Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 46779 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-15719

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of its Health and Wellbeing Census, with information on how frequently S2 and S4 pupils use e-cigarettes, will be published.

Information on the first Health and Wellbeing Census undertaken by local authorities in Scotland between October 2021 and June 2022 is available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-scotland-2021-22/. Pages 22 and 23 of the Key Findings document, contained in the Supporting documents link, set out the frequency of e-cigarette use by pupils.

Question reference: S6W-16115

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-15794

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with SafeDeposits Scotland regarding the increase in its estimated response time, which, according to SafeDeposits Scotland’s automatic reply to website enquiries, is currently up to 5 working days and attributed to the launch of its new system in 2022, and what its position is on whether this elongated response time meets the service standards that SafeDeposits Scotland is expected to provide to (a) tenants and (b) landlords who use the scheme.

Scottish Government officials have had regular engagement on progress throughout the implementation of the Safe Deposits Scotland (SDS) system upgrade and were made aware of some teething issues with system functions. SDS has since confirmed all priority bugs are now resolved and user journeys should be back to normal.

The role of the Scottish Government, since the three approved schemes began operating in July 2012, is to monitor each scheme for compliance with the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 . This includes being satisfied that SDS and the other tenancy deposit schemes have clear and substantial processes in place that meet the requirements laid out in the regulations. As part of this monitoring, SDS quarterly performance reports were analysed and measured against the key performance indicators to ensure these were adhered to.

Officials will continue to liaise with SDS on the operation of their new system.

Question reference: S6W-15486

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of (a) the UK Government's proposed legislation to prevent public institutions from imposing their own international boycotts and (b) its statement in response to PE1803: Right to Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), on 11 August 2020, that it would, “strongly encourage the UK Government to develop their legislation in a manner which restricts the scope of application, and respects the autonomy of Scottish institutions in making decisions on this issue", whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government on the matter.

Scottish Government officials have had limited engagement with UK Government officials about the UK Government’s plans to introduce legislation to prevent public institutions from imposing their own international boycotts.

The Scottish Government view remains that any legislation should be developed in a way that respects Scotland’s devolution settlement and the autonomy of Scotland’s institutions. We will continue to engage with the UK Government on the detail of the proposed Bill provisions and will consider carefully how this impacts on devolved competence.

Question reference: S6W-15949

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding each local authority received for the provision of free music tuition in schools in the 2022-23 academic year, and how much each local authority will receive for the 2023-24 academic year.

With respect to the following tables please note:

The final term of the 2023-24 academic year allocation will fall in 2024-25 financial year.
This commitment began between academic years and funding has so far been agreed on this basis. From 2024-25 the Scottish Government has agreed with COSLA that funding will be provided onto a financial year basis model which is consistent with other funds being provided to local authorities.

Academic Year 2022/23 Funding Breakdown

Local Authority	Total Funding Academic Year 2022-23
Aberdeen City	£556,000
Aberdeenshire	£686,000
Angus	£227,000
Argyll & Bute	£132,000
City of Edinburgh	£598,000
Clackmannanshire	£146,000
Dumfries & Galloway	£213,000
Dundee City	£209,000
East Ayrshire	£183,000
East Dunbartonshire	£289,000
East Lothian	£305,000
East Renfrewshire	£415,000
Falkirk	£246,000
Fife	£767,000
Glasgow City	£804,000
Highland	£1,229,000
Inverclyde	£111,000
Midlothian	£226,000
Moray	£162,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£37,000
North Ayrshire	£220,000
North Lanarkshire	£555,000
Orkney Islands	£32,000
Perth & Kinross	£410,000
Renfrewshire	£272,000
Scottish Borders	£176,000
Shetland Islands	£91,000
South Ayrshire	£162,000
South Lanarkshire	£516,000
Stirling	£216,000
West Dunbartonshire	£141,000
West Lothian	£576,000

