- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15314 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 March 2023, how much funding has been allocated to local authorities to enable them to forgive school meal debt since 1 January 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not allocated funding to local authorities specifically for school meal debt since 1 January 2022.
As referenced in the answer to question S6W-15314 on 6 March 2023, the management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments.
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
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it will commission research to consider the implementation factors associated with effective workforce development and deployment within the Pupil Support Staff workforce.
Answer
In an update on the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan, published in November 2022 ( https://tinyurl.com/ywu6dtcw ) we committed to revisit this research in spring 2023.
In parallel, the Pupil Support Staff Working Group commissioned Education Scotland to undertake a national engagement programme for pupil support staff – ( https://education.gov.scot/improvement/research/pupil-support-staff-engagement-programme-2022-2023/ ). The engagement programme commenced in October 2022, has generated over 2,500 responses to date and will close shortly.
We consider it prudent to let the engagement programme conclude and for the responses to be analysed, before deciding on the requirement for the proposed research.
- Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of its Health and Wellbeing Census, with information on how frequently S2 and S4 pupils use e-cigarettes, will be published.
Answer
Information on the first Health and Wellbeing Census undertaken by local authorities in Scotland between October 2021 and June 2022 is available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-scotland-2021-22/. Pages 22 and 23 of the Key Findings document, contained in the Supporting documents link, set out the frequency of e-cigarette use by pupils.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Plugged-in Communities Grant Fund.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, to administer the Plugged-in Communities Grant Fund each year since 2020. The administrative costs, which include staffing costs in each year, are set out below alongside the value of funds that EST distributed and the associated deliverables.
Financial year | Administration cost | Funding delivered through EST | Output |
2018 - 2023 | £845,685.00 | £3,311,415.48 | Administration, promotion and monitoring of zero emission car club and community transport schemes providing services to residents and local communities. |
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Zero Emission Bus Market Transition Scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government is providing £50,000 in grant funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, to administer the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Market Transition Scheme in the 2022-23 financial year. The administrative costs, inclusive of EST staffing, are set out in the following table alongside the value of funds that EST are distributing and the outputs achieved.
Financial year | Administration cost | Funding being delivered through EST | Output |
2022-23 | £50,000 | £359,729 (£500,000 was made available) | Twelve grants have been offered to support small to medium sized bus and coach operators obtain advice on transitioning their fleets to zero-emissions. Six grants have been offered to companies to develop propositions to offer multiple operators a simple route to shift to zero-emission buses. One grant has been offered to support a commercial demonstration of repowering and research into the role repowering can play in the transition. |
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Electric Vehicle Loan scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, to administer the Low Carbon Transport Loan each year since 2011. The administrative costs including staffing costs in each year are set out in the following table alongside the value of funds that EST distributed, and the associated deliverables.
The administration and staffing costs cover loans for new and used vehicles to individuals and to businesses. Separate administration and staffing costs for different types of loans are not available.
Financial years | Administration cost | Funding delivered through EST | Output |
2011 – 2023 | £2,415,312.00 | £187,808,619.00 | Promotion and management if a set of interest free loans supporting the update of electric cars and vans, currently totalling 7033 loans to individuals and businesses. |
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Used Electric Vehicle Loan scheme.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14969 on 21 March 2023. 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
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings (a) CMAL and (b) Transport Scotland officials have had with representatives of Pentland Ferries, from 1 October 2022 to date, regarding vessel chartering on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract.
Answer
There have been no such meetings with Pentland Ferries on this matter. Any discussions regarding the chartering of vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract would be a matter for the operator CalMac Ferries Limited. However, the Minister for Transport met with Pentland Ferries 20 December 2022 for general discussion on the MV Pentalina Charter with Transport Scotland officials present in a supporting role.
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government on what date Transport Scotland concluded that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15055 on 21 March 2023. 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
- Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government on what date the Minister for Transport was first advised that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.
Answer
Arising from its ongoing work to determine the optimal procurement approach to the remainder of the programme, Transport Scotland concluded in late 2022 that the completion date of 2025 could not be achieved and should no longer apply to the A9 Dualling programme. I was informed on 7 December 2022 of Transport Scotland’s view that the published completion date of 2025 for the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness should no longer apply.
A statement to Parliament on the next steps for the Programme required to take account of the outcome of the ongoing Tomatin to Moy project procurement. The decision on that procurement was made on 3 February 2023 and the bidder was informed on 8 February, prior to the statement to Parliament on the same day.
