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-21644

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support, including financial support, has been offered to NHS boards to bring forward the start date for autumn COVID-19 and flu vaccination programmes, in response to the detection of the BA.2.86 COVID-19 variant, also known as the Pirola variant.

The winter 2023 programme was always due to start on 4 September, so there was no need to bring that date forward. Our original plan was to start vaccination with those at lower risk and call those at highest risk slightly later in the programme, from mid-October. This was in line with JCVI advice, as protection is highest in the first three months following COVID-19 vaccination, so by vaccinating those who are at highest risk later, we would give them greater protection over winter and into the new year .

Although there is currently insufficient data to assess the potential severity or increase in transmissibility of new variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), in light of its emergence, along with the other nations across the UK, we took the precautionary measure to bring forward vaccination of care home residents, people aged 75 and over and people with weakened immune system aged 12 and over, where possible for Boards.

Our scheduling team has provided technical support to Boards to help them bring forward and re-order their scheduling plans. The Scottish Ambulance Service has also provided support to some Boards in vaccinating these groups. Public Health Scotland and Scottish Government have provided support in communicating these changes to the general public. The Flu & Covid-19 Vaccination team, including Scottish Government officials, has provided individual guidance and support to Boards where required.

No additional funding has been provided to Boards by Scottish Government, as we did not ask Boards to increase the numbers they are vaccinating, or to vaccinate all those eligible any quicker than the original plans. We have asked them to re-order and re-prioritise where possible, within their current planning and financial models.

Question reference: S6W-21435

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the minutes of the Women's Health Plan Implementation Programme Board for the meeting on 17 May 2023 will be published on the Scottish Government's website, and when the Board will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-21396

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will review its ban on alcohol consumption on ScotRail services.

Question reference: S6W-21631

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

Question reference: S6W-21630

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to pay the real Living Wage, broken down by the value of each grant.

Question reference: S6W-21420

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consequences there are for local authorities that do not meet its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device.

We are committed to ensuring that every school-aged child has access to a device to support their learning by the end of this parliament in 2026.

We continue to work with COSLA and local authority partners to develop delivery plans. This includes consideration of funding, monitoring and reporting, as well as the development of a digital strategy for education to ensure that digital provision supports the broader aims of the education system.

Question reference: S6W-21445

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to develop and publish a new national strategy for palliative and end of life care.

The Scottish Government remains committed to developing and delivering a new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy. We have established a Strategy Steering Group to oversee the development and delivery which has now met six times. We have also established a number of working groups to gather evidence to inform the strategy and progress areas in parallel with the development of the wider strategy.

Question reference: S6W-21604

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Pathways: A New Approach for Women in Entrepreneurship report, including, as stated in its response to the report, progress on the (a) allocation of "funding to support the report's key recommendations" and (b) development of "proposals for the report's core recommendations on pre-start centres and pop-up business supports".

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Pathways report.

In this financial year we have:

Continued to provide funding to Women’s Enterprise Scotland, Investing Women and Business Women Scotland to allow existing programmes to continue ahead of a shift to competitive funding in future years;
Renewed funding to Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a further round of the Scottish Ecosystem Fund, widened to offer support to projects that address the Pathways review’s key themes; and
As the first phase of work to develop Pre-Start and Pop-Up business supports we have launched the £1.5 million Pathways Pre-Start Fund allocating funding to projects that offer pre-start support and advice to individuals or groups, with emphasis on widening access to primary carers and under-represented groups.

The Scottish Government will work with our agencies and delivery partners to further develop proposals for the report’s core recommendations on pre-start centres and pop-up business supports, incorporating the knowledge gained from the Ecosystem and Pathways Pre-Start funds with the intention to allow broader services to commence in 2024.

Question reference: S6W-21443

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20825 by Fiona Hyslop on 12 September 2023, how many kilometres of rail track were electrified in each of the last five years.

Electrification is commissioned at the completion of works and last schemes to be commissioned were Shotts Line Electrification (74km) and Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa Electrification (110km). Work on the development, design and construction of further electrification has continued throughout the 5 year period and a further 23 km will be commissioned this year on the Glasgow - Barrhead line. Work is also under way on the East Kilbride route.

Question reference: S6W-21632

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to pay the real Living Wage or provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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