- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of current funding for the Scottish Education Exchange Programme (SEEP) is spent on (a) administration and overhead costs and (b) direct student support.
Answer
When applying for funding, colleges and universities submit a projected budget which provides a detailed breakdown of costs relating to the implementation and delivery of the project. However, the information is not recorded in the manner requested.
An external evaluation due to be published later in the summer will provide an analysis of the SEEP projects which will include costs associated with the development and delivery of projects and funding allocated to student mobility.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total projected cost of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill over the next five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s supplementary Financial Memorandum, to reflect the scaled-back care reform proposals for the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, was published on the Health, Social Care & Sport Committee’s website on 25 March 2025.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the current staffing headcount is for civil servants working on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
Currently there are 110 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Civil Servants in the NCS Programme working on wider social care reform. Within the 110 (FTE) we have four staff working on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37624 by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025, and
in light of the detailed Project Willow report by EY-Parthenon, what its
position is on whether Regional Growth Deals are necessary to enable the
delivery of the nine projects identified in the Project Willow report, and for
what reason it has "no current plans for any future growth deals".
Answer
Project Willow sets out a truly transformative future for Grangemouth and will be possible if the public and private sectors work together. The current 10 year Deal was signed in November 2024, so our focus is on delivering the Growth Deal, which commits £50 million of Scottish Government funding over ten years to projects in the area. The Deal will complement the aims of Project Willow and we will work with partners to progress both the Deal and Project Willow. As previously stated, there are no plans for a further Deal.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to bring forward a revised financial memorandum to reflect the scaled-back care reform proposals for the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s supplementary Financial Memorandum, to reflect the scaled-back care reform proposals for the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill, was published on the Health, Social Care & Sport Committee’s website on 25 March 2025.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that public bodies, including (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Prison Service, are complying with their obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
Answer
All public bodies, including Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service, are expected to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.
Compliance with the Act is a matter for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The EHRC operates independently and cannot be directed by Scottish Ministers.
The EHRC publishes statutory Codes of Practice and associated guidance on the Equality Act 2010 to assist bodies to better understand and comply with their legal obligations under the Act.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many practising NHS dentists there are currently, broken down by NHS board area, and how this compares to (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and (c) 2020.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. However, we have been able to access the data held by National Records of Scotland (NRS) for the years 2010 and 2015. (Please see table attached). As at
31 March 2025, there are 2,938 GDS dentists, up c.5% over the last year and there are 3,249 primary care dentists, an increase of 4.2% over the last year.
| | 2010 | 2015 |
East Region | 876 | 911 |
NHS Borders | 67 | 72 |
NHS Fife | 232 | 250 |
NHS Lothian | 585 | 622 |
North Region | 930 | 1017 |
NHS Highland | 209 | 232 |
NHS Grampian | 327 | 389 |
NHS Orkney | 16 | 23 |
NHS Tayside | 352 | 360 |
NHS Western Isles | 18 | 16 |
NHS Shetland | 18 | 11 |
West Region | 1628 | 1703 |
NHS Ayrshire and Arran | 223 | 236 |
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 866 | 921 |
NHS Lanarkshire | 343 | 365 |
NHS Forth Valley | 186 | 183 |
NHS Dumfries and Galloway | 80 | 85 |
National Bodies and Special Health Boards | 16 | 17 |
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what legal or enforcement powers are available to ensure the payment of confiscation orders.
Answer
Where payment is not made within the time permitted by the Court the case will be brought back before the Court at which time further enforcement to recover the outstanding balance will be considered. That may include, for example, the appointment of an administrator who will undertake the ingathering and management of realisable property.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to recover the £5 million reportedly owed in unpaid confiscation orders.
Answer
When a confiscation order is made, payment of the order is supervised by the court. Where payment is not made within the time specified by the court, further action to recover the outstanding balance can be taken by the courts.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an annual update on unpaid confiscation orders and any enforcement action taken.
Answer
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) publish the Courts Data Scotland bulletin on a quarterly basis, which provides national level information on confiscation order penalties.