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-27827

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of how its loss and damage funding assists communities in Central Africa with the preservation of endangered megafauna populations.

Scottish Government loss and damage funding is not currently assisting communities in Central Africa, with the preservation of endangered megafauna populations.

Our loss and damage funding for the rest of this Parliamentary term is focused on two multi-year Programmes: Climate Just Communities and our Non-Economic Loss and Damage Programme. Both programmes are multi-year and community-led, responding to their specific needs.

Our £24 million Climate Just Communities programme operates in our partner countries of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia, to help build inclusive and climate resilient communities. This includes projects that addresses the impacts of climate induced loss and damage. Our £5 million Non-Economic Loss and Damage programme is delivering interventions throughout East Africa, the Pacific and Bay of Bengal, with a specific emphasis on supporting women and girls to address loss and damage.

Question reference: S6W-27860

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many nurseries have closed since 2016, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government does not hold specific data on the number of nursery closures by local authority area. However, the Care Inspectorate publishes data each year in the Early Learning and Childcare Statistics publication that sets out changes across different types of childcare settings at a national level. This shows an increase in the number of nurseries from 2,468 in 2016 to 2,538 in 2022 (a 3% increase). This figure will be affected by both closures and openings of new settings.

Source: Care Inspectorate, Early Learning and Childcare Statistics 2016.pdf (careinspectorate.com) and Early learning and childcare statistics 2022.pdf (careinspectorate.com) .

Question reference: S6W-27878

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the Department for Work and Pensions under the agency agreement for the delivery of Carer's Allowance in Scotland to identify the (a) number of carers affected by overpayment debt and (b) levels of debt accumulated.

The Scottish Government has urged the DWP to carefully consider people’s individual circumstances before any recovery of Carer’s Allowance overpayments from carers. Discussions are ongoing with the DWP as to potential arrangements for the recovery of any Carer’s Allowance overpayments for carers in Scotland that remain once case transfer is complete and the current Agency Agreement comes to an end.

Question reference: S6W-27862

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what early warning systems are in place to identify any nurseries that are at risk of closure due to financial difficulties or staffing shortages.

Under Funding Follows the Child, all nurseries who deliver funded early learning and childcare (ELC) must, as part of the criteria in the National Standard for all ELC providers Section 2: The National Standard for all Early Learning and Childcare Providers - Funding Follows The Child and The National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Operating Guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , be able to demonstrate that they are financially viable providers and that they have a sustainable staffing structure in place which meets the recommended adult: child ratios.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing and monitoring compliance with the National Standard in all funded providers, as part of their contract management arrangements and in their role as guarantors of quality. With regards to business sustainability, services delivering funded ELC must ensure that they are able to demonstrate – when required – that their business model continues to be financially viable through the provision of appropriate financial information, for example, accounts and business forecasts/projections. A Business Continuity Plan must also be in place.

If a service delivering funded ELC was at risk of closure due to financial difficulties or staffing shortages then it is expected that they would make their local authority aware of these challenges.

The Scottish Government monitors trends in sustainability and staffing across the overall childcare sector, including through the Financial Sustainability Health Checks. Analysis in the most recent Financial Sustainability Health Check: Financial Sustainability Health Check of the Childcare Sector in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) published on 31 July 2023, reported that annual cancellation rates for private and third sector services over the period March 2020 to March 2023 were at similar levels to previous years.

Question reference: S6W-27863

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what long-term strategies are being developed to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of nurseries.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting a diverse, sustainable and thriving childcare sector.

For those providers in the private and third sector, including childminders, who deliver funded early learning and childcare (ELC) the payment of sustainable rates by local authorities is vital to supporting their financial sustainability and to enabling the delivery of high quality ELC. Rates have increased substantially since the implementation of the ELC expansion to 1140 hours – with the average rate paid by local authorities to providers for delivering funded ELC to 3-5 year olds increasing by 64.1% between 2017 and 2023, from £3.68 per hour in 2017-18 to £6.04 per hour in 2023-24.

However, while the average rate has increased, there remains variation in the rates paid across Scotland. That is why the Scottish Government will continue to look for opportunities to strengthen the current system, including taking forward the recommendations of the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Review of Sustainable Rates Early learning and childcare: sustainable rates review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , published in December 2023. The evidence-based review recommends a wide-ranging set of actions, which are currently being progressed, to strengthen the process for setting rates.

In 2024-25 the Scottish Government has provided local authorities with an additional £16 million to enable staff delivering funded ELC in the private, and third sector to be paid at least £12 per hour from April 2024. To support this commitment joint Scottish Government and COSLA guidance Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard - Funded early learning and childcare (ELC) - setting sustainable rates 2024 to 2025: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) sets out our shared commitment to increasing rates for all funded ELC providers by at least 7.6% in 2024-25.

To support the sustainability of the overall childcare sector the Scottish Government has legislated to continue the Nursery Rates Relief Scheme, which provides 100 per cent relief on Non-Domestic Rates to eligible day nurseries; made more than £35 million of dedicated financial support available to providers during the pandemic; and funded pilot programmes of targeted Business Gateway support to enable childcare providers to access tailored, specialist advice on strengthening their businesses.

As set out in Best Start: Strategic early learning and school age childcare plan for Scotland 2022-26 (careinspectorate.com) we will maintain a robust but proportionate means of monitoring the financial sustainability of the childcare sector to ensure that both national and local policy is informed by up to date evidence about the health of the sector. This includes through the Financial Sustainability Health Checks. The most recent Financial Sustainability Health Check of the Childcare Sector in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) was published on 31 July 2023 and sets out a programme of actions, across a number of areas, to support the long-term sustainability of the sector.

Question reference: S6W-27829

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Scottish breast screening programme data 2022-23, what steps are being taken to increase uptake of breast screening to reach the achievable 80% target in all NHS board areas.

Question reference: S6W-27788

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it anticipates that an implementation and engagement plan for the mental health and wellbeing whole school approach framework, which was published in August 2021, will be developed, and whether it anticipates that an update to the framework will be published.

Question reference: S6W-27820

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the processing of accessing care records for care experienced people.

The Digitisation of records is an operational responsibility of individual Health Boards GP practices and Local Authorities, and their partner organisations commissioned to deliver care. At a national level and building on the existing use of electronic record systems, we are focussed on allowing records to be stored, linked, and shared securely.

Our national work recognises, however, that we need to improve the way this works for people across Scotland in a nationally consistent manner. As set out in our integrated health & social care record and a digital front door so that we can introduce a national approach to improving the process for accessing care records for care experienced people, and those around them.

Question reference: S6T-02037

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether bowel cancer screening is being carried out to detect cancer at the earliest possible stage or whether it is being determined by NHS capacity for colonoscopies and treatment.

Question reference: S6T-02044

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reports that Scottish universities' budgets have been impacted by £100 million due to a 20% drop in applications from international students in the last academic year as a result of new UK Government immigration rules.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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