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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-16113

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when any further decisions will be taken regarding how the deposit value of price-marked packs of containers that are within the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme should be displayed when the scheme launches.

Question reference: S6W-17028

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent assessment is of the allocation of resources to Community Planning Partnerships in each local authority area.

Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) do not hold resources of their own. CPPs’ partner organisations direct and align resources they hold towards collective action in pursuit of priorities agreed by the CPP. These resources can take the form of staff time and expertise, premises and other assets, as well as financial investment.

The statutory purpose of CPPs is to improve outcomes on locally identified priorities; and CPPs are not required to report to Scottish Government on their use of resources. As a result, Scottish Government does not hold information about the value of resources partners deploy in pursuit of CPPs’ priorities.

Question reference: S6W-16900

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time employees there are in each (a) cabinet secretary's and (b) minister's private office, broken down by pay scale.

The number of full-time employees and their pay scale for each Cabinet Secretary's office and Minister's private office are as follows.

Minister	C1	B3	B2	B1	A4
Deputy First Minister & Cabinet Secretary for Finance	1	1	1		1
Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care	1	1	2		3
Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills	1		1		1
Cabinet Secretary for Justice & Home Affairs	1		1	1	2
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work & Energy	1	1		1	2
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero & Just Transition	1	1	1		2
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice	1		1		2
Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs & Culture	1	1		1	1
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands	1		1		2
Minister for Drugs & Alcohol Policy			1		1
Minister for Parliamentary Business		1	1	1	1
Minister for Independence			1
Minister for Community Wealth & Public Finance			1		1
Minister for Local Government Empowerment & Planning			1		1
Minister for Culture, Europe & International Development			1		1
Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing & Sport			1		1
Minister for Public Health & Women's Health			1		1
Minister for Equalities, Migration & Refugees			1		1
Minister for Housing			1		1
Minister for Transport			1		2
Minister for Small Business, Innovation & Trade			1		1
Minister for Energy			1		1
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel & Tenants' Rights		1		1	1
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy & Biodiversity		1		1	1
Minister for Children, Young People & Keeping the Promise			1		1
Minister for Higher Education & Further Education & Minister for Veterans			1		1
Minister for Victims & Community Safety			1		1

Question reference: S6W-16402

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of not providing the planned minimum national allowance for foster and kinship care, on those who would be entitled to such an allowance.

The rate of payment for the Scottish Recommended Allowance is still subject to negotiations with COSLA and, therefore, we have not undertaken an impact assessment. Foster and kinship carers are, however, already entitled to an allowance at a rate set by the local authority, which is age dependent, and should cover the needs of the child. Many local authorities also make additional payments to cover specific requirements. The variation in rates means that it is likely that some local authorities may already be paying a rate that will be equal to, or above, a new national minimum rate. The Scottish Recommended Allowance will, however, ensure that a consistent and transparent level of financial support is provided to all foster and kinship carers across the country.

Question reference: S6W-16412

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments it has undertaken regarding any financial reliance of Scottish universities on international funding.

The Scottish Government along with the Scottish Funding Council work with and engage, on an ongoing basis with a range of stakeholders including Universities Scotland and individual institutions, to monitor and secure the long term sustainability of the sector as a whole and ensure that Scottish Universities continue to deliver world class education.

These issues were discussed at a meeting between the previous Cabinet Secretary and Universities Scotland. As part of that discussion, it was recognised that as autonomous institutions Scottish universities are responsible for managing their long term institutional stability as operated through their own entry requirements, admissions policies and budgets. It was also agreed that it was vital to explore further the impact of the UK Government’s policy on immigration on Scottish Universities’ international student recruitment.

The Scottish Government welcomes the contribution that international students make to our society, culture and economy. International students add to the diversity of our communities, enrich the learning experience and support local businesses and jobs. Our priority is to become more active internationally fostering good global connections, and by promoting educational and research exchange to raise the profile of Scotland as a place to live, work and study.

