- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to Brand Scotland media in each of the last three years, and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of this expenditure.
Answer
Answer expected on 1 October 2025
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Centre for Good Relations CIC in each of the last three years; how this funding was used, and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of this expenditure.
Answer
Answer expected on 1 October 2025
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Child Poverty Action Group in each of the last three years, and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of this expenditure.
Answer
Answer expected on 1 October 2025
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 September 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with COSLA about increasing the transparency of senior officer pay and conditions alongside improved democratic oversight and accountability.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2025
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many knife-related offences have been prosecuted in each year since 2015, and how many subsequent convictions there were.
Answer
The following table provides data on proceedings and convictions for ‘having an article with a blade or point’. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures by the specific type of weapon involved.
The most recent information on proceedings and convictions is available for the financial year 2022-23.
Number of people prosecuted in Scottish courts for crimes related to having an article with a blade or point, where main charge, 2013-14 to 2022-23.
| | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Restriction of offensive weapons | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
Having in a public place an article with a blade or point | 1,256 | 1,118 | 1,118 | 1,075 | 1,091 | 1,155 | 1,267 | 861 | 1,138 | 1,266 |
Having in a prison an article with a blade or point | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | - |
Possession of an offensive weapon (not elsewhere specified) in a prison | 11 | 15 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 21 | 30 | 32 | 40 | 22 |
All | 1,269 | 1,136 | 1,141 | 1,091 | 1,107 | 1,178 | 1,297 | 894 | 1,180 | 1,288 |
Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database.
Number of people convicted in Scottish courts for crimes related to having an article with a blade or point, where main charge, 2013-14 to 2022-23.
| | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Restriction of offensive weapons | 2 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
Having in a public place an article with a blade or point | 1,053 | 942 | 941 | 917 | 958 | 1,009 | 1,119 | 795 | 1,020 | 1,103 |
Having in a prison an article with a blade or point | - | - | - | - | 3 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | - |
Possession of an offensive weapon (not elsewhere specified) in a prison | 9 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 22 | 28 | 34 | 17 |
All | 1,064 | 956 | 961 | 928 | 971 | 1,028 | 1,141 | 824 | 1,056 | 1,120 |
Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database.
Please note: data for 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 are affected by the pandemic, subsequent court closures, reduced court capacity due to physical distancing measures and delays to cases where key participants were forced to self-isolate after testing positive for COVID-19, and the subsequent court recovery from the pandemic and may not be considered indicative of long term trends.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs in Scotland it estimates will be lost if oil and gas production falls in the reported timescales suggested in a recent report by Offshore Energy UK suggesting that, without replacing the Energy Profits Levy in the next year with a profits-based mechanism to encourage investment and output, North Sea oil and gas production could disappear “within years, not decades”.
Answer
The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by any planned job losses in the North East.
We continue to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to Scotland’s energy sector. As part of this approach, we review reports on employment from industry, trade unions and other bodies. We have also commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial update of the baseline data underpinning this analysis was published in April 2025.
The fiscal regime for offshore oil and gas is reserved to the UK Government. However the Scottish Government have been calling on the current UK Government for an expedited end date to the EPL that was introduced by the previous UK Government. At the time of introduction we were clear that this levy singled out a key sector in the Scottish economy and could put jobs at risk.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 16 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce direct dermatology referral pathways from community optometry and pharmacy, where appropriate.
Answer
There are currently no plans to introduce direct dermatology referral pathways from community optometry and pharmacy.
Our Digital Dermatology programme has provided GPs across Scotland with access to a new app which allows them to securely use their own mobile device to attach an image to a dermatology referral. This has the potential to significantly reduce the dermatology waiting list by diverting 50% of patients each year either back to their GP with advice or direct to treatment through the creation of a digital triage process in secondary care.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that welfare policies incentivise work.
Answer
Our social security policies have been designed to provide much needed support for the most vulnerable in our society and people can be entitled to support whether they are in work or not.
For example, our Job Start Payment helps young people who are returning to work with the costs of starting a new job, support that is only available in Scotland. The Adult Disability Payment can help to reduce the barriers that prevent some disabled people from working and we recognise that it supports many disabled people to stay in employment. Additionally, findings from the evaluation of our Five Family Payments, published earlier this month, showed that for some recipients, the Scottish Child Payment is easing work costs related to travel and childcare and giving some families greater choice and flexibility to balance work, education, and caring responsibilities.
Through the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind approach, person-centred employability services are available in every local authority area for people of all ages who experience structural barriers to participating in the labour market. Over 156,000 people have accessed these services since powers were devolved around aspects of employability support.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 29 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its policy is on issuing multiple parliamentary security passes to individuals who identify as having more than one gender identity.
Answer
Answer expected on 29 September 2025
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on service delivery timescales for (a) taxpayers and (b) businesses of a reduced working week.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to monitor the impact of changes to working patterns, including the recent transition to a 35-hour working week within the organisation.
Previous Public Sector Pay Policies have set an expectation that employers work towards standardising a 35-hour working week. Public bodies retain the flexibility to adopt working patterns that support operational efficiency, employee wellbeing, and service delivery, provided these are delivered within existing budgets and do not adversely affect public services. It remains the responsibility of individual public bodies to assess the impact of any reduction in working hours in their organisation.
Research published by The Autonomy Institute in relation to the private sector A four-day week in Scotland’s private sector? A spotlight on precedents and opportunities - The Autonomy Institute represents their assessment of the impact and opportunity of 4 day working week for private sector. The Scottish Government has not carried out any assessment in relation to this.
Evidence shows that employers benefit from offering flexibility in working arrangements which can result in happier, more engaged workers, improved recruitment and retention, improved innovation, productivity and business reputation, helping to attract new customers.
