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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-17785

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when a Scottish Minister will next meet with the UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks, and what will be discussed.

There are currently no meetings scheduled between Scottish Ministers and the UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks. However, Ms Martin MSP, Minister for Energy, did meet with the UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks on 27 April 2023 to discuss the UK Government's Energy Bill and the track process for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects. We anticipate there will be further engagement on the Energy Bill, for which the UK Minister for Nuclear and Networks is lead. The Bill will enable regulation across a raft of energy policy areas critical for net zero, and we are seeking amendments to ensure the Bill fully meets the needs and interests of Scottish consumers and industry.

Question reference: S6O-02272

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported concerns of Edinburgh City Council that it could still be two years away from having the powers to implement a Transient Visitor Levy.

Question reference: S6W-17586

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has informed the Scottish Funding Council of funding allocations for mental health counsellors in colleges and universities, as it committed to in the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group meeting on 15 November 2022, and, if so, what the allocations are.

I have written to the Scottish Funding Council, copied to Colleges Scotland and Universities Scotland confirming an additional allocation of £2.205 million (for the period April to July 2023), on top of our allocation of £2.025 million announced last year (for the period August 2022 to March 2023). This makes a total 2022-23 AY allocation of £4.23 million.

This means that the total AY 2022-23 award would for Colleges is £2.424 million and Universities is £1.806 million. This is in line with last year’s award of £4.229 million and sector allocations. The Scottish Funding Council will prepare guidance on the additional allocation together with details of institutional awards.

Question reference: S6W-17587

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the mental health of students.

In secondary schools, we continue to support local authorities to ensure that every school has access to counselling services, which are now in place across Scotland. School counselling is just one of a range of services that schools have in place to support pupil’s wellbeing.

In colleges and universities, we have made significant investment to introduce more than 80 extra counsellors across institutions and will release funding to maintain support through to the end of the academic year.

Question reference: S6W-17894

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether patients should be required to pay a deposit to register with an NHS dentist.

Question reference: S6W-17555

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how the additional £10 million funding for the Fuel Insecurity Fund will be allocated.

As the First Minister recently announced, the Fuel Insecurity Fund’s budget for 2023/24 has increased from £20 million to £30 million. The Fund has been allocated as follows:

£9 million to enable Advice Direct Scotland to administer Home Heating Support Fund grants to those struggling with the rapid increase in gas, electricity and oil prices;
£8.5 million for the Fuel Bank Foundation to rapidly support more than 85,000 households, including those with prepayment meters and at risk of imminent self-disconnection;
£7.25 million to enable the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to provide more than 55,000 households across Scotland with advice, support with bills and energy-saving items;
£5 million for one-to-one mentoring for households to be provided by a new funding partner, The Wise Group, as part of a longer-term approach to tackling poverty and its causes;£250,000 for Energy Action Scotland to support both an uplift to their core staff costs and opportunity for expanded roles to aid our longer-term approach to tackling fuel poverty.

Question reference: S6W-17570

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses have indicated directly to the Scottish Government that they have not joined the Deposit Return Scheme due to the UK Government's position on the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17545

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15907 by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023, in light of the delay to the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, whether it will provide an update on what impact this will have on the proposed Circular Economy Bill.

Question reference: S6W-17568

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many new roles will be required to successfully operate the Deposit Return Scheme and, of those, how many have already been filled.

Question reference: S6W-17484

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of any meeting(s) that the First Minister and Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity had with stakeholders regarding the proposed Deposit Return Scheme on 20 April 2023.

The Scottish Government understands that details of the Deposit Return Scheme are matters of public interest and should be properly scrutinised and debated in parliament. We are committed to transparency and openness in our administration of the Deposit Return Scheme, and going forward we aim to proactively publish on a monthly basis key information such as notes of meetings, letters, and other information which will help people understand how decisions are made.

This commitment to publish information must be balanced against the continued need to protect peoples personal data, and meet our commitments to protecting commercially confidential information. This is in line with the General Data Protection Regulation, Environmental Information Regulations, and other legal obligations.