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: S6O-02152

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on what progress it has made towards delivering the Bute House Agreement commitment to ensure that every child has access to mental health and wellbeing support, including counselling services, in primary school.

Question reference: S6O-02141

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Law Commission regarding its review of the law on homicide, in relation to culpable homicide.

Question reference: S6O-02148

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there has been a delay in announcing the projects that will form phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

Question reference: S6O-02137

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it and its agencies have had with Leith Theatre.

Question reference: S6W-16694

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many digital devices were distributed to school pupils through digital inclusion funding in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

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

Individual local authorities across Scotland have also undertaken their own digital inclusion schemes and have invested in devices from their own budgets. Information from them indicates that up to 280,000 devices have been distributed to learners across Scotland (including the 72,000 funded by the Scottish Government).

Question reference: S6W-16991

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01240 by Humza Yousaf on 9 August 2021, how many deaths have been attributed to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in each year since 2019, broken down by (a) age group, (b) gender and (c) ethnicity.

Further to question S6W-01240 submitted by Monica Lennon answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 August 2021. The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Information on deaths by cause are held by National Records of Scotland (NRS). Data is available at: List of Data Tables | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk) . Detail on how to request further information from NRS can be found at Requesting Information | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk) .

Question reference: S6W-16278

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the timetabled dwell time at (a) Usan and (b) Montrose junction (signals MN39 and MN5) is, and on how many occasions in the last 24 months the dwell time has been exceeded to the extent that trains were officially "delayed" on this section of the railway.

Question reference: S6W-16721

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a further breakdown of the budget line for "Support for Active Travel", contained in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, and whether it will explain its rationale for increasing funding from £126.0 million in 2022-23 to £165.3 million in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government budget for 2023-24 for Active Travel is £189.2 million as follows. This is a step change increase from the 2022-23 budget, particularly in capital investment, as we progress towards the commitment to invest at least £320 million or 10% of the transport budget on active travel by 2024-25. This investment has a particular focus on improving the quality and range of active travel infrastructure where people can walk, wheel and cycle safely and confidently; and also funds access to bikes schemes and programmes to encourage more people to use active travel on day to day journeys. In turn these support key priorities in our second National Transport Strategy and second Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Budget Description	2022-23 Allocation	2023-24 Allocation	Percentage Movement
Support for Active Travel – Capital (includes £11.073 m to bring Cycling Walking and Safer Routes up to £35 m)	113.750	152.900	34%
Support for Active Travel – Resource	12.300	12.383	1%
Support for Active Travel Sub-Total	126.050	165.283	31%

Cycling, Walking & Safer Routes – Capital (in local govt settlement line)	23.927	23.927	0%
Active Travel Total	149.977	189.210	26%

Question reference: S6W-16711

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14261 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023, and in relation to the two full time equivalent employees in ScotRail's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team, whether it will outline their role, responsibilities and aims, including how each job role relates to ScotRail staff and passengers.

ScotRail advises that the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager (ED&I Manager) post ensures that its diversity, equality, inclusion, and engagement initiatives are a core element of its People Strategy and fully embedded across all areas of the organisation.

The ScotRail ED&I Adviser Reports directly to the ED&I Manager and supports the programme of work to ensure that ScotRail’s diversity, equality, inclusion, and engagement initiatives are delivered.

Full detail on roles and responsibilities are a matter for the employer. The Member may wish to contact Scottish Rail Holdings for further information, if required:-

[email protected]

Question reference: S6W-16587

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16093 by Jenny Gilruth on 28 March 2023, whether it, Transport Scotland, CalMac or CMAL made the final decision on chartering MV Alfred for the Clyde and Hebrides network.

The charter, and preceding discussions, for the MV Alfred from Pentland Ferries for use in Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract were a matter for the operator CalMac Ferries Limited.

In line with the Contract for the Provision of Ferry Services Between the Scottish Ministers and Calmac Ferries Limited, the confirmation of funding and agreement to proceed were provided by the Scottish Ministers prior to CalMac Ferries Limited deciding to sign the charter.