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-27515

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a breakdown of its reported £21,489,000 spend on external consultancies in 2022-23, and what it predicts the costs to be in the current financial year.

Attached is a list of suppliers with spend for Consultancy. The data has been sourced from The Procurement Information Hub and includes all suppliers that fall under the consultancy classification.

Due to the wide range of services captured under the term consultancy we are unable to predict the expenditure for financial year 2024-2025.

Core Trade	Core Trade
Proclass 10.1 Level 3	(Multiple Items)

Row Labels	Sum of Aggregate Spend
7 Gen Analytics Limited	£5,000.00
ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd	£152,728.47
AchieveGood Limited	£25,661.74
Actica Consulting Limited	£8,910.00
Aether limited	£17,768.00
Alcumus ISOQAR Limited	£6,180.00
Alma Economics Limited	£120,621.80
Anderson Centre LLP, The	£53,636.00
Animate Consulting	£25,461.23
Anita Franco	£11,970.00
Anthesis (UK) Limited	£29,513.00
APEM Limited	£12,500.00
Aquatera Limited	£16,262.00
ARMILA Sustainability Services Limited	£6,462.50
Bramble Hub Limited	£81,794.99
British Standards Institution (BSI)	£10,353.25
Business Partnership Limited, The	£84,422.46
Cackette Projects Limited	£20,695.00
Cadgwith Health Limited	£3,850.00
CAPP & CO LIMITED	£2,523.00
Civil Service Learning (CSL) - KPMG LLP	£278,150.73
CJ Williams Consulting Limited	£14,600.00
Connect Three Solutions Limited	£39,000.00
CONTINUITY SHOP	£2,745.00
Core Solutions Group Limited	£13,940.06
Cornwall Insight Limited	£25,000.00
Craigforth HCAS Limited	£257,202.75
Daniel Dearnley	£6,659.68
Deloitte LLP	£8,298,702.55
Donald Nicholson	£1,328.25
E4tech Limited	£10,000.00
EFQM UK Limited	£2,566.66
Ekos Limited	£149,845.19
Environment Systems Limited	£126,015.00
Environmental Resources Management	£28,162.43
Ernst & Young LLP	£3,917,671.36
Eunomia Research and Consulting Limited	£64,020.00
Experties InfoTech Services Limited	£5,000.00
FarrPoint Limited	£35,283.35
FD People Limited	£4,500.00
Figure 8 Consultancy Services Limited	£9,642.40
Fraser McKinlay Consulting Ltd	£8,000.00
Frontier Economics Limited	£19,600.00
FutureArk Limited	£8,740.00
Geospatial Insight Limited	£3,237.04
Glen Shuraig Consulting Limited	£38,950.00
Graham Morgan Creative and Consulting	£5,591.15
Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership	£250,902.40
Helen Chambers Consulting Limited	£16,875.00
Humanly Limited	£62,090.00
Indigo Business Services Ltd	£26,804.57
Indigo House Group, The	£17,700.00
Inspire & Impact	£3,742.30
Ipso-Facto Management Limited	£90,072.83
Ironside Farrar Limited	£81,002.50
James Harvard Limited	£558,950.00
Jenny Copeland trading as Secrets of Success	£5,300.00
Jeremy Evans Associates Limited	£1,175.00
Korero Studio Limited	£25,575.00
Lance R Guilford	£11,070.00
Land Use Consultants Limited	£26,069.25
Leigh & Glennie Limited	£12,632.50
Linda Dempster Consultancy	£16,968.75
Living Organisation, The	£9,536.49
Lloyds Register EMEA	£49,233.75
MacArthur Green Limited	£24,400.00
MainStreet Consulting Limited	£4,166.67
Martin Seddon Limited	£5,649.44
Matter of Focus Limited	£10,282.00
Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy	£171,712.03
Michael Fuller Consultancy Limited	£194,866.19
Mike Croft	£2,083.87
Nature Metrics Limited	£46,278.60
New Economics Foundation	£32,043.75
Nick Wright Planning	£10,000.00
NORTHLINK	£1,135.68
NQC Limited	£105,737.50
Occupational Psychology Matters Limited (OPM)	£87,727.50
On Board Training & Consultancy Limited	£14,700.00
Opsia Consulting Limited	£5,000.00
Optimal Economics Ltd	£75,550.00
Optimat Limited	£22,300.00
Oxford Economics Limited	£14,212.50
Palladium International Limited	£517,364.31
Pennington Choices Limited	£146,648.29
Personal Power UK	£7,834.78
Purchasing & Materials Management Services (PMMS) Limited t/a ArcBlue	£2,655.00
Quo Imus Limited trading as QI Consulting	£272,745.00
Resource Futures Limited	£7,747.50
Ricardo-AEA Limited	£1,585,598.88
Ridgeway Consulting	£36,991.26
Rob Huntley Planning Consultancy	£14,050.60
Rocket Science UK Limited	£128,078.75
RSK ADAS Limited	£23,490.00
RSM UK Consulting LLP	£58,374.00
SAC Commercial Ltd	£4,571,346.65
Serco Integrated Services	£6,735.00
SIDE Labs Limited	£11,000.00
Skye Conservation	£7,894.00
Sniffer	£341,667.00
Social Care Commissioning & Consultancy Services Limited	£38,310.00
Southern Uplands Partnership	£36,987.98
SQW	£33,372.50
Steve Field Planning Consultant	£11,258.00
Strathesk Resolutions Limited	£3,472.98
Sue Bell Ecology	£16,809.20
Sustainable Procurement Limited	£44,415.00
Talent Works Performance Consulting Limited t/a Silvermaple	£31,500.00
Taleos Consulting Limited	£1,305,222.50
Taylor Clarke Partnership Limited	£26,105.30
This is Milk Limited	£518,035.00
Thistle Dubh Limited	£2,025.00
Thrive Associates Limited	£33,000.00
TIMBERLAKE CONSULTANTS	£2,664.00
Trex Ecology Limited	£31,954.00
UEA Consulting Limited	£15,683.20
UK Accreditation Service	£48,229.75
Valuta Limited	£34,650.00
We are Snook Limited	£65,798.70
Well Working Matters Limited	£93,734.01
WWW.CAPITA.CO.UK	£2,727.60
WWW.KPMG.CO.UK	£3,751.92
WWW.LR.ORG	£7,286.10
Xception Management Solutions Limited	£3,825.00
Xi Engineering Consultants Limited	£18,408.00
Xpand Group Limited	£5,000.00
Zulu Forest Limited	£5,000.00
Grand Total	£26,343,459.87

