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 48973 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-30709

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve the nutritional standards of school meals, beyond the 2020 regulatory interventions.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all children and young people by giving them the best possible start in life.

We expect all local authorities to meet their statutory duty to comply with their statutory duty to comply with the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which are based on scientific evidence and dietary advice designed to ensure children and young people are provided with food and drink which contains an appropriate amount of energy and nutrients to support their healthy growth and development. They also ensure there is a limit to the amount of salt, sugar, fat and saturated fat contained within food and drink offered at any time of the school day, including at meal times.

We recognise that local authorities, and schools themselves, are best placed to decide upon the content of their school menus at the local level given their understanding of local needs and circumstances. Working in partnership with Education Scotland Health and Nutrition Inspectors, who monitor compliance with the Regulations, we continue to support local authorities as they build upon the work already being done to ensure that school meals meet the highest standards of nutrition, recognising that this is vital to supporting our children and young people’s effective learning.

Question reference: S6W-30691

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many children it estimates currently have at least one parent or parental figure with an alcohol addiction.

Data included in the 2019 Public Health Survey states that, among all children in 2017-2019 combined: 17% were living with at least one parent who exhibited hazardous, harmful drinking behaviour or had a possible alcohol dependence (AUDIT score of 8 or more), 2% were living with at least one parent who exhibited harmful drinking behaviour or who had a possible alcohol dependence (AUDIT score of 16 or more) and 83% did not live in a household with a parent who exhibited hazardous, harmful drinking behaviour or who had a possible alcohol dependence.

Question reference: S6W-30944

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions have been taken in the current parliamentary session to improve the average reading age in schools.

Literacy, which includes reading, remains the responsibility of all educators and a key priority in the National Improvement Framework. The National Improvement Framework and improvement plan 2024 included a range of actions to support literacy under the National Response to Improving Literacy, all of which are relevant to reading. The 2025 National Improvement Framework, which will be published in December 2024, will include a new long-term strategy setting out how we will work in partnership with local authorities and wider children's services to improve outcomes for young people. Improving achievement in literacy will remain a key priority.

Of particular note, in February 2024 Education Scotland published an Early Reading Professional Support Overview followed by a number of Professional Learning Resources from March to June 2024 for educators who support children and young people to learn to read. This guidance covers a range of themes including developing skills for reading and it seeks to provide clarity on the position of systematic phonics within an overall approach to early reading. The guidance is accompanied by an enhanced national primary schools professional learning programme on early reading.

In addition, the Scottish Government continues to fund the Scottish Book Trust to deliver both the Reading Schools programme and Read Write Count with the First Minister (RWC). Reading Schools offers three accreditation levels to Primary, Secondary and Additional Support Needs schools, designed to champion schools’ efforts to build and sustain a reading culture, while RWC gifts books and other materials to Primary 2 and 3 pupils across Scotland. The Scottish Government also continues to fund the School Library Improvement Fund to support creative and innovative projects within the school library sector.

The National Response to Improving Literacy Partnership Board (NRIL) brings together Scottish Government, Education Scotland and the Association of Directors of Education Services (ADES) to identify and support actions to improve literacy. A key priority for the “NRIL” in 2024 and 2025 is the Literacy and English Curriculum Improvement Cycle which will seek to strengthen and update Scotland’s Literacy and English Curriculum.

Question reference: S6W-30911

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the resignation of Sir Brian May as vice president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) due to reported concerns over "appalling" animal welfare standards on farms certified under the RSPCA Assured scheme, and what steps it is taking to ensure that animal welfare standards on Scottish farms meet or exceed national and international requirements.

The Scottish Government does not comment on the internal affairs of non-SG bodies.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to improving and protecting the welfare of all animals in Scotland. The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 protects animals in Scotland, including livestock, and in November 2023 we published our own pig welfare guidance to further improve the welfare of farmed pigs. The Welfare of Farmed Animals (Scotland) Regulations 2010 was updated to include this updated guidance.

Question reference: S6W-30919

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the current support that is offered to women-led businesses.

The independent Pathways review and recommendations were developed through extensive consultation and engagement with entrepreneurs and analysis of data on women in entrepreneurship.

Activity within the South of Scotland Enterprise Pilot pre-start programme and projects funded through the Pathways Fund will be evaluated to determine effectiveness and to support the development of further implementation of the Pathways recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-30931

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent findings of a report by the Fraser of Allander Institute, which state that just 6% of Scottish businesses believe that the Scottish Government “engages effectively” with their sector.

The Scottish Government is working intensively with business organisations and stakeholders to deliver on our shared ambitions, including through the New Deal for Business Group, which helped shape the First Minister’s recent Programme for Government and is informing our key priorities regarding economic growth.

There are good examples of business already feeding into policy development in areas like public health, circular economy and fair work. Deepening this relationship is an ongoing process, and I’m committed to building on the progress to date.

The Scottish Government will keep working with business to improve productivity, bring investment and create high quality jobs for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-30945

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what digital solutions are being explored to improve the reading age in schools.

Question reference: S6W-30933

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to proceed with its National Care Service plans.

Question reference: S6T-02182

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland's call for it to introduce "legal protection for children on the use of physical restraint and seclusion in all situations where children are in the care of the state".

Question reference: S6F-03534

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding reports from BBC Panorama that smart meters in Scotland are experiencing a disproportionate number of operational issues compared with elsewhere in the UK, due to differences in connection type used to send data to energy providers.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Filter your results Hide all filters

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer