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: S6O-02757

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose a parliamentary debate on waiting times for elective care for both outpatient and inpatient appointments.

Question reference: S6O-02762

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding any impact of the Autumn Statement on Scotland’s public finances.

Question reference: S6O-02767

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce accidents and improve overall safety on the A77.

Question reference: S6W-22676

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will decide whether it plans to fund the purchase of a new plating line at Ferguson Marine.

The independent due diligence on the initial request for capital investment, which included a request for a new plating line, concluded that further work is required to develop a robust business case and support an investment that is compliant with subsidy control rules. Scottish Government is therefore working with Ferguson Marine to examine options to develop the initial investment proposal so that it is compliant with subsidy control rules and aligned with current and potential future commercial opportunities for the yard.

Question reference: S6W-22696

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the recruitment process will be for the advisory group that is to be established as per section 29 of the Scottish National Investment Bank Act 2020.

Question reference: S6W-22706

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what childcare support is available for working parents of two-year-olds.

Local authorities in Scotland have a statutory duty to offer 1140 hours of high quality funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to all eligible children within their area. An ‘eligible child’ is described in the legal framework as all 3 and 4-year-olds from the relevant start date, and some 2 year olds are also eligible.

A range of research shows that while attending high quality ELC improves outcomes for all children, the children facing the most disadvantage benefit the most. Eligibility criteria for early access to funded ELC at age two currently target children in households that receive low or no income benefits, children with care experience, and children whose parents have care experience themselves.

Targeting eligibility for funded ELC at age two in this way ensures that those who will benefit most from high quality ELC provision, benefit first. While some two-year-old children of working parents will be eligible for this offer, eligibility is not dependant on the working status of parents. Currently, the offer of 1140 hours of high quality ELC is available to around a quarter of families with a two-year-old.

The Scottish Government has committed to work with local authorities and our partners in the sector to develop plans to expand access to funded ELC for two-year-olds. We will also continue to work closely with local authorities and providers to maximise uptake of the existing offer as we develop these plans. Further detail, including on the additional investment required to deliver the childcare expansion over this Parliament, will be set out later this year at the Scottish Budget for 2024-25.

Working families can access other support with childcare costs through UK-wide schemes like Tax Free Childcare or Universal Credit. Information about these schemes is available at the UK Government website Childcare Choices . This includes an eligibility checker.

Question reference: S6W-22623

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total (a) salary bill is and (b) (i) national insurance and (ii) pension contributions are for the (A) one senior civil servant and (B) 24 other civil servants working on the Building a New Scotland papers.

The Scottish Government does not disclose individual personal details regarding pay. For the financial year 2022-23, the costs of the Scottish Government’s Constitutional Futures Division, which co-ordinates the Building a New Scotland prospectus series, are as follows:

As disclosed on 1 June 2023, total salary: £1,393,090.24
Total employer’s pension contributions: £390,097.66
Total employer’s NI contributions: £171,106.88

Question reference: S6W-22631

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what policies it has in place to prevent the auto-deletion of any messages by ministers and special advisors before they become part of official records.

Question reference: S6W-22619

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has tabled any formal proposals to the recognised trade unions regarding an extension of driver-only operation on the ScotRail network.

Question reference: S6W-22294

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for Discretionary Funds to be released to colleges by the Student Awards Agency Scotland to enable this to be used to support students who are facing hardship.