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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-33956

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 3 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it determines which social media websites it maintains a presence on.

The Scottish Government has a crucial role in communicating with the public and uses a mix of channels to reach different audiences. This includes digital channels such as social media as well as traditional broadcast, print media and others. Channels are chosen to best meet our communications objectives in the most effective and cost efficient way, and this is regularly reviewed using insight and evaluation.

The Scottish Government’s Communications Division currently has a presence on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

Question reference: S6W-33842

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Graeme Dey on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on plans to simplify the post-school education and skills funding body landscape in Scotland.

In June, I launched a public consultation on proposals to simplify the post-school funding body landscape. With thanks to all those who submitted responses I have now considered the evidence both from the consultation, and from an Outline Business Case analysing the three options.

I can confirm that a decision has been made to proceed with the proposal to consolidate all post-school provision funding within the Scottish Funding Council and all student support funding within the Student Awards Agency Scotland. I look forward to working with stakeholders to help realise these changes which I am confident will facilitate significant benefits for the post-school system, and importantly for learners and employers.

I will update the Parliament on plans for the Bill announced in Programme for Government 2024-25 in due course.

Question reference: S6W-33351

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the escalation status of NHS Grampian.

The NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework is one of the key elements of the evidence-based approach to monitoring performance and managing risk across the NHS in Scotland.

All NHS Boards have recently been reviewed against the framework for finance purposes.

Following this review the decision was made for NHS Grampian to be escalated to Stage Three of the Framework for finance. This is based on the deterioration of the Board’s financial position during 2024-25.

Stage Three escalation comes into effect from January 2025 and involves enhanced monitoring and support including increased oversight and coordinated engagement from Scottish Government. This will include monitoring by and meetings with the Scottish Government’s Finance Delivery Unit, as well as further engagement with the NHS Scotland Director of Health and Social Care Finance.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with NHS Grampian to monitor their financial position and assist with longer term financial planning and improvement.

Question reference: S6F-03720

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the potential economic impact of Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners' reported £800 million investment in battery energy storage sites in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04202

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the steps that it is taking to tackle child poverty.

Question reference: S6W-32052

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the time and resources required for public transport projects to go through the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance stages.

The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) sets out the appraisal framework for proportionately securing best value and value for money. Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance is designed to comply with the SPFM and forms the first stage of the Business Case process. The current version of the guidance was published in January 2022, following engagement with the user base comprising Regional Transport Partnerships, Local Authorities, Academia and Consultancies.

The Scottish Government is committed to enabling proportionate and efficient appraisal and is working to ensure the business case process is progressed as quickly as possible, whilst also ensuring the requirements of SPFM are met.

A regular topic raised by the user base is for ‘more proportionality’. In response to this feedback, Transport Scotland encourages the use of a ‘risk-based’ approach to appraisal to focus resources on those aspects which are most important to decision making.

Additional options being explored to encourage proportionate appraisal include training courses, more frequent user group meetings and the publication of existing work to demonstrate good practice.

Question reference: S6O-04131

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS Grampian to increase bed capacity, particularly in light of increased demand during the winter period.

Question reference: S6W-31712

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB) on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it is doing to help promote the Armed Forces Covenant and the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme amongst MSPs.

Question reference: S6W-31406

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the feasibility study examining the case for reconnecting Buchan to the East Coast Main Line, which was published in June 2024 by the Campaign for North East Rail.

The Scottish Government is supportive of increasing sustainable travel and better integrated travel infrastructure for the north east. As part of this, Officials from Transport Scotland attended a roundtable event organised by the Campaign for North East Rail (CNER) and Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce (AGCC) in Ellon on 15 November 2024.

The Scottish Government is considering the findings of the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study and a decision on next steps is still to be made.

Question reference: S6O-04079

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS Grampian with its winter preparedness.