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: S6F-01829

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the First Minister what recent action the Scottish Government has been taking to keep The Promise to young people in care.

Question reference: S6F-01828

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to research by the Royal College of General Practitioners reportedly showing that a third of Scotland's GP staff who were surveyed said their practice was at risk of closing in the next few months.

Question reference: S6F-01823

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-01824

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-15223

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 20 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on Ana Stewart’s independent review on women in entrepreneurship.

A report on the findings and recommendations of Ana Stewart’s review will be published on the Scottish Government website on 20 February 2022.

The report “Pathways: A New Approach for Women in Entrepreneurship” sets out a series of recommendations aimed at closing the gender gap in entrepreneurial participation.

The Scottish Government will respond to the review’s recommendations in due course.

Question reference: S6W-14946

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to employers in the care sector to help them pay employees the Living Wage.

Since 2016, the Scottish Government has provided funding to ensure that adult social care workers, delivering direct care in the third and independent sectors, are paid at least the Real Living Wage (RLW).

From April 2023, these workers will see their pay increase to a minimum of £10.90 per hour; in line with the RLW rate for the 2023/24 Financial Year. This represents an increase of 3.8% from the £10.50 minimum rate that was introduced in April 2022 and is a 14.7% increase for these workers in the last two years; with pay rising from at least £9.50 per hour in April 2021 to at least £10.90 in April 2023.

This funding will be delivered through Local Government contracts and the Scottish Government will transfer £100 million to Local Government to deliver this uplift to providers in the third and independent sectors; this investment takes Scottish Government recurring funding for adult social care pay in commissioned services to £0.6 billion per year.

Question reference: S6W-14749

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued regarding "purposeful walkers" restraint practices in hospitals and care homes.

The Scottish Government has issued the following guidance regarding “purposeful walkers” and use of restraint practices in hospitals and care homes:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): living with dementia in care homes (2022).Guidance on supporting people with dementia or cognitive impairment to remain safe during periods of isolation.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): living with dementia in care homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

COVID-19 Clinical Guidance For NHS Scotland: Using Physical Restraint For Mental Health And Learning Disability Patients With Confirmed Or Suspected COVID-19 (2020)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): clinical guidance - using physical restraint for patients - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-14731

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what review it has made of the different pay scales for adult and child social care staff.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving fair work practices across the social care sector.

There are more than 1,200 social care providers across Scotland; and each of these providers will have their own internal pay scales.

Since 2016, the Scottish Government has delivered funding to ensure adult social care workers are paid at least the Real Living Wage (RLW). Our ambition is that all care workers, including those working in the children’s sector, are paid the Real Living Wage as a minimum. Work to better understand the current composition of the Children’s social care sector is taking place in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-14738

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support has been made available to local authorities in each year since 1999 to assist young carers.

The share of local government funding to be allocated to young carers is not set centrally, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authority spending is to allow each local authority the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of local authority funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including support for young carers, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Since 2018-19, additional funding to support the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 has been included within the local government block grant, as set out in the following table:

Year	Cumulative Carers Act Implementation funding
2018-19	£17.4 million
2019-20	£27.9 million
2020-21	£39.5 million
2021-22	£68.0 million
2022-23	£88.4 million

While the level of funding allocated for supporting adult and young carers is ultimately a matter for local authorities, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care wrote to authorities in February 2022 to highlight the additional Carers Act funding and the importance of prioritising carer support. This letter can be accessed at: www.gov.scot/publications/carers-act-funding-letter-to-councils-and-integration-authorities .

Question reference: S6W-14730

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many working groups it has launched in each year since 2007.