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-12678

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Includem’s open letter titled "Simply Scran" and its call for three nutritious meals a day, how it will work with local authorities to ensure that, in light of rising costs of living, school meals will continue to be of good nutritional value to children and young people regardless of where they live.

All food and drink served in all education authority and grant aided schools must meet the standards set out in the 'Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020'. The Regulations are based on scientific evidence and dietary advice and are designed to ensure children and young people are provided with an appropriate amount of energy and key nutrients to support their healthy growth and development.

Question reference: S6W-12679

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Includem’s open letter titled "Simply Scran", how it will work with local authorities to eradicate school meal debt.

We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges. We are working with our partners in local authorities to fully understand the issue of school meal debt.

Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria. We would urge local authorities to continue to do all they can to resolve any payment issues without withdrawing meals from pupils.

Question reference: S6W-12427

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports in The Ferret that 40 of the 45 clinics that offer private pregnancy scans operate without being registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, with only those classed as being run by healthcare professionals being required to register.

Question reference: S6W-12512

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its next declaration of ministerial car journeys, in line with the terms of the Scottish Ministerial Code.

Question reference: S6W-12497

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many high school pupil-to-pupil fights on school property have been recorded in each year since 2017.

Question reference: S6W-12425

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to streamline the backlog in the Scottish court system.

Our justice recovery fund of £53.2 million in 2022-23 supports continued recovery, renewal and transformation activity across the justice system. This includes funding increased court and staffing capacity for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, which has contributed to a fall of 12,000 in the number of scheduled trials between January and the end of October 2022.

Justice agencies have been clear that recovery from the impacts of the pandemic will take several years, and initiatives are underway to address backlogs and streamline processes in different ways. For example, a pilot of a new approach to managing summary cases began in Dundee, Hamilton and Paisley Sheriff courts in September. It is designed to make long term improvements to how the system works for its users, facilitating early disclosure of evidence and early judicial case management, reducing the number of unnecessary summary hearings, and ultimately reducing the time it takes cases to reach conclusion.

Question reference: S6W-12429

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage applications to Redress Scotland, in light of reports that it has seen a decrease in applications and long delays in paying compensation to survivors of abuse.

The Scottish Government has taken forward a range of measures to support the efficient delivery of Scotland’s Redress Scheme. The delivery of the scheme, in partnership with the independent decision making body Redress Scotland, is survivor led with feedback encouraged and acted upon.

Total numbers of applications to the Scottish Government are in line with modelling done prior to scheme launch. The comparatively higher level of applications submitted in the first few months reflects the large number of survivors who worked tirelessly to see the scheme open.

The scheme is open for five years and recognises the need for applicants to carefully consider their options, at their own pace. The scheme aims to empower applicants by providing information and support in order that they can decide if the scheme is right for them.

As of 31st October 2022, 1756 applications for redress have been received and 277 applications have been passed to Redress Scotland for consideration.

Of the 202 payment offers made, 178 applicants have accepted and payments totalling £8,570,168 have been made to survivors or their next of kin.

Question reference: S6W-12457

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote uptake of the winter (a) COVID-19 booster and (b) flu vaccination in areas of low uptake.

Question reference: S6W-12415

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are plans to develop a training and development fund specifically for the allied health professions.

A national oversight group responsible for a review of AHP Education and Workforce has recently concluded its work. The collaborative group involving a wide range of AHP stakeholders including professional bodies, HEIs and NHS Boards is due to report their recommendations to the Scottish Government. I will not pre-empt the recommendations of that group but look forward to receiving the suite of recommendations the group has put forward regarding the future of training and development of AHP staff.

Question reference: S6W-12330

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a full list of active groups and sub-groups within the Finance and Economy portfolio.

The list of active groups and sub-groups within the Finance and Economy portfolio includes:

Apprenticeship Approval Group (AAG)
Business Support Partnership
Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan - Implementation Steering Group
Clyde Mission Strategy Group
Community Wealth Building (CWB) Bill steering Group
Creative Industries Leadership Group
Developing the Young Workforce Employers Forum
Digital Collaborative Governance Group
Economic Leadership Group
European Structural and Investment Funds Programme Board
European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee
European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee Working Group
European Structural and Information Technology Board
Financial Services Growth and Development Board
Flexible Workforce Development Fund Senior Strategic Group
Foundation Apprenticeship Enhancement Group
Green Freeports Programme Board
Industry Leadership Chairs Group
Innovation Strategy Steering Group
Input-Output Expert Users Group (IOEUG)
Lifetime Skills Offer Steering Group
Life Sciences Scotland Group
Ministerial Trade Board
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Portfolio Board
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Skilled Workforce Programme Board
Public Sector Network Steering Group
Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group
Retail Industry Leadership Group
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Group Board
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Standards And Frameworks Group
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Engagement Group
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Equalities Group
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Apprentice Engagement Group
Scottish Business Growth Group
Scottish Cities Alliance Chief Executive Officers Group
Scottish Cities Alliance Delivery Group
Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group
Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board
Scottish Economic Statistics Consultation Group
Scottish Government and Business Organisations Meeting
Scottish Government Labour Market Evidence Programme
Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services
Skills Ministerial Group
Strategic Leadership Group for Advanced Manufacturing
Sub-Scotland Economic Statistics Group
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group
Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)
Young Persons Guarantee Equalities Subgroup
Young Persons Guarantee Employer Advisory Group
Young Persons Guarantee Implementation Planning Group

Please note these groups will be kept under review.