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 48958 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-16222

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an estimate of the number of spaces currently available for bike storage (a) within and (b) immediately outside of its buildings, such as bike racks and bike-specific structures.

The following buildings have dedicated cycle parking spaces:-

Building	No of Cycle Parking Spaces
4 Atlantic Quay, Glasgow	10
5 Atlantic Quay, Glasgow	41
Bothwell House, Hamilton	4
The Courtyard, Callendar Business Park, Falkirk	5
Cameron House, Oban	4
Denholm House, Livingston	4
Endeavour House, Dundee	12
Freshwater Laboratory, Faskally	12
Governor’s House, Edinburgh	10
Hamilton House, Hamilton Business Park	6
Inchbraoch House, Montrose	4
Longman House, Inverness	18
Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen	56
Russell House, Ayr	4
SASA, Roddinglaw, Edinburgh	16
Saughton House, Edinburgh	74
St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh	128
Scotland House, London	6
Strathbeg House, Thurso	6
Strathearn House, Perth	26
Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall	6
Thainstone Court, Inverurie	6
Tweedbank, Galashiels	10
Victoria Quay, Edinburgh	392

Question reference: S6W-16152

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish new export statistics.

A date for the next Export Statistics Scotland publication has not yet been announced. Scottish Government statisticians are currently reviewing the methodology and results and will pre-announce the date of publication in line with the Official Code of Practice for Statistics as soon as possible. The timing and content of the Export Statistics Scotland publication is determined independently of Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-16151

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total running costs of the Scottish National Investment Bank have been in each year since it was established.

The following table (taken from the Scottish National Investment Bank’s annual reports) shows the Bank’s operating costs and income for 2020-21 and‎ 2021-22. The Scottish Government provides budget to cover all operating costs which are not covered by the Bank’s income.

Operating

Costs

£000s

Investment Income

£000s

Net Costs

£000s

2020-21 (November to March)

2,875

-423

2,452

2021-22

9,677

-1,905

7,772

2022-23: The Bank’s final outturn is still being finalised and it is too early to provide a provisional figure to Parliament. The Bank will lay its audited Annual Accounts in Parliament before the end of September.

Question reference: S6W-16326

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on delivering affordable housing in each year since 2016.

Information on annual spend on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme is reported through our published annual out-turn reports and can be accessed through the following link Affordable Housing Supply Programme - More homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The following table provides the expenditure on the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) in each financial year since 2016-17.

The expenditure incurred in a particular year does not correlate directly to the number of completions within that year as the construction of new affordable housing developments can span a number of years:

Financial Year	Total Expenditure (£m)
2016-17	550.779
2017-18	592.306
2018-19	745.188
2019-20	839.939
2020-21	754.497
2021-22	671.539

* 2022-23 spend has not yet concluded

Question reference: S6W-16589

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12941 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 December 2022, whether it will provide an update on any potential implications for CalMac’s seafarer recruitment programme of the former Deputy First Minister's statement on Ferguson Marine on 16 March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-16335

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have (a) opened and (b) closed in Scotland since May 2021.

Statistics on business births and deaths are produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) within their Business Demography publications. Data are available on a calendar year basis and on a quarterly basis. Links to the latest versions of these publications are provided below. The business births and deaths in the ONS publications are based on registrations and de-registrations for Value Added Tax (VAT) and Pay As You Earn (PAYE). Note that VAT/PAYE registrations/de-registrations do not represent a complete picture of business churn – as this excludes the smallest businesses without employees and an annual turnover of less than the VAT threshold (currently £85,000).

Business Demography, UK: 2021 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/latest

Business demography, quarterly experimental statistics, UK: October to December 2022 - https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemographyquarterlyexperimentalstatisticsuk/octobertodecember2022

Question reference: S6W-16303

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities regarding current houses in multiple occupation legislation.

Question reference: S6W-16377

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on the COVID-19 Inquiry to date.

Question reference: S6W-16318

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which UK-level bodies and organisations it currently has representation on, and how any such appointments are made.

Question reference: S6W-16391

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will cooperate with the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.