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: S6F-02100

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support colleges and universities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-02098

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the view of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland that NHS Lothian should review its Children’s Rights Impact Assessment of the decision to end the Youth Navigator programme, which operates at St John's Hospital.

Question reference: S6F-02083

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02082

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02085

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the potential impact of the proposed timetable reductions by ScotRail on efforts to ensure a modal shift from car to train.

Question reference: S6W-17092

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average real terms spending, based on current prices, was for a Scotland-domiciled student attending a Scottish university and in receipt of a (a) bursary and (b) grant, in each year since 2007.

The following table reflects the various bursaries and grants that existed since 2007. The types of bursaries and grants that were available each year varied and some replaced others. The bursaries and grants available to students depended on their circumstances as well as the type of course they were studying.

Table 1: Average Bursary and Grant spend in cash and real terms (2021-22 prices), 2007-08 to 2021-22
Year	Average Bursary		Average Grant
Year	Cash terms	Real terms (2021-22 prices)	Cash terms	Real terms (2021-22 prices)
2007-08	£3,255	£4,279	£2,295	£3,018
2008-09	£3,041	£3,859	£2,180	£2,766
2009-10	£2,028	£2,539	£2,157	£2,701
2010-11	£2,867	£3,531	£1,799	£2,216
2011-12	£2,713	£3,283	£2,395	£2,898
2012-13	£2,476	£2,945	£1,927	£2,292
2013-14	£2,084	£2,429	£2,027	£2,362
2014-15	£2,150	£2,478	£1,994	£2,298
2015-16	£2,239	£2,560	£2,048	£2,342
2016-17	£2,327	£2,607	£2,049	£2,295
2017-18	£2,369	£2,611	£2,361	£2,602
2018-19	£2,424	£2,624	£2,444	£2,646
2019-20	£2,903	£3,064	£2,553	£2,695
2020-21	£3,468	£3,444	£2,653	£2,635
2021-22	£3,657	£3,657	£2,609	£2,609

Source: SG analysis of SAAS and HM Treasury data;
‎ Notes:

1. Bursary includes: Young Student Bursary, Independent Student Bursary, Young Student Outside of Scotland Bursary, Student Outside of Scotland Bursary, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (NMSB), and Scottish Government Health Department Bursary.
‎ 2. Grant includes: Dependents Grant, Lone Parent Grant, Lone Parent Childcare Grant, Disabled Students Allowance, and Undergraduate and Postgraduate Standard Maintenance Allowance.
‎ Bursaries such as NMSB were only available to a specific cohort of students.

3. SAAS have advised that there are data record issues in years up to and including 2012-13, therefore average bursary and grant values from 2007-08 to 2012-13 arelikely to be less accurate than more recent years.
‎ 4. Real terms figures are presented in 2021-22prices, based on HM Treasury's GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP March 2023 (Quarterly National Accounts) series, published 3 April 2023.

Table 1: Average Bursary and Grant spend in cash and real terms (2021-22 prices), 2007-08 to 2021-22
Year	Average Bursary		Average Grant
Year	Cash terms	Real terms (2021-22 prices)	Cash terms	Real terms (2021-22 prices)
2007-08	£3,255	£4,279	£2,295	£3,018
2008-09	£3,041	£3,859	£2,180	£2,766
2009-10	£2,028	£2,539	£2,157	£2,701
2010-11	£2,867	£3,531	£1,799	£2,216
2011-12	£2,713	£3,283	£2,395	£2,898
2012-13	£2,476	£2,945	£1,927	£2,292
2013-14	£2,084	£2,429	£2,027	£2,362
2014-15	£2,150	£2,478	£1,994	£2,298
2015-16	£2,239	£2,560	£2,048	£2,342
2016-17	£2,327	£2,607	£2,049	£2,295
2017-18	£2,369	£2,611	£2,361	£2,602
2018-19	£2,424	£2,624	£2,444	£2,646
2019-20	£2,903	£3,064	£2,553	£2,695
2020-21	£3,468	£3,444	£2,653	£2,635
2021-22	£3,657	£3,657	£2,609	£2,609

Question reference: S6W-17088

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much revenue was raised under each income tax band, and what proportion each amount represents of the total income tax take, broken down by each financial year since the introduction of the Scottish Rate of Income Tax to 2022-23.

Control over the rates and bands of non-savings non-dividends income tax has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament since 2017-18.

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publish Outturn statistics annually, showing the revenue raised from Scottish Income Tax for the tax year prior. These statistics show revenue raised from taxpayers at their highest marginal rate, that is, the Income Tax band that a taxpayer would pay their next pound of Income Tax into.

Outturn statistics from 2016-17 to 2020-21 are available on the UK Government website, with the most recently available publication being found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/scottish-income-tax-outturn-statistics-2020-to-2021/scottish-income-tax-outturn-statistics-2020-to-2021.

For figures relating to 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) are responsible for forecasting Scottish Income Tax revenue. The SFC do not currently publish a breakdown of this forecast in terms of revenue raised by taxpayers at their highest marginal rate.

The next Outturn publication is expected to be in July 2023, and will outline the revenue raised by marginal rate by band for the tax year 2021-22. Figures for 2022-23 will be available in Summer 2024.

Question reference: S6W-17485

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to include lamppost charging as part of the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure.

Last year the Scottish Government announced the £60 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund that aims to draw commercial investment in the public charging network across all parts of Scotland. Transport Scotland has already provided funding to Scotland’s local authorities to help them to work together to establish electric vehicle charging strategies and infrastructure expansion plans. These plans are identifying local and regional charge point needs and locations, the investment requirements, as well as the best approaches to delivering collaborative investments with commercial charge point operators. Opportunities to consider the installation of lamppost charge points, or other appropriate solutions, as part of their approach, will fall to local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-17469

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when updated figures will be available on the number of employee-owned businesses that are (a) based and (b) operating in Scotland.

Figures on employee owned businesses in Scotland are collated every two years in a census exercise commissioned by Co-operative Development Scotland and published shortly thereafter. The last census was undertaken in February and March 2022

At that time there were 146 Scottish-registered employee-owned businesses and worker co-operatives and 49 non-Scottish registered employee-owned businesses. The census revealed that the Scottish registered EOB's and worker co-operatives have a combined turnover of £691m and employ 5,350 people.

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.