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-27850

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has agreed with COSLA will be required to cover the costs of making changes to the school estate to deliver free school meals in all primary schools.

The Scottish Government is committed to the expansion of the free school meal programme and the next phase will support those in receipt of Scottish Child Payment in Primaries 6 and 7 from February 2025.

To support this expansion we have made provision for £43m of capital funding in 2024-25 to support the infrastructure development required to deliver the next phase of the free school meal programme. This is in addition to the £10m of capital funding provided in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with COSLA to deliver our free school meal expansion programme.

Question reference: S6W-27847

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the absence rate is for (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils with additional support needs, and how these rates compare with pupils without additional support needs.

Question reference: S6W-27750

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated in 2024-25 to support the development of wheelchair accessible properties.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) funding for 2024-25 is not allocated to specific properties. Funding is made available to local authority areas through Resource Planning Assumptions (RPAs) to support local authority priority projects which are either already approved or will be approved during that year. Projects receiving funding will include a mix of dwelling types and could include both wheelchair accessible and homes specifically designed for wheelchair users. Projects can be funded across different financial years as the monies are drawn down on receipt of certification of works and so it is not possible to disaggregate the spend or funding in this way.

All new build homes supported by the Affordable Housing Supply Programme should, where possible, meet Housing for Varying Needs standard which means that they should be accessible for wheelchair users.

Question reference: S6W-27754

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 how many adverse incidents have occurred at, or within a half mile radius of, the Toll of Birness in each year since 2010, including the period from January to end of May 2024.

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 or adverse incidents generally (i.e. not involving an injury).

Since Amey took over the Operating Company contract in 2022, incidents such as flooding (7 times), potholes (3 times), fallen trees (twice) and dead badgers (twice) have prompted Amey to visit the location.

According to Transport Scotland’s accident database, there have been 14 personal injury accidents which have occurred at or within half a mile radius of the A90 Toll of Birness junction between 1 January 2010 and 5 March 2024. These are tabulated below:

Accidents by Year
Year	Total
2010	1
2011	1
2012	0
2013	1
2014	3
2015	0
2016	1
2017	1
2018	2
2019	1
2020	1
2021	1
2022	0
2023	1
2024*	0

* data available until 5 March 2024

Source: Transport Scotland Accident Manager Database

Notes:

Statistics for Police Scotland

Date Period: 01-01-2010 – 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-27765

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects to incur any costs as a result of ending its previous arrangement with the National Parent Forum of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-27751

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to meet its 2040 accessible housing standard.

Question reference: S6W-27717

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the short-term lets industry, in light of recent reports from industry leaders that at least 1,000 self-catering homes have stopped operating since the introduction of the licensing scheme.

Short-term let accommodation is an important part of the tourism economy, and I am grateful to the many thousands of operators who have applied for a licence which shows their businesses are of high quality and safety for visitors.

Our Business Regulatory Impact Assessment in 2019 was informed by available online listings data, I am pleased that we are now able to publish quarterly official statistics on application levels, reflecting the importance of formal monitoring of the size of the sector, and any trends in application data. I do not wish to see any operator leave the sector and I am aware of a range of factors, including the impact of the costs crisis that may be influencing business decisions.

Since the deadline for existing hosts in October 2023, myself and my officials have undertaken a range of engagement with stakeholders which will be used as part of ongoing monitoring, and I will provide an update to Parliament on the implementation of licensing in June this year.

Question reference: S6W-24007

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that the UK Government’s reported proposals to replace the additional “limited capability for work and work-related activity” element in Universal Credit (UC) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) with a new “health element” will have on Scottish social security benefits; what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any such impact, and what action it can take to mitigate any negative impact on people receiving Scottish social security benefits that may result from these proposals.

The Scottish Government is opposed to the proposed changes to the Work Capability Assessments, these changes will lead to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions losing out financially and at risk of benefit sanctions. Under these reforms, Adult Disability Payment must continue to be treated on the same basis as Personal Independent Payment to allow clients in Scotland to access UC health element. We have sought and received assurances from the UK Government that this will continue in the immediate term, pending any future decisions about recommendations made by the independent Review of Adult Disability Payment. Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with UK Government officials to impact potential changes and to protect the interests of people receiving Adult Disability Payment.

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-27664

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reimbursed the legal expenses sought by the UK Government regarding its legal challenge of the decision by the UK Government to issue a section 35 order in relation to the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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