Question reference: S6W-16368

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Prison Service’s upcoming Gender Identity and Gender Reassignment Policy will give consideration to the gender self-identification of prisoners in prisoner placement decisions.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The review of the Gender Identity and Gender Reassignment Policy 2014 is currently ongoing. The review is considering the suitability of the current policy’s position on self-identification, along with other potential options which would allow SPS to make safe and appropriate decisions about the placement and management of transgender people in custody.

Question reference: S6W-16370

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison officers there were (a) at the end of each financial year since 2016-17 and (b) on the most recent date for which data is available.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The numbers of prison officers employed by SPS at the end of each financial year from 2016-17 to 2022-23 are set out in the following table.

Financial year (at year end)	Number of Prison Officers employed by SPS
2016-17	3370
2017-18	3342
2018-19	3294
2019-20	3242
2020-21	3302
2021-22	3381
2022-23	3331

Question reference: S6W-17145

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2022, whether it will provide a (a) list of projects that have been funded by the £1 million Islands Programme resource funding allocated to support the National Islands Plan and (b) breakdown of how much funding has been allocated to each project.

20 projects were funded through the 2022 Islands Programme resource funding to support delivery of the National Islands Plan. These can be found in the following table:

Project	Amount
Scottish Islands Federation ‎	£56,000.00
Scottish Futures Trust	£128,000.00
Shetland Anchor Project	£29,000.00
Island Heritage and Culture Posts for all six island Local Authorities	£242,000
Island Skills and Employment Repopulation Pilot	£210,000
Ulva Culture & Heritage Practical Policy Test – North West Mull Community Woodland Company	£7,500.00
North Ayrshire Council - Regeneration of Millport Town Hall	£20,000.00
Islands Profiles Project	£5,000.00
Island Communities Impact Assessment Guidance	£410.55
Gaelic translation of Implementation Route Map edits following Spending Review	£66.96
National Islands Plan Annual Report 2021 Publication in English and Gaelic	£8,283.98
Publication of Islands Bond Analysis and Scottish Government Response	£1,195.12
Castlebay Hall Hire for Island Healthcare Event	£42.50
National Islands Plan Implementation Route Map 2022 Publication in English and Gaelic	£6613.21
National Islands Plan Annual Report 2022 publication in English and Gaelic	£10,996.26
National Islands Plan Annual Report 2022 Gaelic translation	£5212.20
Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund	£200,000.00
Islands Programme Gaelic translations	£599.90
Hebridean Trust - Hynish Practical Policy Test	£15,000.00
Harris Tweed New Entrants Training Scheme	£25,000.00

Question reference: S6W-16847

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statement in the Climate Change Committee publication, Progress in reducing emissions in Scotland: 2022 Report to Parliament, that “Scotland’s targets for peatland restoration are not ambitious enough and are not being met”.

Question reference: S6W-16698

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Department for International Trade regarding the interests of Scotland's agricultural sector in future trade negotiations.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly made the case, to all relevant departments of the UK Government (in correspondence and in a range of established forums) for a guaranteed role in all stages of the negotiation and implementation of UK Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to protect and promote Scottish agricultural priorities. This is because, while the negotiation of FTAs is reserved to the UK Government, trade deals cover many devolved issues which have significant implications for Scottish agri-food producers and for our economy.

The Scottish Government had previously not been given full sight of relevant FTA chapter texts or supporting data from the Department of Business and Trade in the negotiation of the recent agreements such as UK-Australia and New Zealand deals. Through a recent information sharing agreement with the Devolved Administrations, the UK Government has now accepted the benefits of sharing greater information on trade negotiations, such as the agri-food elements of the agreement in principle on CPTPP accession.

We welcome this progress, and the Scottish Government will continue to work regularly and collaboratively with the UK Government in the interests of the Scottish agri-food sector, including by seeking further assurances from the UK Government about the agri-food elements of the UK-CPTPP agreement at the recent 17 April meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.