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: S6T-00978

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the outcome of COP27.

Question reference: S6W-11834

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any significant case review into the murder of Esther Brown, as referred to by the First Minister in the Scottish Parliament on 18 November 2021.

If a person managed under Scotland’s Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) commits a further offence which results in the serious harm of another person, a Significant Case Review (SCR) must be undertaken. This SCR process is designed to examine the actions or processes employed by the agencies involved to ensure that all reasonable steps had been undertaken to minimise risk and to capture any learning.

I can confirm that in this case it is the Glasgow MAPPA Strategic Oversight Group (SOG) who are responsible for ensuring that an SCR is carried out. I understand that the report commissioned by the SOG is entering its final stages. There is a necessary process of factual accuracy checking and consideration of comments from all relevant partner agencies prior to a final report being presented by the independent reviewer. The report will then be formally considered by the Glasgow SOG and their Chief Officers Group.

We are unable to comment in any more detail as to timing or content at this time as this is a report commissioned and overseen by the Glasgow SOG.

Once published, we will carefully consider, along with our MAPPA partners, any review recommendations at organisational and national level.

Question reference: S6W-12016

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation timetable for the roll-out of the new Scottish Carers Allowance.

We will begin to roll out Scottish Carer’s Assistance by the end of 2023, with full national introduction in spring 2024. We are also developing our response to the recently published independent analysis of the Scottish Carer’s Assistance consultation responses.

We will provide further detail on the implementation timetable as part of that response and through our intended update to Parliament early next year on the timetable for further benefit delivery.

Question reference: S6W-12093

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the number of any former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland and may have been targeted by the Chinese police service, which is reportedly operating in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-12172

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has met with former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland to discuss their experiences since moving to Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-12076

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline its plans for the upcoming review of the National Outcomes; when the review process will start; how long it will last, and how it plans to ensure that the review includes as broad a consultation process as possible before presenting new draft National Outcomes to the Parliament.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11086 on 30 September 2022 which is available on the Parliament’s website. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Further detail on plans for the review of the National Outcomes will be published in the coming weeks.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the considerable work conducted by the Finance and Public Administration Committee on the issues affecting better implementation of the NPF. The Committee has captured a breadth of responses and range of perspectives demonstrating the continued wide appeal of the NPF. Whilst the Scottish Government will meet the necessary statutory requirement to review the National Outcomes, we will also focus on drawing upon a number of helpful recommendations made by the Committee to strengthen and further integrate the NPF into the systems and processes of government.

Question reference: S6W-12073

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to pig producers experiencing rising costs and price competition from imports.

Last August we launched the Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme. This scheme initially provided £715,000 of funding to producers and was specifically aimed to support those affected by the temporary closure of the Quality Pig Processors plant at Brechin and the loss of the plant’s export licence to China. We extended the scheme twice for producers who supplied QPP Brechin, with the total support delivered via the scheme now amounting to approximately £1.8 million. We were also aware of the issues in the sector with regard to the shortage of butchers and introduced a private storage aid scheme in Scotland to support processing.

Scottish pig producers have also been impacted by the UK Government decision to avoid implementing import controls earlier this year. That decision has left our domestic producers at disadvantage.

We are also consulting, alongside the UK Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland DAERA on contractual practices in the UK pig sector with the aim of supporting a competitive and resilient sector that delivers benefits for producers.

Question reference: S6W-11882

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to allow the removal of any freeze on apprenticeship places and budgets at Skills Development Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-11952

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to bring forward legislation to continue the Nursery Rates Relief Scheme beyond 30 June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-11938

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost of any backlog of maintenance work for the prison estate has been in each year since 2014.