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 41367 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-03577

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been supported through its training schemes to train as (a) HGV and (b) bus drivers in each month since the start of 2019.

There are a number of subsidised training schemes provided by Scottish Government in regards to HGV and Bus Driver training including: Employability Fund, Modern Apprenticeships, National Transition Training Fund and Individual Training Accounts

A summary table has been provided, showing the number of people supported through the various schemes in relation to HGV and Bus driver training. To ensure consistency, we have provided figures based on financial years 2019-20, 2020-21 and Quarter 1 of 2021-22.

Intervention

Timescale

Numbers

Employability Fund

Bus and Coach Drivers

HGV/LGV Drivers

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

216

Modern Apprenticeship

(HGV)

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

1100

987

290

National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) – Part of Year One delivery extended until June 2021

(Driver CPC / LGV with CPC / PCV with CPC)

October 2020 - June 2021

Individual Training Account

(HGV and Bus Driving courses combined)

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

537

292

195

Note: Disclosure control (*) has been applied where figures are less than 5 or where such small numbers can be identified through differencing

Question reference: S6W-03081

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government on (a) reforming family reunion rules to enable child refugees in Europe to settle with family members already resident in Scotland and (b) establishing a new UK-wide scheme to enable child refugees in Europe to be resettled in the UK, including in Scotland.

Asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes family reunion and the establishment of refugee resettlement schemes. UK immigration rules currently only allow for the reunion of dependent children under 18 and spouses, or long term partners, with refugees already living in the UK.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly urged the UK Government to review its family reunion policy and to consider expanding eligibility so that more people can be reunited safely with their family in the UK. Most recently, I raised concern about the impact of the Nationality and Borders Bill on family reunion rights in my letter of 1 September to the Home Secretary. The Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration replied on 19 October. He responded on some of the points raised and indicated further discussion with Scottish Ministers should follow. The Scottish Government will continue to press the UK Government for clarity on the implications of this legislation for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-03524

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what measures, other than a public interest test, it is considering to (a) tackle the concentration of land ownership in Scotland and (b) promote the use of land in the interests of (i) local communities and (ii) the natural environment.

We have an ongoing and unwavering commitment to land reform. We will aim to bring forward a new Land Reform Bill by the end of 2023, and we plan to double the Scottish Land Fund to £20m by the end of this Parliament, providing more support to enable communities to own land and assets.

We will undertake a wide-ranging consultation in the course of 2022 on proposals for the Bill, and remain committed to working with all stakeholders, including land owning interests and community representatives, to develop policy and legislative solutions to progress our proposals.

Question reference: S6F-00388

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is regarding the use of facial recognition technology in schools.

Question reference: S6F-00377

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister, in light of COP26, what action the Scottish Government is taking to showcase the role that Scottish agriculture can play in reducing carbon emissions.

Question reference: S6F-00378

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government anticipates the impact of COP26 will be on Glasgow’s healthcare services.

Question reference: S6F-00368

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Budget.

Question reference: S6F-00367

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government will be doing to amplify the voices of the Global South at COP26.

Question reference: S6F-00365

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-00364

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.