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 48032 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-17915

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider extending the Social Care Staff Support Fund.

Question reference: S6W-17910

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs, which it defines as "offshore wind jobs", currently exist in Scotland, broken down by the region in which they are located, and from where it has sourced its definition of such jobs.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) Survey provides estimates of employment in offshore wind across the countries of the UK.

The 2021 LCREE estimates show that 3,100 Full Time Equivalent Staff (FTE) were directly employed in offshore wind in Scotland. There is no regional breakdown of the data available.

The results in LCREE are survey-based, the data is gathered from a sample rather than the whole population. The estimates are therefore subject to uncertainty, which is expressed through the publication of confidence intervals alongside the data.

The latest version of the LCREE publication can be found here: Low carbon and renewable energy economy, UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Question reference: S6W-17904

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many Highland-based organisations have received support from its CashBack for Communities programme in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 to date.

The CashBack for Communities fund is a unique programme that reinvests money recovered from the proceeds of crime to support young people across Scotland.

Phase 5 of the CashBack for Communities programme ran from 2020 to 2023. Twelve organisations received CashBack funding in the Highland area in 2022-23, with 11 of those organisations receiving Cashback support from organisations based elsewhere in Scotland.

Phase 6 of the CashBack programme runs from 2023 to 2026. Following a highly competitive funding round, one Highland-based organisation has been awarded CashBack funding to deliver projects over the three-year period. The project plans of three organisations out with the Highland area include plans to develop and deliver CashBack activities in partnership with Highland–based organisations.

Details of all the Phase 6 CashBack partners are available on the CashBack for Communities website: https://cashbackforcommunities.org/

Question reference: S6W-17931

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its "blueprint" for Entrepreneurial Campuses, as set out in Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Question reference: S6W-17950

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Danish Government officials regarding community energy and the involvement of co-operatives in the renewable energy market.

The Scottish Government has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Danish Government to promote collaboration on zero emissions heat, heat networks and energy efficiency, plus onshore and offshore wind energy and hydrogen economy. As part of this, Scottish Government officials have held multiple knowledge sharing sessions with Danish Government officials in the past regarding heat in buildings and heat networks, including a session in June 2022 on heat network ownership models in Denmark, such as community models and co-operatives.

Question reference: S6W-17916

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the A8 Greenock Flood Alleviation Project is still anticipated to finish within Scottish Water’s originally projected timeframe of eight months.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Work within Inverclyde Council’s Pottery Street depot has been progressing well, although there has been some delay to starting work on the A8 itself due to other urgent utility work. For the section of work on the A8, Scottish Water’s forecast start date is at the end of June, with an anticipated completion by mid- to end-December. Information on the project is published online at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/In-Your-Area/Investments-in-Your-Area/A8-Greenock

Question reference: S6W-17571

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have indicated to Circularity Scotland that they have not joined the Deposit Return Scheme due to the UK Government's position on the scheme.

Circularity Scotland has not provided the Scottish Government with specific data on reasons why businesses have not joined the Deposit Return Scheme.

The Scottish Government and delivery partners such as Circularity Scotland, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland continue to regularly engage directly with businesses on matters which are within our control to ensure all involved are ready for successful launch on 1st of March 2024.

Organisations from across the UK frustrated by the UK Government’s position have written an open letter urging the Prime Minister to grant an exemption to the Internal Markets Act. Many more have privately expressed their concern that the lack of an Internal Market Act exemption is creating uncertainty and confusion for all the businesses that have worked so hard to prepare for the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17412

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its commitment is to increasing forestry cover, including any timescales; whether any such commitment is tied to the fulfilment of any domestic or international climate action agreements; whether current policy towards extending tree cover meets the expectations of the Climate Change Committee; what annual budget is allocated to achieve its commitments on tree cover, and whether any such budget allocations for tree cover have been fully spent in each of the last three years.

Scotland’s Forestry Strategy has committed to increasing forest and woodland cover from around 18% to 21% of the total area of Scotland by 2032. To achieve this the Forestry Strategy Implementation Plan and Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan both commit to increasing woodland creation to 18,000 hectares a year in 2024-25.

This commitment to increase forestry cover is an important part of Scotland’s response to the climate emergency and the international Paris Agreement, which set out Scotland’s ambition to reach net zero by 2045. The commitment sits within the range of scenarios described by the Climate Change Committee. It also contributes to Scottish Government’s pledge to plant 165,000 hectares of new woodland by 2030 as part of the international Bonn Challenge.

The following table shows the annual budget allocated to achieve the commitments on increasing tree cover, together with net spend (millions):

	19-20	20-21	21-22
Woodland Grants	£51.0m	£55.3m	£61.8m
EU Co-financing	£(20.8)m	£(26.9)m	£(10.5)m
Net Budget	£30.2m	£28.4m	£51.3m
Net spend	£27.9m	£17.6m	£31.8m

The planting target increased from 10,000 hectares in 19-20 to 12,000 hectares in 20-21 in line with our net zero ambitions. Unfortunately due to the impact of the outbreak of Covid, EU exit and bad weather during the planting season only 10,660 hectares of woodland were created, resulting in an underspend of £10.8m. The planting target for 21-22 was increased to 13,500 hectares. Due to the influence of storms Arwen, Malik and Corrie and the availability of labour resources, particularly from Europe, 10,480 hectares of woodland were created. This resulted in an underspend of £19.5m.

Question reference: S6T-01392

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will compensate businesses if it decides not to proceed with the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6T-01394

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to retired carers.