Financial Year 2022/23 & 2023-24 Funding Breakdown

Local Authority	Total Funding Financial Year 2022-23	Total Funding Financial Year 2023-24
Aberdeen City	£520,000	£482,000
Aberdeenshire	£633,000	£663,000
Angus	£206,000	£253,000
Argyll & Bute	£118,000	£162,000
City of Edinburgh	£522,000	£831,000
Clackmannanshire	£136,000	£128,000
Dumfries & Galloway	£186,000	£290,000
Dundee City	£183,000	£288,000
East Ayrshire	£161,000	£251,000
East Dunbartonshire	£264,000	£301,000
East Lothian	£283,000	£280,000
East Renfrewshire	£390,000	£347,000
Falkirk	£216,000	£338,000
Fife	£696,000	£842,000
Glasgow City	£703,000	£1,109,000
Highland	£1,185,000	£771,000
Inverclyde	£97,000	£151,000
Midlothian	£206,000	£240,000
Moray	£145,000	£198,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	£33,000	£51,000
North Ayrshire	£195,000	£283,000
North Lanarkshire	£487,000	£760,000
Orkney Islands	£28,000	£44,000
Perth & Kinross	£384,000	£350,000
Renfrewshire	£238,000	£375,000
Scottish Borders	£156,000	£228,000
Shetland Islands	£86,000	£70,000
South Ayrshire	£142,000	£222,000
South Lanarkshire	£451,000	£713,000
Stirling	£198,000	£223,000
West Dunbartonshire	£124,000	£191,000
West Lothian	£537,000	£519,000

Question reference: S6W-15973

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on efforts to recommence operations at Stoneywood paper mill, in Aberdeen, in light of reports from 12 February 2023 that there was about to be a "credible bid" made.

My officials in Scottish Enterprise remain in regular contact with the Joint Administrators (Interpath Advisory) and continue to work with them to consider all viable options for the Stoneywood site in Aberdeen.

The administration process continues to progress and, prior to formal marketing of the site, Interpath Advisory had re-engaged with potential interested parties in February 2023. Discussions between the Joint Administrator and interested parties continue.

Question reference: S6W-15966

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum slurry storage grant amount is that farmers and crofters can apply for from the Agriculture Transformation Fund.

Support for slurry storage in 2023 is available through Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), funded by the Agriculture Transformation Fund (ATF). No minimum level of grant has been set for the scheme. The maximum grant available for slurry storage specifically is £30,000, based on a standard cost of £15m3 of storage to maximum of 2000m3. In addition to the grant for the slurry storage, applicants can apply for the following slurry ancillaries:

• Associated equipment for above-ground storage tanks:

- base drainage sealed pipe assembly to external discharge including double lockable sluice valves: £1250

- galvanised ladder and platform: £1100

- fixed over-rim riser pipe with jetting nozzle and terminal connection: £1900

• Tractor-driven slurry pump and associated pipe, assemblies and connections with shaft and mountings: £4000

• Below-ground reception tank with cover lid: £235 per cubic metre (restricted to a maximum size of 36m3)

A calculator which can help applicants identify the additional storage capacity that is required in order to provide six months slurry storage has been provided with the full guidance on the rural payments website .

Question reference: S6W-15962

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been made to the STEM bursary scheme in each academic year from 2018-19 to date.

Question reference: S6W-15771

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers were consulted before the offer of immunity from prosecution was made to prison officers charged with the care of Allan Marshall.

The Crown does not grant immunity from prosecution but makes prosecutorial decisions based on criteria set out in the Scottish Prosecution Code. Decisions on prosecution are taken independently and are matters for professional prosecutors within the system for which the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General are responsible. It is therefore not appropriate for any other minister, or for Scottish Government officials or special advisers to be consulted in relation to any prosecutorial decisions.

I have confirmed to Mr Marshall’s family that some aspects of the investigation fell short of what they were entitled to expect. The previous decision not to prosecute individual prison officers cannot be reversed. I have instructed Police Scotland to investigate possible corporate responsibility by the Scottish Prison Service.

The way in which custody death cases are handled by COPFS has been reviewed and transformed. I am confident that new structures and processes in place will ensure such cases are undertaken rigorously, respectfully and compassionately.

Question reference: S6W-15765

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it decides to allocate funds for research into specific cancers.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office operates open competitive funding schemes for applied health research projects and fellowships across the wide range of NHS and health challenges in Scotland. These schemes are open to consideration of applications addressing research directed into Cancer. Applications to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees.

Year	No of applications
2018	154
2019	171
2020	221
2021	196
2022	126