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 48292 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-17840

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent civil servant staff roles in the Scottish Government are dedicated to delivering universal breakfast provision in all (a) primary and (b) special schools, and how many individual civil servants this is divided between.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing plans to deliver free breakfasts to all primary and special school children. Understanding the need from children and families for breakfast provision and planning how to respond to that forms part of several civil servant roles within the Directorate for Children and Families. Civil servants operate flexibly across a range of policies and programmes according to the specific requirements of the work at any time. For example, Directorate officials routinely engage with stakeholders, such as providers and partners in school age childcare early adopter communities, to discuss this policy.

Question reference: S6W-17918

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17316 by Lorna Slater on 5 May 2023, whether it will provide a list of the sites referred to along with the stage of construction and/or operational progress achieved for each.

Question reference: S6W-17960

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16779 by Patrick Harvie on 27 April 2023, how additional demands on other local authority services, such as planning and building control, will be resourced, particularly in light of the reported national shortage of planners.

In April 2022 increased planning fees came into effect, providing much needed additional resource to Planning Authorities. Whilst the use of this additional resource is a matter for individual authorities, some authorities have reported that the fee increase has allowed them to retain or recruit new members of staff.

Improving the resourcing and performance of the planning system are important priorities and we continue to work with Heads of Planning Scotland, the Royal Town Planning Institute and other stakeholders to implement the recommendations of the Future Planners Project Report which focuses on supporting the growth of entrants into the planning profession.

Through the work of the Building Standards Futures Board, work is being undertaken to support the Local Authority Building Standards Workforce through the development and implementation of a three year workforce strategy. In addition, the Board is overseeing a number of recommendations that aim to strengthen the building standards system. These will require investment in the system and workforce and a public consultation on building warrant fees will be undertaken over the summer.

Question reference: S6W-17903

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, what progress it has made towards fulfilling its ambition that "at least 5% of all community-based health and social care spending will be invested in preventative whole family support measures by 2030".

The Scottish Government remains committed to the ambition. We are working with partners to explore how we can enable the transformational change required to ensure that by 2030 at least 5% of all community-based health and social care spend across Scotland is invested in preventative whole family support measures.

This includes providing £32m of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding on an annual basis to Children's Services Planning Partnerships to shift investment towards timely and sustainable early intervention and prevention activities that are flexible, responsive and proportionate to ensure families can access the support they need, when they need it and where they need it, before they reach crisis point.

Question reference: S6W-17913

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much money is allocated to its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund; who may bid for this funding, and what the criteria are for successfully applying.

A total of £30m of Scottish Government funding is being made available through the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund; with the expectation of leveraging an additional £30m from private sources. The Fund is directed at local authorities and assessment of bids will be based on criteria set out in the EV Infrastructure Fund Evaluation Template available on Scottish Future Trust’s website: www.scottishfuturestrust.org.uk/page/electric-vehicle-charging-network .

Question reference: S6W-17657

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the work carried out on its behalf by the social research agency, The Lines Between, in August and September 2022, which resulted in the report, Scottish Government Pain Management Panel, published in November 2022, how much in total was spent to facilitate the work.

Question reference: S6W-17100

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

To ask the Scottish Government what the real terms spending, based on current prices, was on Scottish schools, in each year since 2007.

Table 1 provides real terms expenditure based on 2021-22 prices for Scottish schools in each year since 2007. Real terms expenditure is broken down by primary, secondary, and special education.

Table 1: Real terms expenditure, 2007-08 to 2021-22 (£000)

Financial ‎ Year	Primary ‎ Education	Secondary ‎ Education	Special ‎ Education	School Education
2007-08	2,291,312	2,570,000	641,962	5,503,273
2008-09	2,266,389	2,550,632	645,280	5,462,301
2009-10	2,238,327	2,469,714	656,351	5,364,393
2010-11	2,247,021	2,441,262	648,359	5,336,642
2011-12	2,185,497	2,330,489	619,960	5,135,945
2012-13	2,157,200	2,309,964	605,403	5,072,566
2013-14	2,143,300	2,257,681	607,647	5,008,629
2014-15	2,137,097	2,225,583	614,385	4,977,065
2015-16	2,178,851	2,226,211	628,597	5,033,659
2016-17	2,210,760	2,213,670	618,241	5,042,671
2017-18	2,277,852	2,210,339	622,918	5,111,109
2018-19	2,356,577	2,304,687	645,383	5,306,647
2019-20	2,434,207	2,395,751	678,111	5,508,069
2020-21	2,395,511	2,358,155	667,672	5,421,337
2021-22	2,553,716	2,503,212	704,929	5,761,857

Figures are adjusted to exclude inter-authority transfers. Inflation adjustments are based on HM Treasury’s 31 March 2023 GDP Deflator outturn data.

Sources:

1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

2. GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Question reference: S6O-02321

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on phase 3 of the learning estate investment programme, including in relation to the planned date for the announcement of the successful projects.

Question reference: S6O-02318

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the review by Zero Waste Scotland into the environmental impact of single-use vapes.

Question reference: S6O-02320

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what options it foresees for the future of Ferguson Marine after ferries 801 and 802 are built.