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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-17910

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs, which it defines as "offshore wind jobs", currently exist in Scotland, broken down by the region in which they are located, and from where it has sourced its definition of such jobs.

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) Survey provides estimates of employment in offshore wind across the countries of the UK.

The 2021 LCREE estimates show that 3,100 Full Time Equivalent Staff (FTE) were directly employed in offshore wind in Scotland. There is no regional breakdown of the data available.

The results in LCREE are survey-based, the data is gathered from a sample rather than the whole population. The estimates are therefore subject to uncertainty, which is expressed through the publication of confidence intervals alongside the data.

The latest version of the LCREE publication can be found here: Low carbon and renewable energy economy, UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Question reference: S6W-17778

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many apprenticeship learning providers there have been in each year since 2018-19.

There are a range of training providers across Scotland delivering training for apprenticeships including Independent Training Providers, Colleges, Universities and Third Sector Organisations.

The number of Modern Apprenticeship contracts by year are as follows:

2018-19 – 268
2019-20 – 256
2020-21 – 255
2021-22 – 243
2022-23 – 228

The number of Foundation Apprenticeship providers were as follows:

2018 – 17
2019 – 39
2020 – 39
2021 – 40
2022 – 39

The number of Graduate Apprenticeship providers were as follows:

2018-19 – 13
2019-20 – 15
2020-21 – 14
2021-22 – 12
2022-23 – 12

Question reference: S6W-17663

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity during the ministerial statement on the Deposit Return Scheme on 20 April 2023, which (a) businesses and (b) trade associations have confirmed to the minister that their “number one concern” is uncertainty created specifically by the UK Government not issuing an exclusion to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020.

The Scottish Government and delivery partners such as Circularity Scotland, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland continue to regularly engage directly with businesses on matters which are within our control to ensure all involved are ready for successful launch on 1 March 2024.

Organisations from across the UK frustrated by the UK Government’s position have written an open letter urging the Prime Minister to grant an exemption to the Internal Markets Act. Many more have privately expressed their concern that the lack of an Internal Market Act exemption is creating uncertainty and confusion for all the businesses that have worked so hard to prepare for the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17931

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its "blueprint" for Entrepreneurial Campuses, as set out in Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Question reference: S6W-17858

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it incentivises responsible water usage by (a) industry and (b) the agriculture sector, in order to prevent seasonal water scarcity.

The Scottish Government is working with key business sectors, Scottish Water, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and other stakeholders to make sure water is used efficiently.

We continue to invest in the public network, reducing leakage and increasing water efficiency which helps conserve water in the environment, and we are working to develop technologies and other approaches to enhance resilience during extended periods of water scarcity.

SEPA, applies controls on water usage through abstraction licences. It also works with stakeholders to better communicate the impacts of water scarcity, and encourage water users to develop contingency plans to minimise their impact on the environment, and make their business more resilient.

Work with Scottish Water’s non-domestic customers has been ongoing. Scottish Water encourages its customers to use water efficiently and businesses are metered, and Licensed Providers are encouraged to provide water efficiency advice to their customers so that water is saved and bills are reduced.

Leakage has reduced continually year on year since 2006. In its regulatory determination for the 2015-21 period, the water industry commission for Scotland (WICS) set a target for Scottish Water to achieve the Economic Level of Leakage (ELL) (500 Megalitres per day) by 2019-20. Scottish Water achieved this target four years early and is continuing to reduce leakage further.

Question reference: S6W-17844

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands will meet with fishermen in (a) Inverclyde and (b) North Ayrshire over summer 2023 during her planned tour of rural and coastal communities regarding the proposed Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Question reference: S6W-17819

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Ministerial Population Taskforce.

The Ministerial Population Taskforce continues to meet quarterly to provide oversight and cross-portfolio focus to the addressing of Scotland’s long term demographic challenges, set out in the 2021 Population Strategy.

As Cabinet Secretary with responsibility for population and the new Chair, I will be convening a meeting of the Taskforce with a new ministerial membership in June.

A number of key policy commitments are being taken forward by the Taskforce in 2023, including the commitment to launch a Talent Attraction and Migration Service and to publish an Addressing Depopulation Action Plan.

Question reference: S6T-01392

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will compensate businesses if it decides not to proceed with the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6T-01394

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to retired carers.

Question reference: S6F-02169

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the role of social media in encouraging violence towards pupils and teachers in schools.