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-16988

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote, develop and widen access to pickleball.

The Scottish Government recognise the valuable role that sport and physical activity can play to the overall health of the nation.

Encouraging people to take part in sport at all levels, including in newer sports such as pickleball, is key to getting more people more active more often, and can create wider benefits in areas such as health, education, communities and the economy.

In the last 20 years, sportscotland has invested over £235 million of Scottish Government and National Lottery funding in clubs, communities, and leisure trusts across Scotland to improve the places where people take part in sport and physical activity. As a sport that’s primarily played on a badminton court, we already have fantastic facilities across the country where pickleball can be played.

Through sportscotland’s Community Sport Hubs’ programmes, local community organisations are beginning to explore opportunities to develop links with pickleball clubs and to promote the sport. There are now five pickleball clubs across three local authorities that are part of the Community Sport Hub programme and these numbers are expected to grow as the sport continues to develop.

Question reference: S6W-16608

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that all public bodies have clear processes to deal with any disputes with service users about whether a debt exists, or the amount of money owed.

Public bodies are autonomous bodies and each one has a clear framework which balances operational autonomy and accountability to the public. Any processes in relation to disputes with service users, including in relation to debt to that body, are between the service user and the body, with established dispute resolution processes in place. There are established rights of review and appeal in relation to Social Security Scotland and Council Tax liabilities.

Question reference: S6W-16927

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it and (b) Circularity Scotland will receive a share of the packaging recovery note value of any packaging waste collected by Biffa under the proposed Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17132

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the Child Disability Payment assessment and award process, whether any issues have been identified, including in relation to (a) process (i) delays and (ii) consistency and (b) the implementation of the Special Rules, and how it plans to address any such issues.

Social Security Scotland undertakes a broad and continuous programme of analysis of all aspects of the delivery of benefits, focussed on the live running performance of the system, client experience and evaluation of delivery.

Research on Early Experiences of Child Disability Payment was published in September 2022 and Client Survey research on Child Disability Payment on 8 March 2023. The next publication of Client Survey research on Child Disability Payment is scheduled for early summer.

The evaluation strategy for the benefit is in place and the first output will be published later this year. Analysis will focus on the impact of policy changes to supporting information.

This work informs Social Security Scotland’s approach to continuous improvement and the agency has used it to plan the action currently underway to improve processing times.

Question reference: S6W-17068

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which companies and industry bodies from the energy sector the new Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition has met with since taking on her new role.

Question reference: S6W-16975

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding light pollution and action to reduce any adverse impacts it may have on people and wildlife.

Question reference: S6W-17005

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met (a) local authorities and (b) the UK Government to discuss the issue of poverty rates among minority ethnic people in Scotland.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical and interdependent missions for the government – alongside our focus on the economy and strengthening public services.

As set out within ‘ Best Start, Bright Futures’ , the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: 2022-26, the Scottish Government is taking a wide range of action across the three drivers of poverty reduction – income from work and earnings, costs of living and income from social security and benefits in kind – as well as taking action to improve the wellbeing and outcomes of people across Scotland.

In delivering action, we are focused on ensuring that interventions deliver for those at greatest risk of poverty, including people from a minority ethnic background. In doing so we will help to reduce poverty for these groups whilst delivering significant progress on our wider equality and human rights ambitions – particularly in relation to advancing equality and human rights for women, disabled people and minority ethnic people.

The Scottish Government meet regularly with representatives of local government in order to progress shared priorities which tackle poverty. This includes in relation to delivery of employment support through our No One Left Behind approach, which is tailored to the needs of people from a minority ethnic background, delivery of more affordable homes, tackling child poverty and delivery of the wide ranging action set out in our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan.

The Scottish Government also meet regularly with the UK Government on areas of shared interest, which are key to tackling poverty, including in relation to social security and employment.

Question reference: S6W-16856

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to begin liaising with the Department for Work and Pensions to gather data for the Winter Heating Payment for winter 2023-24, in light of the Winter Heating Payment for 2022-23 being paid at the end of winter in March 2023.

Engagement between the Scottish Government and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in relation to the timing of Winter Heating Payment next winter is already underway. That includes discussion on the transfer of client data to Social Security Scotland.

As set out in S6W-15012 on 6 March 2023, DWP were unable to provide the data prior to 31 January 2023 that would have allowed earlier payments in the first year of delivery.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-17461

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish (a) the final version of and (b) the first delivery plan for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045: Tackling the Nature Emergency in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-17447

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason revised guidance on major NHS service changes has reportedly not been consulted on or published.