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-16645

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many electric vehicles the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has access to, and how many electric vehicle chargers are available for use by SCTS staff on or within SCTS premises.

Question reference: S6W-16196

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its relevant department has received correspondence from Audit Scotland regarding the Lochaber Aluminium Smelter in each year since 2016, including 2023 to date.

The Scottish Government has engagement with Audit Scotland in relation to the Lochaber Guarantee and the year end accounts. The outcome of the most recent Consolidated accounts for the 2021-2022 financial year has been published in full on the Scottish Government’s website and the Auditor General has publicly commented on the findings in relation to Lochaber in December 2022 which can be accessed at this link https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/publications/the-202122-audit-of-the-scottish-government-consolidated-accounts .

The Auditor General has stated at page 12 of the 2021-2022 Audit that:

“I have concluded for 2021-22, the Scottish Government’s approach to setting the level of provision against the potential exposure through the guarantee is reasonable”.

Question reference: S6W-16295

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities on planning for the implementation of a National Care Service.

Local authorities are important partners in delivering social care and will remain so as we develop new ways to deliver improved care across the country. At this stage, as the policy is still undergoing co-design with a range of stakeholders, it would not be appropriate to issue guidance to local authorities for the implementation of the National Care Service, therefore guidance will be issued in due course. I would further encourage local authorities to engage with us to ensure the development of the effective and responsive care system the people of Scotland have called for.

To support the transition towards the National Care Service and in acknowledgement of the high portion of social care service supports currently procured, we published Preparing to transition towards a National Care Service for Scotland: SPPN 7/2021 on 6 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-16380

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its latest estimate is of the number of (a) dentists, (b) dental practices in total and (c) dental practices carrying out NHS procedures, in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-16324

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in social care in each year since 2016.

Scottish Government has provided additional funding for social care and integration as set out in the following table.

	£m
2015-16	130
2016-17	380
2017-18	487
2018-19	551
2019-20	711
2020-21	811
2021-22	884
2022-23	1,603

In addition, the Scottish Budget for 2022-23 included a further £125m of social care investment that had been included as part of the Care, Support and Rights lines in previous budgets.

This funding is in addition to funding provided through the Scottish Government's annual local government settlement. The vast majority of funding through the settlement is provided by means of a block grant which cannot be separated into individual service allocations, including social care.

Question reference: S6W-16288

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a fund dedicated to filling up potholes.

Question reference: S6W-16252

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a requirement for Scottish firms to be included within the supply chain before developers that have been offered exclusivity agreements, as part of the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing process announced on 24 March 2023, are granted a full seabed lease.

Crown Estate Scotland are responsible for the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing process.

INTOG developers will be required to submit a Supply Chain Development Statement (SCDS) before they enter an Option Agreement, as set out in the Crown Estate Scotland Offer document (August 2022). As with ScotWind, the SCDS will outline the nature and location of any intended supply chain activity, including details on people and skills linked to their proposed project.Option Agreements will be signed following adoption of the Scottish Government’s Sectoral Marine Plan for INTOG in 2024. Projects which then meet all the requirements of the Option Agreement, including consents, will be offered a full seabed lease.

Question reference: S6W-16170

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on (a) what the average wait time was for customers calling Scottish Water’s customer helpline and (b) how many calls were handled, in each year since 2016.

The Scottish Government is not required to hold this information. As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked Douglas Millican, Chief Executive, to respond. His response is as follows:

The average wait time for customers calling Scottish Water’s customer helpline between 1st April 2022 and 1st April 2023 was 19 seconds. The chart below provides information about how many calls were handled by Scottish Water in each year since 2016.

2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
291,453	302,925	307,146	300,825	176,176	324,939	320,906

Question reference: S6W-16219

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans (a) last visited a police station, and where that police station was, and (b) next plans to visit (i) a police station and (ii) Police Scotland's headquarters.

Question reference: S6W-16089

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15590 by Keith Brown on 14 March 2023, whether it will provide the data that it holds on forced marriage-related offences in Scotland in each year since 2016.

	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22
Forced marriage under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014	0	0	0	0	3	0	1
Breaching a forced marriage protection order	0	0	0	0	0	0	0