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-22282

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05058 by Lorna Slater on 21 December 2021, whether it will provide an updated list setting out the level of local authority readiness to comply with the delayed ban on waste to landfill.

Local authorities are responsible for the provision of local waste services and are, therefore, best placed to comment on their readiness to comply with the ban on sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill in 2025.

We continue to provide procurement support to help local authorities that need it to secure contracts in preparation for the forthcoming ban. As part of this support, Zero Waste Scotland is working with local authorities to provide technical, legal and procurement advice on their contracts.

Through this support, we understand that 22 local authorities have contracts in place for 2025 that comply with the landfill ban, these are: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, City of Edinburgh, City of Glasgow, Dundee City, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Fife, Highland, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland, and South Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S6W-22557

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) which ministers have been issued a ministerial mobile phone since the ministerial reshuffle in March 2023.

Following the appointment of the First Minister and formation of government in March 2023, 12 Ministers accepted a government issued mobile device. Please see the following list.

Minister	Ministerial Role
Angela Constance MSP	Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
Jenny Gilruth MSP	Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
Siobhian Brown MSP	Minister for Victims and Community Safety
Natalie Don MSP	Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise
Richard Lochhead MSP	Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade
Fiona Hyslop MSP	Minister for Transport
Emma Roddick MSP	Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees
Graeme Dey MSP	Minister for Higher Education and Further Education (Min for Veterans)
Gillian Martin MSP	Minister for Energy and the Environment
Joe Fitzpatrick MSP	Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning
Jenni Minto MSP	Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health
Paul McLennan MSP	Minister for Housing

Question reference: S6W-22571

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any funds realised from the apprenticeship levy are used to fund the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, and, if so, what proportion of such funds are used in this way.

As noted earlier in the year in a similar parliamentary question , the UK Government Apprenticeship Levy is a reserved tax on employers which was implemented by the UK Government. Scotland receives a proportionate share of tax revenues via the block grant as per the Fiscal Framework agreement with UK Treasury.

On 14 November 2016, the UK Government announced the Scottish Government’s settlement from the UK Apprenticeship Levy based on a population share of projected revenue for the first three years only. From 2020-21, the normal operation of the Barnett Formula has applied. As a result, the Scottish Government has no direct control or responsibility for its operation and we have not had a breakdown of Levy funding for Scotland since 2020-21. This means that we cannot directly link funds realised from the apprenticeship levy to any funding stream, including the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF).

Question reference: S6W-22558

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Social Security Scotland is collecting supporting information before making a decision about a claimant's application, in order to take the onus off the claimant.

Social Security Scotland uses supporting information to assist in the decision making process for Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment. It assists case managers in considering how people are impacted by their conditions or disabilities to inform decisions about the support they are entitled to. Social Security Scotland are committed to ensuring people applying for disability assistance are helped to provide supporting information, which can include obtaining it on their behalf. Ensuring time is taken to collect the information required to get decisions right first time is a fundamental part of delivering a social security system that treats people with dignity, fairness and respect.

Question reference: S6T-01631

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a Unison survey that reportedly shows a 31% increase in the number of violent incidents against public sector workers in the last year.

Question reference: S6T-01635

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being three weeks since Storm Babet, whether it will provide an update on the support that it is making available to the affected communities in Angus, Aberdeenshire and Dundee.

Question reference: S6F-02550

Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the impact of the Low Emission Zone in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6F-02538

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the First Minister what immediate action the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported crisis in social care, in light of the letter from the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland stating that the social care pay uplift is insufficient.

Question reference: S6F-02532

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on when the Scottish Government will review its ban on alcohol consumption on ScotRail train services.

Question reference: S6F-02537

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.