Question reference: S6W-27411

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the projected costs of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS) over the next five years, and whether it will outline any measures being considered to ensure its long-term sustainability.

The projected costs of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme are assessed and managed as part of the scheme actuarial valuation as directed by the UK Government. The latest quadrennial valuation of the scheme is based on data as at 31 March 2020 and was published on the SPPA website on 14 November 2023. It is available at the following address:

www.pensions.gov.scot/teachers/employers/pension-contribution-rates/valuations

The latest valuation led to an increase in the employer contribution rate from 23% to 26% for the implementation period 2024 to 2027. The rate will be reviewed again at the 2024 scheme valuation, ensuring the sustainability of the Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-27390

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to mark Coeliac Awareness Month in May 2024, and what strategies it has in place to raise awareness of the condition.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work of organisations like Coeliac UK who are already undertaking communications work to increase awareness and knowledge of coeliac disease and highlight the importance of knowing the symptoms and risk factors. We supported their messaging on Coeliac Awareness Month in May 2024 by sharing their twitter campaign highlighting awareness of coeliac disease and how the condition can be different for everyone.

NHSinform.scot provides clear and accessible information on coeliac disease, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.

Question reference: S6W-27367

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what barriers there have been to the implementation of placental growth factor (PlGF)-based tests, and what action it is taking to resolve any such barriers.

While there are differences across Scotland, the results following the latest update on progress towards implementation of PlGF-based testing indicate that capacity and infrastructure pose challenges for NHS Boards striving to effectively implement their plans.

The Scottish Government is initiating a new scoping exercise to better understand NHS Board’s current position in relation to using the PIGF test. Subsequently, officials will analyse the collected data to determine if further support is necessary to advance implementation plans.

Question reference: S6W-27383

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to promote coordination between schools and mental health services.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is a top priority for the Scottish Government.

We continue to provide £16 million a year to ensure that every secondary school has access to school counselling services. Our guidance makes clear that local authorities should consider how links between schools, and their local community health and social services, and relevant third-sector organisations can be made to ensure a holistic child-centred approach.

The Scottish Government is also providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children and young people. Our supporting Framework for this funding advocates a whole-system approach and makes clear that community supports and services should work closely with schools to ensure that there are clear and streamlined pathways to support for children and young people, and that local partnerships should be explicit about how different services should work together.

It is a matter for local authorities to decide how services work together in individual areas.

Question reference: S6W-27386

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which minister will take decisions on any matters relating to the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture portfolio that the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture has recused himself from.

Question reference: S6O-03511

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to provide full-time schooling for children with complex additional support needs.

Question reference: S6O-03510

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support BSL users across Scotland to access culture, in light of the publication of Scotland’s Census 2022 report on language, which found that 117,300 people can use BSL.

Question reference: S6O-03513

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to take forward the recommendations in the Transport Scotland report, "There’s an app for that!" - Women’s Safety on Public Transport in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03508

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on work to extend the application of Road Equivalent Tariff to Northern Isles ferry routes.