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-16538

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) a strategy regarding public sector employment headcount and (b) any employment headcount targets for specific public bodies.

The Resource Spending Review included commitments to hold the total public sector pay bill (excluding Local Government) at around 2022-23 levels whilst returning the overall size of the public sector (excluding Local Government) broadly to pre-COVID-19 levels. The overall aim was to ensure sustainable public bodies.

Following further analysis and engagement, our proposal on how we achieve sustainable public bodies evolved and in the 2023-24 Budget, we set out that it is for individual public bodies to locally determine the target operating model for their workforces and to ensure workforce plans and projections are affordable in 2023-24 and in the medium term. This approach recognises the accountability of public bodies to deliver efficiently and effectively within their budget and that budget allocations reflect our priorities.

Our Public Sector Pay Strategy for 2023-24 published on 22 March 2023, recognises that pay and workforce must, more than ever, be explicitly linked to both fiscal sustainability and to reform, to secure the delivery of effective public services over the medium term. It set out that bodies may need to consider the size and shape of the workforce to ensure affordability, alongside opportunities around, for example, digital reform, revenue generation, estates rationalisation and improved procurement and that where a reduction in workforce is required, we would expect this to be through natural turnover wherever possible given our on-going commitment to No Compulsory Redundancies. There are no centrally set targets.

Question reference: S6W-16460

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £100 million allocated to help businesses to improve their digital skills, capacity and capability, whether it will provide a breakdown of what it has spent the £38 million on, as referred to in its response to the Economy and Fair Work Committee report on retail and town centres.

In the period since this commitment was made in 2021 we have invested £38 million directly into Scottish businesses and associated support for them to access. This does not include the value of the programmes that our enterprise agencies deliver on our behalf.

A breakdown of the £38 million is as follows.

DigitalBoost Development - £30 million

Digital Development Loan - £5.1 million

DigitalBoost National Programme - £2.9 million

Digital Productivity Labs Pilot - £600,000

Data Readiness Tool - £170,000

Total - £38.77 million

Question reference: S6W-16303

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities regarding current houses in multiple occupation legislation.

Question reference: S6W-16302

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to local authorities on landlord registration.

General guidance for local authorities to administer and manage the Private Landlord Registration scheme was issued in 2009: https://www.gov.scot/publications/registration-private-landlords-guidance-local-authorities/pages/1/ .

This was updated in 2017 to provide statutory guidance for local authorities regarding the effective regulation of landlord registration: https://www.gov.scot/publications/landlord-registration-statutory-guidance-local-authorities-2017-statutory-guidance-local/ .

We are preparing further guidance, in consultation with local authorities, that we expect to be issued later this year.

Question reference: S6W-16222

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an estimate of the number of spaces currently available for bike storage (a) within and (b) immediately outside of its buildings, such as bike racks and bike-specific structures.

The following buildings have dedicated cycle parking spaces:-

Building	No of Cycle Parking Spaces
4 Atlantic Quay, Glasgow	10
5 Atlantic Quay, Glasgow	41
Bothwell House, Hamilton	4
The Courtyard, Callendar Business Park, Falkirk	5
Cameron House, Oban	4
Denholm House, Livingston	4
Endeavour House, Dundee	12
Freshwater Laboratory, Faskally	12
Governor’s House, Edinburgh	10
Hamilton House, Hamilton Business Park	6
Inchbraoch House, Montrose	4
Longman House, Inverness	18
Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen	56
Russell House, Ayr	4
SASA, Roddinglaw, Edinburgh	16
Saughton House, Edinburgh	74
St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh	128
Scotland House, London	6
Strathbeg House, Thurso	6
Strathearn House, Perth	26
Tankerness Lane, Kirkwall	6
Thainstone Court, Inverurie	6
Tweedbank, Galashiels	10
Victoria Quay, Edinburgh	392

Question reference: S6W-16589

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12941 by Jenny Gilruth on 22 December 2022, whether it will provide an update on any potential implications for CalMac’s seafarer recruitment programme of the former Deputy First Minister's statement on Ferguson Marine on 16 March 2023.

Question reference: S6W-16621

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on what it classifies as "maintenance and safety schemes" on each of Scotland's A roads in each year since 2007, also broken down by individual A road.

Question reference: S6W-16495

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with Research Data Scotland since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.

Since the establishment of Research Data Scotland (RDS) at the end of 2021 my officials have had ongoing engagement with RDS.

Regarding formal meetings, my officials hold quarterly review meetings with the CEO and senior management of RDS. The more recent ones were held respectively on 14 December 2022 and 22 March 2023.

Mr Ivor McKee, MSP and former Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise also met with the CEO of RDS on 18 January 2023.

This list is not exhaustive of engagement my officials have had with RDS.

A range of issues were discussed at these meetings, including RDS service offering, operating and workforce model, revenues streams and how RDS will support our long-term vision for data and data-led innovation.

Given the cross-cutting nature of RDS and its role in advancing research data and other data matters, there is ongoing engagement between RDS and other portfolios across Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-16479

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with Harper Macleod LLP since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.

Harper MacLeod are a provider of external legal services to The Scottish Government via call-off contracts under the Legal Services Framework 2019 to 2023 .

The Scottish Government Legal Directorate hold quarterly review meetings with Harper MacLeod to discuss contract performance; adherence to service levels; sustainability; community benefits and contract governance. Other ad hoc meetings will be held between Harper MacLeod and policy and legal colleagues.

The Scottish Government does not comment on legal advice or communications between itself and its legal advisors. In doing so the Scottish Government observes legal professional privilege between client and lawyer. This also maintains the Scottish Ministerial Code, paragraphs 2.38 and 2.39. Therefore, the sharing of content or outcomes of these meetings would be inappropriate.

Question reference: S6W-16459

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress regarding the Digital Productivity Lab Pilot scheme, including when it expects to provide an update on the final outcomes of the scheme.