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-20230

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages teachers in training to consider undertaking their probationary year outside of their "home" local authority, including through marketing or presentations, and, specifically, how it seeks to encourage probationary teachers to carry out their probationary year in areas such as the north east.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is responsible for administering the Teacher Induction Scheme and as such undertakes seminars and information sessions with prospective probationary teachers. This includes encouraging probationary teachers to consider taking a placement further afield.

The Preference Waiver Payment (PWP) was introduced in 2004-05 to attract newly qualified teachers to more remote and rural local authorities who experience difficulties in securing probationers . Students can opt for the PWP whereby they waive their right to express a preferred local authority and will be prioritised to remote and rural local authorities such as the north east in return for an additional payment.

Currently the PWP is £6000 per annum for Primary teachers and £8000 per annum for Secondary teachers.

Question reference: S6W-20228

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many probationary teachers were requested by each of the 32 local authorities to commence their probationary year in August 2023, and how many were allocated to each local authority.

Question reference: S6W-20343

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in digital health technologies in each of the past three years.

Question reference: S6W-20350

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of properties in (a) Aberdeenshire and (b) Angus that are still to be connected to superfast broadband under its R100 scheme, and by what date it expects these properties to be connected.

The Scottish Government is enabling access to superfast broadband through the R100 contracts (North, Central and South) and the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS).

As at 30 June 2023, the total number of properties included in the R100 contracts yet to receive a connection in the (a) Aberdeenshire and (b) Angus local authority areas are as follows:

	Number of contracted premises to be connected
(a)Aberdeenshire	13,516
(b)Angus	6,538

The R100 contracts are delivering future-proofed, gigabit capable broadband connections, with build in Aberdeenshire and Angus currently underway and expecting to complete in 2028. Constituents can access the latest deployment information relating to their property via the R100 address checker ( www.scotlandsuperfast.com ).

All premises not in commercial or R100 contract plans are eligible for the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-20251

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19623 by Lorna Slater on 21 July 2023, which specific organisations and businesses have raised concerns regarding the financial impact of Circularity Scotland going into administration.

The Scottish Government does not hold the specific information you have asked for. However, information about Circularity Scotland Limited’s (CSL) creditors is available on Companies House at the following link CIRCULARITY SCOTLAND LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK (company-information.service.gov.uk) .

The UK Government’s 11th hour decision to undermine DRS in Scotland will have affected businesses across Scotland that were preparing for the launch of the Scottish scheme. We wrote to the UK Government on 16 May, 19 May and 23 May 2023 to inform them of the potential impact a delayed decision on the Internal Market Act exclusion, or not providing an exclusion, would have on businesses. In our letter dated 2 June 2023, we specifically highlighted our concerns about the impact this would have on CSL.

Question reference: S6W-20327

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action Migdale Smolt Ltd has taken to comply with the planning condition associated with its section 42 application (reference 18/01202/S42) to monitor for wild fish impacts and escapes since the condition was imposed in 2018.

Monitoring compliance with conditions attached to planning permissions is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Planning authorities have a range of enforcement powers, and a general discretion under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to take enforcement action against any breach of planning control if they consider such action to be in the public interest and proportionate to the scale of the breach, having regard to the provisions of the development plan and any other material considerations. The Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers have no remit under planning legislation to intervene in or comment on individual cases.

Question reference: S6W-20098

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to (a) people over 30, (b) single parents, (c) people on low incomes and (d) carers, to move into green jobs, including in relation to training and upskilling, in light of reports that such training requires significant time commitment and can result in a real-terms pay cut that many people cannot afford.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation sets out the need to strengthen Scotland’s position in new markets and industries, generating new, well-paid jobs through a just transition to net zero and a highly skilled workforce is critical to the delivery of that ambition.

Our No One Left Behind approach will support a growing number of green jobs and innovation activity by offering all-age employability support to all who require it with a focus on helping those furthest from the labour market with the most complex barriers to gaining and sustaining fair work, such as carers, single parents, and those on low incomes.

