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 44254 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-12840

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government who will be invited to participate in the process of co-design for the National Care Service.

To support the collaborative co-design we launched registration to Lived Experience Experts Panel and Stakeholder Register on 22 September 2022. Further information and registration details can be accessed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/design-the-national-care-service/

As of 7 December 2022, we had 421 applicants registered with the Lived Experience Experts Panel.

As of 7 December 2022, we had 210 organisations sign up for the Stakeholder Register.

The Panel and the Register are both being actively monitored for demographics, geographic spread and protected characteristics to ensure we encourage a true representation of the population. Targeted engagement will be undertaken to address any gaps and ensure robust information gathering and development Promotion of the opportunities to register will continue throughout the life time of the programme.

Question reference: S6W-12826

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to compensate local authorities for the loss of any staff who are transferred to the National Care Service.

Paragraph 48 of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill Policy Memorandum refers to this. This can be accessed at: https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/national-care-service-scotland-bill/introduced

Once the structure and governance of care boards and their localities have been decided, decisions about the employment of local government staff can be made. Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) / Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSOP) principles will apply if the delivery of services is transferred from local authorities to care boards. If that is the case, the TUPE process would be followed.

Question reference: S6W-12841

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much the process of co-design for the National Care Service will cost.

A Financial Memorandum was published alongside the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill which sets out a range of costs that could be incurred within the establishment and running of the NCS. This included anticipated costs for co-design.

For people participating in the Lived Experience Experts Panel expense costs they incur to participate will be remunerated. The cost of co-design will therefore be dependent on the level of engagement and remuneration claimed by individuals for the cost of participating. A policy document on remuneration is currently being drafted and will be published before the end of the current financial year.

Question reference: S6W-12842

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to repeal any elements of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 as part of its plans to create a National Care Service.

Question reference: S6W-12833

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will determine which local government assets to transfer to the National Care Service.

Question reference: S6W-12763

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10464 by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022, how many proposed (a) homes and (b) projects included in affordable housing supply programme grant applications that it has agreed to have been (i) below and (ii) above benchmark, also broken down by baseline benchmark type, in (A) August, (B) September, (C) October and (D) November 2022.

The following table shows the number of homes and projects that have been approved in August, September, October and November 2022, broken down by baseline benchmark type and whether above, at, or below benchmark:

City and Urban

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Approved against Benchmark	11	10	13	11	45
Total No. of Homes Approved against Benchmark	226	226	321	353	1,126
No. of Projects Approved ABOVE Benchmark	7	5	10	7	29
No. of Homes Approved ABOVE Benchmark	156	155	258	94	663
No. of Projects Approved AT Benchmark		1	2	2	5
No. of Homes Approved AT Benchmark		24	53	54	131
No. of Projects Approved BELOW Benchmark	4	4	1	2	11
No. of Homes Approved BELOW Benchmark	70	47	10	205	332

Other Rural

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Approved against Benchmark	1	2	1	3	7
Total No. of Homes Approved against Benchmark	28	76	1	63	168
No. of Projects Approved ABOVE Benchmark			1	3	4
No. of Homes Approved ABOVE Benchmark			1	55	56
No. of Projects Approved AT Benchmark	1	1			2
No. of Homes Approved AT Benchmark	28	20			48
No. of Projects Approved BELOW Benchmark		1		1	2
No. of Homes Approved BELOW Benchmark		56		8	64

West Highland, Island Authorities & Remote/ Rural Argyll

Project/ Home details	August	September	October	November	Total
Total No. of Projects Approved against Benchmark	1	1	2	1	5
Total No. of Homes Approved against Benchmark	4	4	12	14	34
No. of Projects Approved ABOVE Benchmark	1	1	2	1	5
No. of Homes Approved ABOVE Benchmark	4	4	12	14	34
No. of Projects Approved AT Benchmark					0
No. of Homes Approved AT Benchmark					0
No. of Projects Approved BELOW Benchmark					0
No. of Homes Approved BELOW Benchmark					0

Question reference: S6W-12971

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04787 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 December 2021, how many children and young people in each local authority area have received a free (a) laptop, (b) tablet and (c) Chromebook, in light of its commitment to deliver devices with free internet connection to 700,000 P1 to S6 pupils within 100 days of the May 2021 election.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all school aged children have access to a device by the end of this parliament. Given the scale and complexity of this programme of work, the 100 days commitment was to commence planning rather than deliver the devices.

In 2020-21, we provided £25 million of funding to local authorities across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion, resulting in over 72,000 pupils receiving a device to support their learning.

The answer to question S6W-04787, shows the number of devices distributed via that funding, as reported by individual local authorities.

Local authorities have also invested in devices from their own budgets. Information from them indicates that up to 280,000 devices have already been distributed to learners across Scotland (including the 72,000 funded by the Scottish Government).

We continue to work closely with local authorities to deliver on the commitment moving forward.

Question reference: S6W-12836

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its preferred (a) geographical and (b) membership makeup of care boards in the National Care Service would be.

Question reference: S6W-12829

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to seek external legal advice on the transfer of staff to the National Care Service under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) regulations.

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) / Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSOP) principles will apply if the delivery of services is transferred from local authorities to care boards. If that is the case, the TUPE process would be followed. Decisions on whether any staff transfers take place will depend on decisions taken at a local level. Legal advice will be sought as required and external legal advice commissioned as necessary.

Question reference: S6W-12709

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the National Drugs Mission Implementation Group has met in 2022, what dates any meetings took place, and whether it will publish the minutes for any such meetings.