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-15489

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total budget of the Independent Living Fund is for 2022-23.

The published budget for 2022-23 was £53.3 million. ILF Scotland’s Grant-in-Aid allocation for 2022-23 was £52.72 million. Of this, £48.45 million was allocated to the Independent Living Fund and £4.27 million for the Transition Fund which was launched in December 2017. Funds are provided in response to need and therefore there can be a difference between published budget and final spending.

Question reference: S6W-15347

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much money has been spent on youth work by local authorities in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

The available spend information on youth work by local authority for 2020-21 and 2021-22 is set out in the following table. Please note that the information you have requested is not available at individual local authority level prior to 2020-21.

Local Authority	2020-21	2021-22
	£000s	£000s
Aberdeen City	1,012	914
Aberdeenshire	1,381	1,774
Angus	580	315
Argyll & Bute	950	585
City of Edinburgh	5,234	5,529
Clackmannanshire	515	689
Dumfries & Galloway	1,860	2,687
Dundee City	2,134	Not Available
East Ayrshire	1,143	980
East Dunbartonshire	357	324
East Lothian	77	118
East Renfrewshire	1,180	1,034
Falkirk	1,164	1,072
Fife	5,325	5,188
Glasgow City	Not Available	Not Available
Highland	2,134	2,495
Inverclyde	1,282	1,280
Midlothian	1,354	752
Moray	679	555
Na h-Eileanan Siar	702	760
North Ayrshire	3,252	2,861
North Lanarkshire	6,362	6,158
Orkney Islands	101	165
Perth & Kinross	1,065	807
Renfrewshire	257	190
Scottish Borders	523	498
Shetland Islands	1,533	1,705
South Ayrshire	1,415	1,793
South Lanarkshire	5,835	5,547
Stirling	1,217	2,873
West Dunbartonshire	634	454
West Lothian	1,152	1,148

Question reference: S6W-15427

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to upgrade the technology available in schools to support children and young people with dyslexia and visual stress.

We want all children and young people, including those with dyslexia, to receive the support they need to reach their full potential. The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. We are committed to supporting teachers and school staff to meet these needs.

We have provided a range of free professional learning opportunities for teachers aimed at supporting practitioners to further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in supporting learners with dyslexia, and reduce barriers to learning. This includes the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit and identification pathway, launched in 2017, and the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice online professional learning modules, which enable staff to gain professional recognition in this area.

We are committed to ensuring that every child has access to a device by the end of this Parliament, in 2026. We are working with COSLA and local authorities to plan and deliver this programme, ensuring it meets the needs of all learners.

Question reference: S6W-15417

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on any plans that Circularity Scotland has to publish details of the remuneration of its chair, chief executive officer, and executive board members.

Question reference: S6W-15436

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the final version of its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which is currently open for consultation, and whether it will provide an update on its policy of a presumption against new oil and gas developments.

The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan is open for consultation until 9 May 2023. The final version of the Energy Strategy and Just Transitional Plan will be published once we have conducted a thorough review of the consultation responses and engaged with the full range of stakeholders. The Scottish Government’s position on oil and gas is part of the consultation process and we will provide an update in the final Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. We are not pre-empting responses.

Question reference: S6W-15442

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing an island-weighting allowance for island higher education institutions, to acknowledge any higher operating costs of island establishments, compared with their mainland Scotland counterparts.

The SFC’s teaching funding allocation to the Highlands and Islands (H&I) incorporates enhanced funding in recognition of the additional costs associated with delivery in such areas. This amounts to approximately 50% more funding than that provided for city colleges.

The SFC also currently allocates £8 million annually to colleges across Scotland to specifically reflect the additional costs associated with rurality. The H&I Region receives over two-thirds of this funding (£5.4 million).

Question reference: S6W-15071

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential impact on (a) biodiversity, (b) carbon sequestration and (c) future wildfire control of its decision to cease funding for muirburn in the 2023 Agri-Environment Climate Scheme application round.

Question reference: S6W-15531

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of a reported increase in cases of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, what action it is taking to highlight the dangers of alcohol use during pregnancy, and what funding it is making available for support and services for any families affected.

The Scottish Government has provided funding of over £520,000, over the past four years, to support the establishment of an FASD Hub in Scotland with the aim of providing support, training and advice to families, carers and professionals supporting children affected by FASD. This is the first national FASD Hub of its kind within the UK.

There are no current studies on the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) in Scotland. We have provided funding of over £1 million, over the past four years, to the FAAST team at Edinburgh University to support research, evidence and training for professionals, including diagnostic training. As well as improving supports, this work may have contributed to an increase in the reported number of people with FASD who were not previously known to services.

Question reference: S6W-14771

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of debt collectors acting on behalf of British Gas breaking into customers’ homes, whether it is aware of any such instances having taken place in Scotland, and if this is the case, how many such instances it is aware of, and what discussions it has had with British Gas about this issue.

The Scottish Government has been made aware of incidents of force-fitted installations of prepayment meters across different suppliers, although it does not hold information on the number or nature of those incidents. While policy on energy markets is a matter reserved to the UK Government and the responsibility for supplier guidance sits with Ofgem, the Scottish Government opposes the forced installation of prepayment meters, which increases the risk of self- rationing and self-disconnection. The additional costs associated with prepayment meters also lead to increased debt.

We are engaging with Ofgem regarding its request to suppliers to immediately halt forced installations and remote switching to prepayment meters until 31 March 2023, as well as its consultation on the rules and guidance on the use of prepayment meters by suppliers. We will use this engagement to ensure that the rights and interests of Scottish consumers are fully considered.

Question reference: S6W-15053

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when Crown Estate Scotland will announce the outcome of the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round for offshore wind projects.