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-03998

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times for dental extractions in rural NHS board areas.

Question reference: S6O-04001

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people who are not aware of a Do Not Resuscitate order being placed on their medical notes, including in relation to next of kin and power of attorney holders.

Question reference: S6O-04003

Asked by: James Dornan, MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the annual performance of Social Security Scotland in 2023-24.

Question reference: S6O-04000

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with East Dunbartonshire Council regarding the condition of Milngavie Primary School.

Question reference: S6W-30994

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent staffed posts there have been in the Agricultural Wages Enforcement Team in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-30982

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its timeline for reviewing its good practice principles for onshore wind developments, and whether there will be opportunities for the community sector to meaningfully engage with this process.

Driven by our Good Practice Principles, community benefits are a well-established and integral part of renewable energy projects in Scotland, with over £26 million of community benefits offered to Scottish communities in the last 12 months. The Scottish Government continues to work with industry and communities to build on this success, including through our Onshore Wind Sector Deal that commits industry to meet or exceed the Good Practice Principles.

The Good Practice Principles for Onshore Developments, published in 2019 were developed in close collaboration with the sector and local communities to set national standards for community benefits. We are currently considering feedback from stakeholders on the potential for a review of these Good Practice Principles.

Question reference: S6W-30949

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recommendations from the Creative Industries Leadership Group it has adopted.

Question reference: S6W-30794

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Lord Advocate has provided a statement of prosecution policy regarding the safer drug consumption facility, and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Question reference: S6W-31010

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent commencement of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, what it will do to ensure that the views of children and young people are considered when a parent or carer seeks to withdraw them from religious observance and religious education in schools.

Religious observance (RO), plays an important role in pupil’s education. However, there is also a longstanding parental right to withdraw a pupil from both RO and religious instruction or religious and moral education (RME).

As with any decision which affects children and young people, it is only right that their views should also be taken into account when this right to withdraw is being exercised. Doing so is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and is especially relevant as pupils mature and take more responsibility for their own learning. However, while consideration of pupils’ views has long been a feature of our guidance on RO, this is not reflected in legislation.

The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 builds upon a strong record on children’s rights in Scotland, but the commencement of the Act is merely a step on our journey to uphold and promote children’s rights. It is with this in mind that I am announcing that the Scottish Government will shortly be bringing forward a narrowly focussed Bill, with the purpose of amending the current legislation to require that pupils’ views are considered when parents or carers are exercising their right to withdraw their child from RO and RME. This will bring legislation into line with existing guidance as well as strengthening our commitment to upholding children’s rights in all aspects of their lives, including education.

These changes in no way diminish the significance of RO and RME in the work of schools, helping pupils to grow and develop their own sense of themselves, to be confident in expressing their own beliefs and values, and to develop an understanding of and empathy towards others. This approach will strengthen the rights of Scottish children and young people, which are a key priority of this government, but I am also conscious of the wide range of views on this issue and will discuss these issues with members across the chamber and with other interested parties.

As part of this, although the proposed changes on RO and RME merely bring legislation into line with existing guidance, a public consultation will launch tomorrow to seek views on any implications of these changes, as well as insights into how the right to withdraw currently works in practice to help inform implementation. The consultation can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/education-reform/religious-observance-education-legislation-schools.

Question reference: S6W-30988

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent account managers have been employed by Scottish Enterprise in each year since 2021-22.

Financial Year	Full Time Equivalents
2020-2021	0.8
2021-2022	0.8
2022-2023	1.2
2023-2024	2.1
2024-2025	2.25