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-19513

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of food poverty rates in Aberdeen.

The Scottish Health Survey , which is commissioned by the Scottish Government, asked respondents whether they were worried about running out of food. The most recent data was published on 8 November 2022 and found that in Aberdeen City 10% of people were worried they would run out of food compared to a figure for Scotland as a whole of 9%. For Aberdeenshire Council a slightly lower figure of 8% of people reported they were worried they would run out of food.

Question reference: S6W-19289

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many lawsuits it has discussed or been implicated in, in each of the last 10 years, in relation to alleged assaults of airport workers, both publicly and privately employed.

Question reference: S6W-19426

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will introduce the devolved Air Departure Tax to align aviation policy with Scotland’s climate change goals.

As outlined in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, the Scottish Government remains committed to introducing Air Departure Tax when a solution to the Highlands and Islands exemption issue has been found. The Scottish Government is carefully considering the implications for this of the UK subsidy control regime that was introduced by the UK Government in January 2023.

Until Air Departure Tax is introduced, the UK Government will maintain the application of Air Passenger Duty in Scotland.

We will review Air Passenger Duty rates and bands ahead of the introduction of the devolved Air Departure Tax to ensure that our policy aligns with our climate change goals, including the possibility of a higher tax for more polluting aircraft, while maintaining our commitment to retain the Highlands and Islands exemption.

Question reference: S6W-19128

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review and develop how individual carer support plans are used.

Local Authorities and Integration Authorities are responsible for adult carer support plans and young carer statements in line with the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 and the associated statutory guidance.

The Care Inspectorate looked at practice and outcomes from adult carer support plans as part of its Inquiry into adult carers’ experiences of social work and social care services, published in December 2022. The annual Carers Census also collects information on support planning. The Scottish Government is using the results of both exercises, together with informal feedback from stakeholders to focus our actions to promote improvement and sharing of good practice, including those commitments set out in the National Carers Strategy.

Key activities include:

networks for local statutory carer leads and managers of local carer centres and young carer services;
training resources for front line staff;
improvement work with local organisations led by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-19295

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many total applications the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund received in the 2022-23 financial year, and how many of those applications were awarded funding.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is distributed to local community initiatives in all 32 regions of Scotland by Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations, working in collaboration with other local partners including Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities and those with lived experience.

In total, TSIs received 2585 applications to the Fund in 2022-23 and, by March 2023, had awarded funding to 1461 of these projects.

This data is based on returns received from TSIs by 3 July 2023. Final figures will be published on the Scottish Government website over the summer in a Year 2 Monitoring and Reporting Summary Report.

Question reference: S6W-19118

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions ministers have had with public and private agents regarding attacks or assaults on publicly and privately employed airport staff, including those that have not resulted in formal criminal or civil charges, and what information it has on how many such attacks in the last 10 years have been classified as having taken place in a public place.

Question reference: S6W-19428

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the environmental and climate impacts of the use of private jets departing from and arriving at Scotland’s airports.

Question reference: S6W-19407

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what provisions it has made for exemptions or compensation for key workers travelling into Low Emission Zones.

There is no provision for exemption or compensation for key workers travelling into a Low Emission Zone (LEZ). However, Transport Scotland provides grant funding to support lower income households and smaller businesses to adapt to Low Emission Zones via the LEZ Support Fund. In return for scrapping non-LEZ standard cars, a cash grant of £2000 is received, and a further allowance of up to £1000 per household or business towards sustainable travel costs.

Question reference: S6W-18681

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which current cabinet secretaries and ministers have not undertaken unconscious bias training since taking up their posts.

Question reference: S6W-19406

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered implementing a car and motorcycle scrappage scheme for any non-compliant vehicles of key workers travelling into Low Emission Zones.

No scrappage scheme for key workers has been considered appropriate, however Transport Scotland provides grant funding to support lower income households and smaller businesses to adapt to Low Emission Zones (LEZs) via the LEZ Support Fund.

In return for scrapping non-LEZ standard cars, a cash grant of £2000 is received, and a further allowance of up to £1000 per household or business towards sustainable travel costs.

This funding does not extend to motorcycles as these are not currently subject to LEZ restrictions.