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: S6F-02845

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government still has a policy of a presumption against any new oil and gas licences.

Question reference: S6F-02848

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

To ask the First Minister, regarding the delivery of the Scottish Government's recently published depopulation action plan, what will be different about this approach, which is described as "local by default, national by agreement", particularly towards the approval of new developments supported by local communities.

Question reference: S6F-02825

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on whether successive changes to national taxation policy in Scottish Budgets will support the redistribution of wealth and help sustain vital public services.

Question reference: S6F-02824

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02823

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-25280

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of local authorities and other public bodies currently being in the process of finalising their budgets, what action it is taking to ensure that these bodies (a) protect key local community and voluntary organisations providing frontline services in relation to the cost of living crisis and (b) work with local third sector organisations in order to (i) not make any reductions to budgets or services without assessing the potential impact of any such reductions on communities and (ii) consider alternative local solutions to any such reductions.

The vast majority of funding allocated to councils is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities. Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their communities. Similarly, we would expect public bodies to exhaust all options to make any required efficiencies before cutting any services.

The 2024-25 Scottish Budget is a budget built on our values. It seeks to protect people and sustain services through these tough times. All budget decisions are subject to robust assessment in line with the Fairer Scotland Duty Act of 2018, which requires Scottish Ministers, when making strategic decisions, to reduce the inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage. Our funding for the third Sector will continue to prioritise investment in key infrastructure organisations and programmes which in turn provide critical support to the wider sector.

The third sector needs clarity and stability to increase its resilience and capacity to deliver services. That is why we have committed to develop a Fairer Funding approach for the sector to create conditions for it to thrive as part of a mixed economy.

Question reference: S6W-25496

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Big Braw Community campaign launched by The Sunday Post with the aim of reducing loneliness and isolation.

The Scottish Government welcomes all initiatives that support our work to tackle social isolation and loneliness, a public health issue which has been exacerbated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to be affected by the ongoing cost crisis.

The Social Isolation and Loneliness Strategy, and associated delivery plan that was published in 2023, outlines the strategic actions and priorities we are taking to tackle this issue. This includes funding support to 53 organisations across Scotland delivering community-led activity that responds to local needs by providing opportunities for people to connect. Priority groups targeted by the fund are young people (aged 16-24), disabled people, people with a mental health condition, older people (aged 75+) and people living in areas of deprivation or on a low income.

Since 2021, we have invested £51m in our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, with 3,300 grants being made to local organisations across Scotland to tackle issues including social isolation.

The Scottish Government encourages the Big Braw Community campaign to engage with the Social Isolation and Loneliness Advisory Group to explore collaborative working on this issue.

Question reference: S6W-25149

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of free school meals.

We are working with local authorities on the infrastructure required to deliver our commitment to the expansion of free school meals.

The 2024-25 budget has made provision for £43m of capital funding for school infrastructure, in addition to the £10m of capital funding provided in 2023-24.

This will support the expansion to P6 & P7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, as part of our wider commitment to expansion.

Question reference: S6W-25110

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has undertaken regarding the potential removal of charitable status of independent schools in Edinburgh.

No impact assessments have been conducted as the Scottish Government’s position is and remains that the charitable status of any organisation is a matter for OSCR. Whether independent fee-charging schools meet the charity test is a matter for OSCR who operate independently of the Scottish Government.

Any changes to the way OSCR determine charitable status would need to be made by primary legislation, following thorough consultation, impact assessments and analysis.

Question reference: S6W-25105

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that the Office of the Public Guardian is sufficiently supported to perform its public duties.

In recognition of the ongoing pressures on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, including the Office of the Public Guardian, additional funding for SCTS in 2024-25 was prioritised. The 2024-25 budget provides an additional £9.7 million resource and £3.9 million additional capital budget . As a non-Ministerial public body, d ecisions on the allocation of these additional resources are for the judicially-led SCTS Board.

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

Chamber and committees

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