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) awards a range of loans, bursaries and living-cost grants to eligible students to assist with their expenses while studying. This can include providing support with living costs for those who have had to reduce their working hours in order to undergo training and upskilling. Detailed information for specific groups can be found on the SAAS website including grants for lone parents and undergraduate students with the lowest household incomes - Student Awards Agency Scotland - SAAS - Funding Your Future .

Apprenticeships are another a key tool for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs now and, in the future. The Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council, and the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board to maximise apprenticeships and prioritise a just transition that creates new green jobs, supporting the long-term future of work-based learning and the economy.

Question reference: S6W-20180

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many households, by R100 contract area, remain eligible for a Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) voucher, but have yet to make a claim.

As of 28 July 2023, a total of 65,602 properties in Scotland remain eligible for a voucher worth up to £5,000 through the R100 SBVS. That total is broken down by R100 contract area as follows:

North – 31,104

Central – 29,550

South – 4,948

The R100 SBVS remains the most generous broadband voucher currently available and we continue to publicise its availability via the press, social media, and through continued stakeholder engagement activity across Scotland. Suppliers registered to deliver connections through the R100 SBVS provide a range of superfast capable technologies including fibre, fixed wireless, 4G and satellite. The R100 SBVS can also be combined with the UK Government’s Gigabit Voucher, where applicable, to provide up to £9,500 to secure a gigabit capable broadband connection.

Question reference: S6W-20231

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average wait time for a call to the Police Scotland 101 service to be answered was in each of the last six months.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested, as responsibility for managing Police Scotland’s call handling system, including for non-emergency 101 calls, rests with the Chief Constable.

Police Scotland publish performance data, including for the non-emergency 101 service, on their website at Call Handling Reports 2023 - Police Scotland . The average wait time for non-emergency 101 calls in the last 6 months is below.

Police Scotland has advised that when there is a surge in 999 calls they will re-prioritise Advisors from non-emergency (101) calls and emails as they aim to answer 999 calls under 10 seconds. Therefore there is a direct link between increase in 999 volumes and the average speed of answer for 101 non-emergency calls performance. As shown below, the months where there has been a notable increase in Police Scotland’s average answer times for 101 is as a direct consequence of aiming to achieve an average speed of answer of under 10 seconds for 999 calls. The average speed of answer for 999 calls for the same period is also below.

There has been a significant change in the contact volume profile (999, 101, Other Emergency Service calls and Contactus E-Mails) being experienced by the Police Scotland Service Centre following the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes sustained annual growth in 999 call volumes which have risen by 34% since 2018. This year there has been an increase of 18% in January to June when compared to 2022; with May and June increases of 25% and 37% respectively in 999 calls compared with the same month the previous year.

101 average speed of answer – Jan to July 2023

Month	Average speed of answer	101 calls received	Total calls received (101 PLUS 999)
January	3 min 55 secs	101,065	160,306
February	6 mins 24	109,416	168,314
March	4 mins 51 secs	119,093	181,935
April	4 mins 28 secs	116,778	183,512
May	8 mins 20 secs	126,885	205,680
June	10 mins 37 secs	123,315	209,474
July	5 mins 57 secs	117,672	190,947

999 Average speed of answer – Jan to July 2023

Over the last 5 years, Police Scotland have maintained an average speed of answer under 10 seconds.

Month	Average speed of answer	999 calls received	Total calls received (101 PLUS 999)
January	6 secs	59,241	160,306
February	8 secs	58,898	168,314
March	9 secs	62,842	181,935
April	9 secs	66,734	183,512
May	12 secs	78,795	205,680
June	13 secs	86,159	209,474
July	9 secs	73,275	190,947

Question reference: S6W-20302

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances there have been of ScotRail trains returning late from their scheduled maintenance examinations, broken down by month since 1 April 2022.