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-12586

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) working groups and (b) advisory groups there currently are within the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture portfolio, and whether it will provide a list of these groups.

There are currently three working groups, nine advisory groups and one that is both a working and advisory group within the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture portfolio. These are as follows:

‎ Working Groups

‎ • Public Interest Journalism Working Group: Public Interest Journalism Working Group
‎ • Measuring Change Group: National Partnership for Culture: National Partnership for Culture: Workshop 4 – measuring change information paper - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

• Local and National Delivery Group – newly established working group to improve local and national government collaborative working on Culture. Terms of reference in development so not currently published.

‎ Advisory Groups

‎ • Expert Advisory Group on Migration and Population: https://www.gov.scot/groups/migration-and-population-expert-advisory-group/

• The Global South Panel
‎ • Creative Industries Leadership Group: https://www.gov.scot/groups/creative-industries-leadership-group/
‎ • National Partnership for Culture: National Partnership for Culture - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

• Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel(SAFAP): SAFAP - Treasure Trove (treasuretrovescotland.co.uk)

• 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Policy Advisory Group: Governance | 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (cyclingworldchamps.com)

• Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG): Event Industry Advisory Group - Updates & Guidance | VisitScotland.org

• 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Cabinet: Governance | 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (cyclingworldchamps.com)

• Culture Convenors – group jointly chaired by SG and COSLA as described in the Culture Strategy: A Culture Strategy for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Both Advisory and Working Group

‎ • Scotland’s Historic Environment Forum (SHEF): https://www.historicenvironment.scot/media/8668/shef-290622-event-report.pdf

In addition to the groups listed above, Portfolio officials frequently meet with stakeholders across a number of other groups and one to one meetings.

Question reference: S6W-12498

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many assaults against high school teachers on school property have been recorded in each year since 2017.

Information on assaults against high school teachers on school property is not held centrally.

The biennial Attendance, Absence and Exclusions data collection gathers data on the number and reasons recorded for temporary or permanent exclusions from school. These data show that there were 779 cases of exclusion (temporary or permanent) from publicly funded schools in Scotland during 2020-21 where the reason recorded was either ‘physical assault using improvised weapon against staff’, ‘physical assault using weapon against staff’ or ‘physical assault with no weapon against staff’. This compares to 1,737 in 2018-19 and 1,960 in 2016-17.

Question reference: S6W-12133

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it requires (a) CalMac and (b) NorthLink to regularly engage with members of the public regarding the performance of ferry services, and, if so, how it monitors such engagement.

CalMac and NorthLink are required to regularly engage with stakeholders and communities as per their commitments in the ferry service contracts. There are established forums set up to ensure this engagement is inclusive of relevant stakeholders. Full details of this engagement can be found on the Transport Scotland website by following this link: Ferry Services Managed by Transport Scotland .

Transport Scotland officials monitor this engagement on behalf of Ministers at regular contract meetings.

Question reference: S6W-12494

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority of the total amount of funding allocated from the Green Growth Accelerator programme.

The Scottish Government has provided £120,000 to each of the six local authorities that were selected to deliver Green Growth Accelerator pathfinder projects (Aberdeen City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Highland Council, North Lanarkshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council). This funding was provided for development phase of the pathfinder projects, including feasibility work and business case development.

Further to this, the Scottish Government has worked with COSLA to agree funding from the Green Growth Accelerator 2022-23 budget to support local authorities with the development of low carbon infrastructure projects this year. Each local authority has been allocated funding of £26,000 to assist them in the development of a pipeline of low carbon infrastructure projects which could be supported through the Green Growth Accelerator.

Question reference: S6W-12503

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the impact on tourism of the decision not to operate an adjustable car ramp on the Uig, Lochmaddy and Tarbert ferry services during the spring and summer sailings in 2022.

Transport Scotland has not carried out such an analysis.

During the summer of 2022, a timetable with deployment of the mezzanine deck on specified sailings was implemented on the Uig-Tarbert/Lochmaddy route, maximising capacity within crew operating hours.

CalMac kept the route under review and has concluded that the demand in 2022 did not exceeded demand in 2019. There was a slight increase in average utilisation but there was unused capacity on the route.

Question reference: S6W-12495

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what means it decides which low-carbon infrastructure projects receive Green Growth Accelerator funding.

In June 2021, the Scottish Government and COSLA announced an open call for proposals from local authorities for pathfinder projects to be supported through the Green Growth Accelerator (GGA) programme.

The assessment of proposals was overseen jointly by Scottish Government and COSLA and proposals were scored against a set of criteria that were shared in advance with all local authorities. The assessment criteria included: carbon emissions reduction impacts, socio-economic impacts, maturity and deliverability of the project; additionality; and strategic fit with national and local net zero ambitions. Following the robust assessment process, the first tranche of GGA pathfinder projects was announced by Scottish Government in October 2021.

Question reference: S6T-01023

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that local government directors of finance have written to the finance secretary regarding an unprecedented £1 billion budget gap, and of COSLA stating that the current spending plans will lead to job losses.

Question reference: S6T-01018

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2022

To ask Scottish Government what its response is to comments from the Auditor General that it underspent its budget by £2 billion in the financial year 2021-22.

Question reference: S6T-01020

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Strep A cases in Scotland, including what it is doing to mitigate any risks.

Question reference: S6F-01626

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2022

To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the roll-out of the Child Disability Payment.