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: S6W-06844

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to help address the so-called digital divide.

Since May 2020, the Scottish Government has invested over £48 million in our Connecting Scotland programme, which provides people on low incomes with a device, connection with unlimited data for two years, as well as training and support. Since programme launch 60,000 digitally excluded people in total have been brought online. We are now working on an extension to the programme to reach 300,000 people by the end of this Parliament.

The programme is part of our wider package of support to help everyone in Scotland benefit fully from the advantages of the digital world – from broadband connectivity to digital skills training and support for schools and business.

Question reference: S6W-06926

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how a complaint can be raised when private care homes are believed not to be providing proper services.

Anyone concerned about the standard of care provided by a registered service can raise a complaint with the Care Inspectorate, the independent scrutiny and improvement body for social care and social work across Scotland. The Care Inspectorate have a statutory duty to deal with complaints made about registered care services, including private care homes. Complaints upheld are published on the Care Inspectorate’s website.

Question reference: S6W-06896

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support will be available to residents in properties that are not in a council tax band that qualifies for a council tax reduction, and what assistance it will provide to help them in meeting their energy bills.

The Scottish Government will be providing a £150 cost of living award to all households in council tax bands A to D, including those who are not receiving a reduction under the Council Tax Reduction scheme. Local authorities will also be provided with funds from which to make £150 payments to certain categories of low income households which are exempt from council tax, including those accessing housing support services or living in temporary accommodation. In addition, we are providing an extra £10m to continue our Fuel Insecurity Fund to help households at risk of self-disconnection, or self-rationing energy use.

Question reference: S6W-06757

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the 2021 report published by NatureScot, as part of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, Understanding the scale and impacts of marine animal entanglement in the Scottish creel fishery, which identifies concerns about the entanglement rates of minke whales, humpback whales and other protected species, what financial support it will make available to implement new measures to prevent marine animal entanglements in creels.

The Scottish Government recognises the threat that bycatch and entanglement in fishing gear can pose to our iconic marine life. We therefore welcome the Scottish Entanglement Alliance project which improves understanding of entanglement of sensitive marine species in Scottish waters, and will consider its findings as we explore what further work may be required in terms of the development and testing of mitigation measures. This aligns with actions within the developing UK Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation Strategy and the Future Fisheries Management Strategy.

The Marine Fund Scotland will shortly set out its priorities for funding 2022-23 and we would encourage exploration of these opportunities by the creel sector.

Question reference: S6W-06791

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations were consulted during the development of the Scottish National Investment Bank’s gender equality strategy.

The Scottish National Investment Bank has provided the following information about who it consulted with and the feedback received during development of its gender equality strategy:

“In developing its Equality Strategy, the Bank sought input from a wide range of organisations. This was facilitated through written feedback and direct discussion. Organisations consulted included:

Women on Boards

Women’s Enterprise Scotland

Abrdn

Engender

Close the Gap

IoD

Black Professionals Scotland

British Business Bank.

Feedback from respondents was considered and incorporated where appropriate.”

Question reference: S6W-06709

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what changes, if any, have been made to the Routes and Services Methodology applied to Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service routes since it was first used to draw up the Ferries Plan (2013-22).

Question reference: S6W-06692

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any plans to receive any refugees from Ukraine.

Question reference: S6W-06273

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations it (a) has met and (b) plans to meet, to discuss the draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

The list of organisations that were met with ahead of the consultation on the draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill are included in the published consultation document .

Since the consultation on the draft Bill was published in December 2019 meetings have been held with the following organisations:

Bayswater Support Group

Office of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner

Engender

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Equality Network and Scottish Trans

Fair Play for Women

Faith and Belief Representatives Group

For Women Scotland

Frontline Feminists Scotland

LGB Alliance

LGBT Health and Wellbeing

LGBT Youth Scotland

Murray Blackburn Mackenzie

National Records of Scotland

Scottish Civil Justice Council

Scottish Human Rights Commission

Scottish Women’s Aid

Stonewall Scotland

Transgender Trend

Woman’s Place UK

Women and Girls in Scotland

Women’s Declaration International, Scotland

Women Speak Scotland

Women Voting With Our Feet

Currently, meetings have been scheduled but are yet to take place with the following organisations:

Free Church of Scotland

Scottish Feminist Network

Question reference: S6W-06322

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to commitments given by Transport Scotland to EVA Scotland, whether it will publish details of the framework agreement between Transport Scotland and SWARCO relating to the electric vehicle charging network in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-06313

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03246 by Tom Arthur on 1 October 2021, whether its estimate of the cost to local government of the increase in employers' national insurance contributions has changed, and, if so, what its current estimate is.