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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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Displaying 2017 questions Show Answers

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Question reference: S6W-30259

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Forties Pipeline System may close as early as 2030.

Question reference: S6W-30260

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect Scotland's energy security in the event that the Forties Pipeline System closes in 2030.

Question reference: S6W-30263

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact will be on employment in the event that the Forties Pipeline System closes in 2030.

Question reference: S6W-29714

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates that the reported £800,000 reduction to VisitScotland's advertising budget will have on tourism numbers.

The decision relates to uncommitted marketing spend, however, Visit Scotland will continue to maximise the impact of its £43.6 million budget through use of its own and partner channels, including relationships with travel intermediaries, to attract domestic and international visitors to Scotland.

The number of people visiting Scotland is subject to different variables, including the state of the global economy. Scottish Government will work closely with VisitScotland to track and report performance.

Question reference: S6O-03815

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of its international offices.

Question reference: S6W-29477

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any funding reductions that have been made as a result of the reallocation of funds to local authority pay awards.

Public sector pay continues to be a significant driver of in-year pressures and, under the current devolution settlement, any substantive in-year pressures can only be funded by reductions elsewhere. If the UK Government does not fully fund public sector pay deals, there will be a significant gap between the expectations of the workforce and the available funding.

As confirmed in the Fiscal Statement to the Scottish Parliament on 3 September, the Scottish Government has identified a range of measures to support the 2024-25 budget totalling almost £1 billion, of which up to £500 million are direct savings. Correspondence with the Convenor of the Finance and Public Administration on 3 September, confirmed that the impact of these measures has been appropriately assessed, including in formal impact assessments where required.

In relation to local authority pay awards, the Scottish Government has agreed with local government that they can draw on specific existing programmes to fund pay deals. The relevant funding will be replaced in 2025-26 and assurance has been sought from local authorities to confirm that they are able to mitigate any impacts in 2024-25 and that delivery timescales will not be significantly impacted.

Question reference: S6W-29922

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 1 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the budget for external affairs is reportedly being increased when the budget for mental health services is being reduced.

As I told Parliament on 3 September, this Government has consistently warned of the significance of the financial challenge ahead. In the face of this challenge, the Scottish Government has stepped in to support people and services where it has been needed most – on social security, health, and public services and as set out in our 2024-25 budget, we have delivered a real-terms uplift for the NHS.

However, given the circumstances, the amount allocated to external affairs was reduced in the Scottish Budget published for 2024-25, from £27.051 million to £26.283 million . The continuing uncertainty about additional funding and further in-year pressures have required that more action is taken now to ensure that we can balance the budget, which has required difficult choices. Regrettably, the amount allocated to mental health services has also been reduced. This reduction has been identified through programmes being adapted, or which have come to an end. However, we remain committed to taking forward our work across mental health, working closely with key partners. Through the overall 2024-25 budget, NHS Boards and the Scottish Government will continue to spend in excess of £1.3 billon on mental health.

Question reference: S6W-29389

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28909 by Natalie Don on 27 August 2024, what analysis has been conducted to examine whether the £400,000 spent has helped to reduce mobile phone addiction among young people.

There has been no specific analysis completed on the impact of our expenditure in relation to mobile phone addiction. However the funding has been used to create a suite of online resources, information and advice to support the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The Scottish Youth Parliament receive funding for ‘Mind Yer Time’ - a national resource comprising of positive tips, stories and information to help children and young people use their screentime in a healthy and responsible way.

Young Scot receive funding for ‘Ayefeel’ – a national hub for young people to support their mental health and wellbeing. This includes a podcast series called ‘This is How AyeFeel’, allowing young people, content creators, known figures, and influencers a platform to share their experiences, coping mechanisms, and journeys toward better mental health through interviews, personal stories, and expert insights.

Question reference: S6W-29388

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28906 by Jenni Minto on 26 August 2024, whether it will publish the research that it used to justify the continued use of FAST, rather than BE FAST, in full.

The Scottish Government provided funding in 2023-24 to carry out a piece of quantitative research to establish a baseline measure of public awareness and understanding of the symptoms and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (including awareness of FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time), to track progress over time should communications activity be undertaken in this area, and to inform and consider the case for public information campaigns in relation to cardiovascular disease.

This research did not provide any evidence to support the use or not of BE FAST. The decision not to adopt BE FAST was based on existing research and the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke for the UK and Ireland and is aligned with the stance of Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland, Stroke Association and the rest of the United Kingdom’s health services.

Question reference: S6W-29920

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to address the reported drop in school attendance.