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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-02997

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans are in place in the event that commercial and grant terms for the Ardrossan Harbour redevelopment are not agreed with Peel Ports before September 2022.

Question reference: S6W-02996

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on municipal ownership of ports.

There are a large number of ports and harbours around the Scottish coast ranging in size from large commercial ports to local piers, slipways and marinas. Ownership models include harbour trusts, privately owned harbours, local authority ownership and harbours owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. We value the diverse range of port ownership in Scotland and the benefits this brings for communities and other stakeholders. Any public sector expenditure on port infrastructure should be carried out with the aim of achieving the best value for money.

Question reference: S6W-02999

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances it would consider exploring municipal ownership of Ardrossan Harbour with North Ayrshire Council.

Question reference: S6W-03188

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to establish the independent review to advise on the replacement for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), and by what date the review will (a) commence, (b) conclude and (c) publish its findings.

Professor Ken Muir has been appointed as an independent advisor on education reform and formally started work on 2 August 2021, and is expected to take around 6 months to conclude.

Professor Muir’s work will include designing the implementation of the OECD’s recommendations for structural change of the SQA and Education Scotland, including delivery of the national curriculum, assessment, qualification and inspection functions. This will include consideration of the role, remit and purpose of both the SQA and Education Scotland, their functions and governance arrangements.

Professor Muir is expected to conclude work and report recommendations to Scottish Government early 2022 and we will seek to publish Professor Muir’s findings as soon as practically possible.

Updates on Professor Muir's work will be provided via https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/education-reform/

Question reference: S6W-03132

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, between 1 April 2016 and 30 June 2021, how many Vietnamese nationals have been (a) held on remand, (b) released on bail, (c) prosecuted, (d) convicted and sentenced, broken down by offence and (e) identified as presumed or confirmed trafficking survivors by the National Referral Mechanism, each broken down by how many were (i) adults and (ii) children.

Question reference: S6W-01100

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken since March 2021 to ensure that (a) seafarers and (b) offshore workers returning directly to Scotland for a period of leave, after working outside the UK, receive assistance from employers to meet the costs of complying with COVID-19 restrictions and requirements.

International travel restrictions are important in limiting the importation of further cases of the virus, in particular new variants, which could undermine the rollout of our vaccine programme. Exemptions to self-isolation requirements have been granted for seafarers returning directly to Scotland from red or amber list countries outside of the UK. Seafarers who are repatriating in Scotland are also exempt from isolation and the financial pressure that isolation incurs. This exemption does not apply to seafarers returning to Scotland for a period of leave or any other non-work-related circumstance. Offshore workers arriving from amber list countries to work on the UK continental shelf are also exempt from isolation requirements. Where workers are required to travel internationally for business reasons, employers are encouraged to consider how they support their employees to comply with restrictions on their return to Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-03000

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its position stated in the procurement notice issued to local government in 2014 that it "strongly discourages trade with illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories", whether this remains its position.

Question reference: S6O-00203

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to raise awareness among the public and healthcare professionals of the symptoms of leukaemia.

Question reference: S6W-03203

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-02320

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) prisoners and young offenders and (ii) prison staff have received (A) their first dose and (B) both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, also broken down by (1) prison and young offender institution, (2) NHS board area and (3) whether the prisoners and young offenders are (aa) under the age of 18 and (bb) 18 or over.

The Scottish Government has been working in collaboration with Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service to improve data on COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Scottish prisons.

New prison vaccination data was been published by Public Health Scotland on 15 September and the link is attached for convenience for the Member. https://publichealthscotland.scot/our-areas-of-work/covid-19/covid-19-data-and-intelligence/covid-19-weekly-report-for-scotland/

Prison vaccination data will now be reported on a regular basis and will assist in considering possible courses of action to improve the vaccination uptake amongst the prison population, including for individuals who have not received their second dose prior to being released from prison.