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-27304

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support NHS boards, in light of NHS Highland reportedly stating that it is no longer able to provide its pilot service for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment due to the ending of the Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund.

The Scottish Government provided funding for adult neurodevelopmental pathway trials in 2022. Following the adult neurodevelopmental pilots, a final report was published in March 2023 outlining what is required to provide a multi-disciplinary neurodevelopmental approach across Scotland. The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations and we are working with the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) on implementation. This included launching a new Neuro-affirming Community of Practice in October last year.

The Scottish Government funds the NAIT to support local areas to improve their neurodevelopmental support and diagnosis for adults. Additionally, the Scottish Government has commissioned work through NHS Education for Scotland and the NAIT to provide a range of professional learning about ADHD and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Question reference: S6W-27310

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to the Freedom of Information request, FOI/202400394662, for what reason only 14 properties in the Western Isles have been connected to superfast broadband through the R100 programme since it was established in 2016.

The Western Isles fall within the £421.6 million Scottish Government investment in the R100 North contract which is expected to connect over 2,200 premises across the Western Isles to full fibre broadband. Work is currently scheduled to begin in the latter half of 2025.

As at 15 April 2024, 30 connections had been delivered through our demand-led R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher scheme, with a further 24 vouchers requested.

Between 2014 and 2020 the publicly-funded Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) Programme brought a minimum of a superfast broadband service to over 12,600 premises across the Western Isles with new subsea cables laid across the west coast of Scotland delivering fibre connections to the Western Isles for the first time.

Question reference: S6W-27236

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17778 by Graeme Dey on 23 May 2023, whether it will provide updated information on how many (a) modern, (b) foundation and (c) graduate apprenticeship learning providers there have been since 2019-20, based on the latest information available.

Question reference: S6W-27298

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will withdraw the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

The Scottish Government does not plan to withdraw the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill. The Bill, if passed, will give councils the power to introduce a visitor levy in all or part of their area, if they think it is right to do so and after they have consulted local businesses, communities, and tourism organisations. A visitor levy can be a force for good, delivering benefits for businesses, communities, and visitors.

Question reference: S6W-27241

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact of speed cameras in improving driver behaviour, in light of Safety Cameras Scotland’s reported decision to deactivate 119 speed cameras across Scotland’s transport authorities.

The Scottish Government plans to investment £7.53m through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme (“the Programme”) in 2024/25. This is the highest level of investment in the Programme since 2007 and almost double the investment ten years ago in 2014. This acts to ensure safety camera technology continues to deliver its aim of reducing the number of casualties on Scotland’s roads by encouraging improved driver behaviour.

To maximise the casualty reduction potential of the Programme an annual safety camera site prioritisation exercise is undertaken. This robust exercise, which has been undertaken in collaboration between Police Scotland, Transport Scotland and all local road authorities, assessed the performance of approximately 500 existing safety camera sites. This process identified 13 new safety camera sites which are being progressed towards delivery, and that at 119 existing camera sites there had been a sustained positive impact on driver behaviour for a number of years and therefore no longer a priority for camera deployment and being placed into dormancy.

At each of these sites the camera infrastructure and signage will remain in place and a bag displayed over any fixed camera to indicate its non-operational status. This pause allows for a thorough assessment over a three-year period, after which decisions will be made regarding potential decommissioning or reactivation.

Question reference: S6T-02000

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures showing that average rents increased at a higher rate in Scotland than any other region or nation in the UK between September 2022 and March 2024.

Question reference: S6T-01995

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly withdrawn all funding for the National Parent Forum of Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-01996

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is regarding any implications for community safety to the events that occurred in Trongate, Glasgow, following Celtic Football Club’s league title win.

Question reference: S6F-03150

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2024

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on what action the Scottish Government is taking to support the Ferguson Marine shipyard.

Question reference: S6F-03166

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that no NHS board has implemented placental growth factor-based testing for pre-eclampsia, in light of it having been recommended in March 2023 by the Scottish Health Technologies Group.

Year	Modern Apprenticeship Providers	Foundation Apprenticeship Providers	Graduate Apprenticeship Providers
2019-20	256	39	15
2020-21	255	39	14
2021-22	243	40	12
2022-23	228	39	12
2023-24	205	44	11