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 44254 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-19985

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the revised number of patients is that will be treated in the National Treatment Centre Ayrshire and Arran, and how this compares to the targets set out in its NHS Recovery Plan.

The Full Business Cases (FBC) for NTCs in Ayrshire & Arran, Tayside, Lothian, Lanarkshire and Grampian remain under development. The proposed number of patients treated will be revised to align with national treatment targets once FBCs are finalised.

NTC	23/24 Activity in Recovery plan	Currently Projected activity
Ayrshire & Arran	N/A	To be agreed at FBC
Tayside	N/A	To be agreed at FBC
Lothian	N/A	To be agreed at FBC
Lanarkshire	N/A	To be agreed at FBC
Grampian	N/A	To be agreed at FBC

Question reference: S6W-19984

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the original timetable was for the (a) completion and (b) opening of the planned National Treatment Centre Ayrshire and Arran, and what the revised timetable is as of 30 June 2023.

The following table outlines the opening dates set out in the 2020 NHS Recovery Plan and the current projected opening dates for National Treatment Centres without approved Full Business Cases:

NTC	Opening Date in 2020 Recovery plan	Currently Projected Opening Date
Ayrshire & Arran	2025	To be agreed at FBC
Tayside	2025	To be agreed at FBC
Lothian	2025	To be agreed at FBC
Lanarkshire	2026	To be agreed at FBC
Grampian	2025	To be agreed at FBC

Question reference: S6W-20004

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the original timetable was for the (a) completion and (b) opening of the planned new Edinburgh Eye Pavilion, and what the revised timetable is as of 30 June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-19987

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the original cost was for the planned National Treatment Centre Tayside, and what the revised cost is as of 30 June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-19894

Asked by: Stephanie Callaghan, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the latest known levels of people in the 25- to 64-year-old population who have been educated to tertiary level in Scotland, and on how this compares to the levels in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Information on the share of population 25 to 64 years old with tertiary education is published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is available here.

	2020	2021	2022
Scotland	55.7	55.2	57.9
Wales	43.4	44.3	46.3
Northern Ireland	44.1	48.8	42.3
North East England	38.1	39.7	39.3
North West England	44.0	44.0	47.0
Yorkshire and The Humber	41.4	44.4	45.0
East Midlands	43.8	42.6	43.8
West Midlands	43.1	44.2	45.1
East of England	44.6	45.2	47.1
Greater London	68.4	69.8	69.9
South East England	51.8	51.6	54.1
South West England	47.2	48.0	48.4
United Kingdom	49.4	50.1	..

Source: OECD Regional Education, July 2023

.. Not currently available

Question reference: S6W-19896

Asked by: Clare Haughey, MSP for Rutherglen, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent level of health spending per person is in Scotland, and what information it has on how this compares with spending in (a) England and (b) Wales.

Based on HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis (2021-22), frontline Health spend per head in Scotland is £3,377, which is £323 (10.6%) higher than in England and £74 (2.2%) higher than in Wales. Proportionally, this equates to almost £1.8 billion more spending on frontline health services in Scotland compared to England, and almost £405 million more compared to Wales – equivalent to around 44,000 and 10,000 nurses, respectively.

Question reference: S6W-19935

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of Serco’s contract to run HMP Kilmarnock has been over the period that it has been active; what the cost has been in each financial year, and what the projected cost is for the 2023-24 financial year.

Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd (KPSL) are contractually responsible for the design, construction, management and finance of the services at HMP Kilmarnock. KPSL subcontract this requirement to Serco Justice and Immigration.

The costs to provide the service, for each relevant financial year, are as follows.

Financial Year	Core Charges	Additional Places Purchased	Total
2000	£1,029,150	£0	£1,029,150
2001	£12,652,885	£81,753	£12,734,638
2002	£12,675,125	£102,061	£12,777,186
2003	£12,618,346	£112,914	£12,731,260
2004	£12,782,427	£592,042	£13,374,470
2005	£12,843,260	£557,209	£13,400,469
2006	£12,893,135	£607,969	£13,501,104
2007	£13,780,974	£590,952	£14,371,926
2008	£14,714,350	£1,041,519	£15,755,869
2009	£14,765,116	£1,205,540	£15,970,656
2010	£15,241,765	£170,735	£15,412,500
2011	£16,732,430	£394,848	£17,127,278
2012	£16,168,020	£1,257,986	£17,426,006
2013	£16,305,268	£1,012,111	£17,317,379
2014	£16,558,446	£0	£16,558,446
2015	£17,034,850	£0	£17,034,850
2016	£18,915,215	£0	£18,915,215
2017	£13,570,104	£0	£13,570,104
2018	£13,915,415	£0	£13,915,415
2019	£14,602,908	£0	£14,602,908
2020	£15,156,566	£1,330,768	£16,487,334
2021	£15,494,163	£291,281	£15,785,443
2022	£14,674,020	£176,130	£14,850,150
2023	£16,222,501	£226,974	£16,449,475
Total	£341,346,440	£9,752,793	£351,099,233
Service Credits 2000-2023			-£8,243,282
Net Payment			£342,855,950
Estimate 2024 Core Charges			£17,419,500

The budget for the financial year 1 April 2023 until contract expiry on 16 March 2024 is £17,419,500. This figure is based on SPS purchasing 548 Prisoner Places every day.

Question reference: S6W-19933

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08446 by Keith Brown on 20 May 2022, when the cost consultation exercise in relation to taking HMP Kilmarnock back into public ownership will be completed.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is developing the operating cost of HMP Kilmarnock post transfer, with initial outcomes expected by the end of September 2023, and final submissions being provided within the usual budget planning process at the end of the calendar year.

SPS is working to agree proposals for a transitional operating model, and a target operating model, which is to be adopted within the first year of the prison transferring to the public sector.

Question reference: S6W-19958

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to reported incidences of fire-raising of vehicles belonging to prison service staff.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19957 on 7 August 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-19934

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the £540.8 million combined revenue and capital expenditure that it plans to spend on the Scottish Prison Service, broken down by each individual prison.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following table provides a breakdown of the £540.8 million combined revenue and capital expenditure broken down into prisons:

SPS Budget 23-24

ESTABLISHMENTS:
Barlinnie	31,837,204
Dumfries	7,894,850
Greenock	10,002,423
Low Moss	19,588,811
Shotts	19,206,262
Edinburgh	25,409,513
Glenochil	21,049,160
Inverness	6,048,759
Perth	19,027,948
Polmont	21,750,779
Grampian	17,312,256
Castle Huntly	6,814,047
Stirling	9,736,600
CCU Bella	1,928,179
CCU Lilias	1,958,057
Establishment Total	219,564,848

Private Prisons	90,528,000

HQ (Note 1)	88,507,152	Note 1: Includes budgets that will be allocated to Establishments at Spring Budget Revision (SBR).

Total Resource Budget	398,600,000

Capital Budget
Prison Replacement Programme	84,900,000
Digital Capital spend	1,750,000
Estates Infrastructure Works	10,350,000
Total Capital Budget	97,000,000

Depreciation Total (Note 2)	46,348,000	Note 2: Depreciation costs for SPS Assets held centrally

TOTAL SPS Budget 23/24	541,948,000