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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-36930

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the annual cost of its civil service has reportedly risen to almost £470 million, and what steps it is taking to address this.

This response relates to Scottish Government Core workforce.

Historically, a range of factors, including newly devolved responsibilities such as establishing Social Security, EU Exit, and our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are behind the growth in the workforce. Like many organisations, the Scottish Government has also needed to respond to the cost of living crisis that has led to increases in pay across the labour market.

The Scottish Government is proactively addressing the need to control workforce size to remain fiscally sustainable.

The Scottish Government has reduced its total workforce by 4% from March 2022 to December 2024. It has achieved this through recruitment controls and prioritised the reduction of expensive contingent workers in making these reductions, in partnership with our Trade Unions. The number of contingent workers is now 46% lower than in March 2022.

Scottish Government workforce numbers are regularly and carefully reviewed to ensure efficient and effective delivery for the people of Scotland and recruitment controls remain in place. The Budget has set a commitment to continuing to reduce the workforce in this financial year.

Question reference: S6W-37788

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of how many barber shops in Scotland are linked to money laundering, and what steps are being taken to tackle any such incidences of financial crime.

Question reference: S6W-36929

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether schools that have been assessed as having “inadequate” means of escape and “intolerable” housekeeping standards should remain open to pupils.

Although, it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate, we expect them to provide safe learning environments for all school users.

If there were concerns raised to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) regarding perceived high levels of risk to life from fire, the SFRS would undertake an urgent audit and ultimately could, if necessary, prohibit the use, or parts, of a school until the situation was satisfactorily rectified.

Question reference: S6W-37025

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a detailed comparative analysis of any differences in post-S4 retention rates between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S6F-04139

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of it being almost five years since the Scottish Government committed to spending £60 million to renew every play park in Scotland and of reports that less than half of the funding has been spent, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that children do not miss out on renewed facilities.

Question reference: S6W-37632

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not implemented its 2021 commitment to reduce teacher class contact time to 21 hours per week.

Question reference: S6W-36937

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any steps it is taking, including in relation to legislation, to prevent registered sex offenders from changing their name, and for what reason it has not already taken any such action, in light of the legislative changes being pursued by the UK Government.

The Scottish Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. Sex offender notification requirements apply to an individual, irrespective of what name they use, and Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements documentation includes the recording of any aliases. Sex offenders must inform the police of a name change within three days and failure to notify such a change can result in a prison sentence.

We are aware that the Crime and Policing Bill, recently introduced to the UK Parliament, contains legislative change in this area. A Legislative Consent Memorandum (LCM) was lodged on 16 May 2025 recommending that the Scottish Parliament consents to the legislative provisions around sex offender management contained in the Bill. We await the outcome of the Parliamentary process which will determine whether or not consent is given to the provisions.

Question reference: S6W-37660

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been allocated to the (a) University of Strathclyde and (b) Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights for the establishment of the Anti Racism Observatory for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37639

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional support needs staff are currently employed in schools, and how this compares with demand.

Statistics on 'additional support needs teachers’ are published in the teacher census supplementary statistics. This is available on the Scottish government website here Teacher census supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

In addition, statistics on school support staff are also published on the Scottish Government website and are available here School support staff statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Spending on additional support for learning by local authorities reached a record high of over £1 billion in the last financial year. This year, in addition to that spend, the 2025-26 budget provides £29m investment for additional support for learning. This will support the recruitment retention and training of the ASN workforce at a local level, and will help to enhance professional learning on inclusion for all teachers, at all stages of their careers.

Question reference: S6W-37644

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NHS 24 is meeting its statutory and clinical obligations to members of the public.