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-00854

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) whether it will consider amending its policy on party identity or affiliation appearing on publications paid for by the SPCB.

Question reference: S6O-00855

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-00859

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on whether it will support MSPs to install ventilation solutions in their constituency offices with funding outwith the Office Cost Provision.

Question reference: S6O-00857

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress has been made on re-opening the Scottish Parliament creche.

Question reference: S6O-00821

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many members have been unable to establish a constituency or regional office.

Question reference: S6O-00858

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what action it is taking to advance and support the use of the Scots language across the Scottish Parliament campus.

Question reference: S6O-00860

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, in light of the symbols of solidarity seen across the world, whether it will, and has the equipment necessary to, light the Scottish Parliament building in the colours of the Ukraine flag at night.

Question reference: S6O-00819

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the creation of a development and recovery agency for Glasgow.

The Glasgow Regional Economic Partnership recently published a Regional Recovery Strategy for the area which aligns closely with the priorities outlined in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation published earlier this week.

Assisting with the City Centre recovery is the Glasgow City Centre Task Force which Scottish ministers work closely with on economic recovery and Glasgow City Council has been allocated £2.6m from the City Centre Recovery Fund to take forward local priorities.

The Scottish Government works closely with the Regional Economic Partnership and the Glasgow City Centre Task Force and we value their knowledge and expertise and do not believe a further Agency is required given the existing arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-06841

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many libraries have closed in each year since 1999.

Public library services in Scotland are devolved to local authorities which have a statutory duty to secure the provision of adequate library facilities for all persons resident in their area.

The Scottish Library and Information Council has provided data on the number of libraries in Scotland, England and Wales, based on data compiled by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The data covers the period 2010 to 2020; we do not hold information on the numbers of libraries dating back to 1999. In Scotland, no libraries permanently closed in 2020-21. We do not have figures for England and Wales for this year.

FINANCIAL YEAR	SCOTLAND		ENGLAND		WALES
	Increase/ Decrease	Remaining	Increase/ Decrease	Remaining	Increase/ Decrease	Remaining
2009-10	0	627	0	3,501	0	358
2010-11	-8	619	-32	3469	+20	378
2011-12	-9	610	-149	3320	-51	327
2012-13	-4	606	-59	3261	-3	324
2013-14	0	609	-35	3226	+1	325
2014-15	-3	603	-57	3169	-36	288
2015-16	-15	588	-47	3,122	-16	272
2016-17	-30	558	-65	3,057	+2	274
2017-18	-2	556	-38	3,019	-1	273
2018-19	-13	543	-14	3,005	-1	272
2019-20	+1	544	-30	2,975	-1	273
NET CHANGE	-83		-526		-92
% change from 2010	13.2%		15%		25.7%

[source: Scottish Library and Information Council]

The data shows that Scotland has seen library closures over this period, but at a lower level than that seen in England and Wales. Between 2010 to 2020 13.2% of branches closed in Scotland compared with 16% across England and Wales. No libraries in Scotland permanently closed in 2020 or 2021; however, there were temporary closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Building closures in Scotland have largely bottomed out with significant investment in excess of £25 million taking place in the building and mobile infrastructure since 2015. 2016 was the exception to this, due to a reorganisation of library services in Fife.

Question reference: S6W-06409

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00906 by Jamie Hepburn on 28 June 2021, whether it will provide an update on the proposed Scottish Education Exchange Programme.

The development of a Scottish Education Exchange Programme is a Programme for Government commitment and will help maintain Scotland’s place as an outward looking, internationally connected destination for work and study.

We are engaging with stakeholders from across the education spectrum including higher and further education, community learning and development, youth work and adult education, schools and sports and are developing the programme ensuring it is fit for Scotland.