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-14770

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the High Level Output Specification and Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 7, and how these align with the wider objectives for Scotland’s Railway.

Transport Scotland has published both the Scottish Ministers’ High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and the Statement of Funds Available (SoFA).

The HLOS, funded by the SoFA, continues the Scottish Government’s record investment in Scotland’s Railway. This investment is focused on Scottish priorities for Scotland’s Railway and will fund delivery of a safe, efficient and high performing railway.

To make best use of the £4.2 billion SoFA funding, the successful delivery of the requirements in the HLOS will require Network Rail to cooperate with a whole rail industry approach, aligned with and focussed upon the delivery of the strategic priorities of Scotland’s Ministers to take climate action and to connect communities sustainably. In particular this investment will attract more passengers and freight customers to Scotland’s Railway as an essential part of decarbonisation plans, and will increase expenditure on the weather resilience of Scotland’s railway infrastructure.

Copies of the HLOS and SoFA are available on the Transport Scotland website here:

Transport Scotland's Rail Policy and Strategy

Question reference: S6W-14508

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to the National Piping Centre in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-14346

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is using the planned rocket launch in Shetland in autumn 2023 to encourage the uptake of STEM subjects.

The Scottish Government has identified the space sector as a key priority in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation and Inward Investment Plan. We recognise its potential to support regional economic development across Scotland. We are supportive of all spaceport projects that will support the realisation of our overall ambition to capture £4 billion of the global space market and 20,000 jobs in the sector by 2030.

The STEM Strategy advocates for connection between schools and industry, and space has demonstrated a remarkable power to inspire widespread interest in STEM subjects. This launch represents an opportunity to promote science and technology learning and space related careers. Scotland’s curriculum is a general framework rather than a prescribed curriculum, and it is a matter for individual schools to determine the curriculum most appropriate to their learners.

In the coming months, Education Scotland will engage with spaceport company SaxaVord’s Education Strategy and support local authorities, schools and other partners to raise awareness of the launch and explore opportunities for partnership working around this and similar events. This is a core part of work to provide our young people with a range of exciting learning opportunities, encouraging them to have in interest in STEM careers and jobs.

Question reference: S6W-14463

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the efficacy of grant funding distributed via the Rural and Island Communities Ideas into Action Fund.

As a recipient of Scottish Government grant funding, Inspiring Scotland are subject to regular monitoring and reporting against pre-agreed and clear outcomes as set out in their offer of grant.

This includes interim and end-of-grant reporting, which are submitted by Inspiring Scotland to the Scottish Government to provide evidence on how successful grant delivery has been.

These evaluation reports measure various success indicators, including;

Geographic spread of investment
Number of projects and community groups supported
New partnerships established
Workshops, training and events delivered
Thematic priorities supported by projects
Money invested and funding requested/number of applications received.

This information is used to provide information and evidence to ministers, to inform future policy direction and grant awards and highlight any key learning for future Community Led Local Development (CLLD) funding programme delivery.

Rural Communities officials meet with the Inspiring Scotland Rural team fortnightly at a minimum, with ad hoc meetings scheduled as required to ensure that the funding remains aligned to pre-agreed objectives.

Evaluation of the outcomes of Rural & Island Community Ideas into Action projects are also considered as part of the ongoing monitoring & evaluation of the full 2022-23 £11.6m CLLD programme.

Question reference: S6W-14516

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made on developing its proposed replacement to the Erasmus programme.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of educational mobility.

While we remain committed to Erasmus+, in the interim, we are creating a Scottish Education Exchange Programme to support participants from across Scotland’s education system.

This is a Programme for Government commitment and will help maintain Scotland’s place as an outward looking, internationally connected destination for work and study.

We are engaging with stakeholders from across the education spectrum, including higher and further education, schools (including early years and care), vocational education and training, youth work, adult education and sports. We are listening to the sectors and the needs of their learners and staff in order to ensure we create a programme fit for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-14347

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is encouraging (a) local authorities and (b) schools to raise awareness of the planned rocket launch in Shetland in autumn 2023.

Question reference: S6O-01876

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to deliver superfast broadband to 100% of premises in Scotland by 2021.

Question reference: S6O-01873

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to propose time for a debate in the Parliament on parliamentary reform.

Question reference: S6O-01883

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with the Scottish National Investment Bank and the Bank of Scotland regarding any impact of the repayment terms of the investment in Circularity Scotland in May 2022 on the timetable for the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6O-01891

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to support that it can provide for households in Scotland, what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding energy affordability.