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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-17671

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it received Barnett consequential funding in connection with the 75% business rates relief that the UK Government is offering to some English business, and, if so, how any such funding was allocated in the Scottish Budget 2023-24.

The Scottish Government received £199 million in Barnett Consequentials in respect of the UK Government’s 75% relief for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government needs to consider its funding availability in totality and not by isolating each and every line of UK consequential funding. Decisions in the budget are taken in that context and the Scottish Budget delivered the number one ask of the business community by freezing the non-domestic rates poundage.

Delivering the freeze in the poundage came at a forecast cost of £308 million, in contrast with only £169 million of Barnett consequentials received for the equivalent policy in England. Despite this, the Scottish Government continues to deliver a number of other reliefs that are not available to businesses in England including Day Nursery relief, Fresh Start relief, the Business Growth Accelerator relief, and the UK’s most generous relief package for the renewable energy-generating sector.

Question reference: S6W-17674

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what allocation of funding Scotland's (a) two national parks and (b) 32 local authorities received from its Edinburgh Process Fund in 2022-23, and what formula was used to distribute such funding.

In relation to the allocation of funding for the national parks and local authorities, I refer the member to S6W-09126 on 29 June 2022, in response to Mark Ruskell MSP. In reference to (b), the distribution methodology for the 2022-23 ‘Edinburgh Process’ below was approved through the formal financial governance process including political sign-off from Scottish Ministers and COSLA political Leaders:

50% on ‘area of natural greenspace’ (as defined by PAN 65 and calculated by reporting on the State of Scottish Greenspace); and
50% on the composite green indicator defined by NatureScot (including local nature reserves, area of reserves) and used in the annual redetermination on Biodiversity and Ranger Services.

In addition, Local Authorities and National Parks were eligible to participate in partnerships that applied to the competitive element of NRF in 2022-23.

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-17675

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it puts in place for funding allocated to national parks and local authorities from its Edinburgh Process Fund.

Question reference: S6W-17820

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether ScotRail is still on track to replace 65% of its train fleet between 2027 and 2035.

Question reference: S6W-17802

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the survival rate for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-17801

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many women have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-17752

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what urgent action it is taking in response to the statement in the COVID-19 Recovery Committee report, Long COVID, that the committee “is concerned by the number of people who said they felt they could only get proper diagnosis and treatment by seeking private medical care which is not an option to those who cannot afford to do this”.

We recognise the significant impact that long COVID can have on the health and wellbeing of those most severely affected across Scotland and welcome the COVID-19 Recovery Committee's consideration of this very important issue.

We are carefully considering the report and its recommendations in full, and will provide a response to the Committee in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we are making available £3 million from our £10 million long COVID Support Fund over this financial year to support NHS boards to increase the capacity of existing services supporting those with the condition, develop these into more clearly defined local pathways and provide a more co-ordinated experience for those accessing support.

Question reference: S6W-17678

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with COSLA regarding its Edinburgh Process Fund.

Question reference: S6O-02284

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government where the new acute general teaching hospitals will be built over the next 10 years.

Question reference: S6O-02288

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to modernise the fire estate.