000 | 430,000 | 430,000 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 62,500 | 111,250 | 445,000 | 434,000 | 427,000 |
Dundee City | 62,500 | 83,000 | 332,000 | 326,000 | 328,000 |
East Ayrshire | 62,500 | 67,000 | 268,000 | 270,000 | 271,000 |
East Dunbartonshire | 62,500 | 73,500 | 294,000 | 290,000 | 291,000 |
East Lothian | 62,500 | 65,250 | 261,000 | 268,000 | 271,000 |
East Renfrewshire | 62,500 | 335,750 | 1,343,000 | 1,361,000 | 1,339,000 |
Falkirk | 62,500 | 22,250 | 89,000 | 88,000 | 89,000 |
Fife | 62,500 | 104,750 | 419,000 | 419,000 | 419,000 |
Glasgow City | 62,500 | 261,750 | 1,047,000 | 1,040,000 | 1,036,000 |
Highland | 62,500 | 434,250 | 1,737,000 | 1,759,000 | 1,755,000 |
Inverclyde | 62,500 | 178,000 | 712,000 | 707,000 | 713,000 |
Midlothian | 62,500 | 50,500 | 202,000 | 192,000 | 191,000 |
Moray | 62,500 | 62,000 | 248,000 | 249,000 | 254,000 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 62,500 | 68,750 | 275,000 | 274,000 | 276,000 |
North Ayrshire | 62,500 | 92,500 | 370,000 | 360,000 | 359,000 |
North Lanarkshire | 62,500 | 234,500 | 938,000 | 935,000 | 940,000 |
Orkney Islands | 62,500 | 17,500 | 70,000 | 71,000 | 71,000 |
Perth and Kinross | 62,500 | 103,500 | 414,000 | 418,000 | 423,000 |
Renfrewshire | 62,500 | 113,500 | 454,000 | 453,000 | 452,000 |
Scottish Borders | 62,500 | 82,250 | 329,000 | 334,000 | 335,000 |
Shetland Islands | 62,500 | 20,750 | 83,000 | 84,000 | 85,000 |
South Ayrshire | 62,500 | 70,750 | 283,000 | 283,000 | 282,000 |
South Lanarkshire | 62,500 | 210,250 | 841,000 | 835,000 | 840,000 |
Stirling | 62,500 | 73,250 | 293,000 | 291,000 | 281,000 |
West Dunbartonshire | 62,500 | 58,250 | 233,000 | 231,000 | 231,000 |
West Lothian | 62,500 | 144,000 | 511,000 | 513,000 | 518,000 |
Total | 2,000,000 | 3,750,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
Total | £50,750,000 |
A further £15 million has been committed for financial year 2024-25.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 April 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government in what month it will publish (a) its annual report in relation to the incentivisation of selective fishing gear and low impact techniques and (b) its response to the consultation on additional quota that closed on 11 January 2024.
Answer
Relating to the report on the allocation of fishing quota to vessels by means associated with a lower environmental impact, we plan to publish this report in summer 2024.
Regarding the consultation on allocation of additional quota, we expect to publish the Scottish Government analysis and outcome report in the first half of 2024.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08117 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 May 2022, whether all of the deliverables of the rail improvement project are expected to be completed by the end of 2026, and what has been achieved by the project since the previous question was answered in May 2022.
Answer
Given the extremely challenging financial climate, due to UK Government capital budget cuts, we need to consider the time over which the project can be completed. I have asked that a review is undertaken and will ensure that an update is provided to the Parliament in due course.
Regarding what has been achieved by the project, I refer the Member to the answers to S6W-25277 on 1 March 2024 and S6W-24106 on 30 January 2024 .
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website:, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector vehicles are exempt from the (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh Low Emission Zone.
Answer
There is no specific exemption for public sector vehicles.
The national exemptions set in the LEZ legislation include: vehicles for disabled persons, emergency service, military, historic and showman vehicles.
As stated in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, each local authority may offer local time-limited exemptions.
The number of public sector vehicles exempt from each Low Emission Zone is a matter for the relevant local authorities as the information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the South West Scotland Regional Transport Partnership regarding P&O Ferries’ (a) passenger and (b) freight operations from Cairnryan Port since March 2022.
Answer
I have met the Chair of the South West Scotland Regional Transport Partnership and discussed a wide range of transport issues over recent months.
However, the Scottish Government has not held discussions with them specifically regarding P&O Ferries’ passenger and freight operations from Cairnryan Port since March 2022.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 11 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to make eligibility for business rate reliefs conditional on payment of the real Living Wage, as part of its Fair Work Action Plan, and, if so, which rate reliefs it anticipates will be in scope.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Fair Work Action Plan sets out actions to promote fair and inclusive workplaces across Scotland. We are committed to using all levers at our disposal to extend Fair Work conditionality with clear standards and minimum requirements to cover all forms of Scottish Government support within the limits of devolved competence.
The exploratory action to consider including the use of reliefs does not reflect a definitive position on if and how these can be used. Officials continue to explore, within the limits of devolved competence, if and how these levers can be deployed.
