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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 45752 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-17153

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to engage with the Scottish Connections international community and expand its work with Scottish diaspora networks.

Scotland is an open, connected and outward-looking country with a long and proud history of intellectual, cultural and economic exchange.

The Programme for Government 2021-22 set out plans to “engage with our Scottish Connections international community and expand on our work with Scottish diaspora networks across the world”. This commitment was reiterated in our Global Affairs Framework, published May 2022.

The Scottish Government’s first Scottish Connections Framework is published on 11 April 2023.

https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805256939

This is the first time that work across the Scottish Government and partners has been brought together into a cohesive and cross-cutting approach to diaspora engagement.

Recognising and engaging our diaspora is an objective in itself – not a means to an end. Scotland’s diaspora and our Scottish Connections are an extension of Scotland itself – our living bridge with people, organisations and communities around the world.

The Framework outlines a series of commitments and ambitions to strengthen and expand our relationships with, and between, Scotland’s international communities.

Taking a broad definition of diaspora, we want to strengthen and expand Scotland’s links and networks with Scottish people living elsewhere in the world; those with Scottish heritage; people who have previously lived in Scotland, including alumni; and those with a professional, business, cultural or other links to Scotland.

The Scottish Connections Framework will add value to our diaspora engagement by bringing together the experiences, skills and connections of our existing networks, including GlobalScot and alumni.

We will build on existing work with our established networks, including our own international offices, GlobalScots, alumni groups, heritage diaspora organisations and other public sector partners.

Question reference: S6W-16616

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £202.6 million figure that the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth stated to the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 7 March 2023 (Official Report, c. 14), whether it will provide a breakdown of this figure; whether the figure represented the projected cost of the Ferguson Marine contract or the actual cost, to date, and whether the figure included the (a) £45 million loan payments agreed for Ferguson Marine in 2017-18 and (b) payments from Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited to Ferguson Marine under the original contract of £83.25 million.

The £202.6 million is the cost included in David Tydeman’s letter to NZET committee of 28 September 2022. The breakdown of this figure is:

£202.6m split

	801	802
Cost to complete (m)	94.8	101.6
Contingency (m)	2.7	3.5
Total cost to complete	97.5	105.1

The member will likely be aware that due diligence is ongoing on the costs to complete figure. This figure is the estimated cost to complete both vessels since public ownership. It does not include the £45 million loan payments paid to Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL) and it does not include the £83.25 million payment from Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) to FMEL.

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-16306

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has held with housing developers regarding the implementation of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Officials have met with housing developers throughout the preparation of NPF4. Most recently, Planning, Housing and Analytical officials met with members of the industry to discuss matters relating to Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) on 6 February 2023. This followed the Local Government and Housing Committee’s consideration of NPF4. We will continue to work with Homes for Scotland and their members as we move to deliver NPF4.

Question reference: S6W-16352

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to colleges to help make them wind and watertight.

The Scottish Government, through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), provides colleges with capital funding for the purpose of college lifecycle costs and backlog maintenance. The 2023-24 budget has increased the college capital budget by over 10%.

SFC’s College Infrastructure Strategy: The Approach to Delivering Scotland’s College Infrastructure recognises that investment in college infrastructure is needed. It describes the principles and approach to determining future investment needs in Scotland’s college estate and other college infrastructure and the need to explore new and existing funding arrangements to address the breadth of investment needed and this will be investigated as part of the work to develop the Infrastructure Investment Plan.

Question reference: S6W-16296

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many individual pieces of guidance have been issued to local authorities since May 2021.

Question reference: S6W-16347

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what quantity of aluminium materials has been collected for recycling in each year since 2016.

Question reference: S6W-16307

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has held with Heads of Planning Scotland regarding the implementation of the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Officials meet on a frequent basis with Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS), including through a monthly catch up between the Chief Planner and the HOPS Chair and Vice Chairs to discuss key issues, and by officials attending the HOPS sub-committees on development planning and development management, where NPF4 is a regular agenda item.

The HOPS annual conference is attended by Scottish Government officials and the Minister with responsibility for planning, most recently on 31 st March 2023. HOPS is also part of the High Level Group on planning performance, co-chaired by Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

We are committed to continuing a collaborative approach with a range of key stakeholders in the delivery of NPF4, including HOPS.

Question reference: S6W-16037

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the Deposit Return Scheme.

I attended the recent Inter-ministerial group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 March 2023 where Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme was discussed. The next meeting of this group is scheduled for 17 April.

Officials also meet regularly with other departments in the UK, Welsh and Northern Irish administrations to discuss DRS. Recently the following meetings have taken place:

30 March – Senior Officials Programme Board
30 March – UK Common Frameworks Project Board
3 April – Scottish Government / Defra bilateral meeting

Officials are also in regular contact with counterparts in the UK Government outwith these engagements.

Question reference: S6W-16276

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Aberdeen to Central Belt rail enhancement project, when it expects to publish the outline business case that it had previously planned to publish in 2022.