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-27924

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a housing emergency action plan, backed by regulatory and financial resources, before the end of 2024.

In declaring a national housing emergency, the Scottish Government recognises that there are major challenges within the housing sector in Scotland. To address these challenges, joined up action across Scottish Government, UK Government, local government, registered social landlords (RSLs) and our full range of housing sector partners will be critical.

There is widespread support for Scotland’s long term plan for housing set out in the Housing to 2040 strategy, and for our collective plan to end homelessness set out in Ending Homelessness Together. So rather than diverting effort to the creation of a new action plan, it is our intention to work at pace in collaboration with partners to critically review and prioritise actions within these current plans. In doing so, we will focus on their impact and deliverability, linked to the First Minister’s priorities of eradicating child poverty, driving economic growth and investing in vital public services.

Question reference: S6W-27849

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish the number of pupils with less than (a) 90%, (b) 80% and (c) 50% attendance as part of its summary school statistics series, and, if so, how often it will do so.

Statistics on the proportion of pupils with 90% or lower attendance are published by local authority and school sector in table 4.1 of the school attendance and absence statistics 2022-23, available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-attendance-and-absence-statistics/

The Scottish Government plans to publish these statistics annually.

The range of statistics published on attendance will be kept under review.

Question reference: S6W-27755

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government at what time, or during what time periods, road traffic accidents, including all reported adverse incidents, have been recorded as having occurred at the Toll of Birness in the last 10 years.

Personal injury accidents occurred at the following time periods at A90 Toll of Birness between 1 January 2014 and 4 May 2024. Transport Scotland only holds accident information which is provided to us by Police Scotland. Transport Scotland does not hold information relating accidents or incidents not involving an injury.

Day	Date	Time
Monday	10-02-2014	16:04
Saturday	12-04-2014	08:10
Friday	04-07-2014	07:00
Monday	26-09-2016	12:39
Wednesday	05-04-2017	18:00
Thursday	04-01-2018	08:45
Wednesday	11-07-2018	15:45
Thursday	05-12-2019	18:00
Tuesday	18-02-2020	14:51
Thursday	03-06-2021	07:20
Sunday	15-01-2023	03:32

* data available until 5 March 2024

Source: Transport Scotland Accident Manager Database

Notes:

Statistics for Police Scotland

Date Period: 01-01-2014 - 05-03-2024

Date Extracted - 21-05-2024

Please note that the personal injury accident information provided above is based on the current figures available. The following are potential reasons for an accident not appearing on our system:

Transport Scotland only holds accident information which is provided to us by Police Scotland. Transport Scotland does not hold information relating to damage only accidents (i.e. not involving an injury).

Transport Scotland only holds accident information for the trunk road network.

The accident information Transport Scotland holds is subject to change. E.g. we receive late returns from Police Scotland, who are responsible for recording details of injury accidents.

Annual Scottish accident figures are published by Transport Scotland on a yearly basis and can be found by entering Reported Road Casualties Scotland into your search engine.

From summer 2019, Police Scotland introduced a new system for recording traffic collisions. Due to improved recording and categorisation processes, it is expected that there will be an increase in the number of casualties and accidents on Scottish roads that are classified as serious.

Question reference: S6W-27727

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent action it has taken to ensure that (a) families have a choice of settings to access the 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare and (b) local authorities are encouraged to increase capacity.

The Scottish Government published updated national policy guidance on Funding Follows the Child in December 2023, which outlines the principles and criteria local authorities should follow when delivering funded early learning and childcare. The local authority is responsible for local delivery and has a duty to ensure that the statutory funded early learning and childcare entitlement is made available for each eligible young child belonging to its area. Local authorities also have a duty to publish local delivery plans outlining the choice available to parents and carers.

Question reference: S6W-27659

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what reporting requirements Police Scotland has to the Scottish Government or other publicly funded bodies regarding the rate and nature of non-crime hate incidents.

Question reference: S6W-27431

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published Police Scotland interim guidance on the recording of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), whether any process, such as arbitration, exists that would allow a person to appeal a decision that an incident has met the threshold for being recorded as a NCHI, or whether a person’s only recourse would be to pursue a civil action in order to seek to have the NCHI expunged from the record.

Question reference: S6W-27666

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) requires and (b) conducts formal security clearances for anyone designated as a (i) "hate crime advisor" and (ii) "hate crime champion", as set out in the document, Interim Guidance - Responding to Hate.

Question reference: S6W-27665

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it differentiates between a "hate crime advisor" and a "hate crime champion", and whether people who are designated as such (a) are all sworn constables and (b) have formal legal training.

Question reference: S6W-27926

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will outline its infrastructure investment priorities to the Parliament, in light of the UK General Election.

Question reference: S6W-27853

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the creation of a Scottish Veterinary Service.

Yes. Colleagues from across a range of sectors assisted us to scope out the case for the creation of a Scottish Veterinary Service. This identified that a new Scottish Veterinary Service (SVS) would deliver quality improvements and would be financially sustainable. However, the current financial climate and significant budget constraints mean that we are unable to progress with plans for the SVS, given the significant costs to create the new service.