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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: S5W-31138

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Childminding Workforce Support Fund to reopen for applications.

To help support childminders who have suffered financially throughout the pandemic, the Childminding Workforce Support Fund (CWSF) opened on 16 July to provide grants up to a maximum of £350 to eligible childminders.

The demand for the Fund was considerable and given the volume of applications the Scottish Childminding Association decided to pause for new applications on 17 July. In view of the level of demand for the Fund, the Scottish Government is working with the Scottish Childminding Association to agree further funding support to childminders.

Information on further support will be made available when details have been finalised.

Question reference: S5W-30727

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of self-catering businesses that applied for financial support from the Small Business Grant Scheme were successful, and what help will be made available to those that did not receive any financial support.

The Small Business Support Grants and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants are administered and awarded by Local Authorities. The Scottish Government has collected data on a weekly basis pertaining to the total number of business support grant applications made and the total number of grants awarded by each local authority. Property or business-level data on applications or awards is not held centrally.

Our financial support exceeds the business support consequentials passed on from the UK Government and actively works to fill the gaps in the UK scheme. This includes a £185m fund to support the self-employed and SMEs is broken into three main funds for the newly self-employed, for the creative, tourism and hospitality sector and for viable but vulnerable SMEs. All three funds are now closed to new applications.

We continue to review and identify where additional support may be required, and press the UK Government for additional fiscal flexibilities which are focused, limited and temporary.

Question reference: S5W-30728

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding available under the Small Business Grant Scheme has not been allocated, and what plans are in place to ensure that any underspend is targeted at businesses still in need of support.

We are still working through calculating the final position on the Small Business Grant Scheme and there is likely to be a tail as individual Local Authorities continue to work through outstanding claims and appeals. Consequently forecast outturn on the schemes is still within a range and final figures have yet to be confirmed.

However, we have already redeployed some of the funding, as our financial support exceeds the business support consequentials passed on from the UK Government and actively worked to fill the gaps in the UK scheme. This included £185m to support the self-employed and SMEs which was allocated across three main funds for the newly self-employed, for the creative, tourism and hospitality sector and for viable but vulnerable SMEs.

We will continue to support Scotland’s businesses by passing on every penny we receive from the UK Government for this purpose, and more, directly to Scottish businesses.

We continue to review and identify where additional support may be required, and press the UK Government for additional fiscal flexibilities which are focused, limited and temporary.

Question reference: S5O-04489

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the introduction of road equivalent tariff on ferry routes across the Pentland Firth, and whether it will confirm the date that it will be introduced.

Question reference: S5W-31034

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what budget was allocated to investing in the technology required for virtual custody cases, and how that was spent.

Question reference: S5W-31035

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the technology used for virtual custody pilots may have resulted in European Convention on Human Rights breaches.

Question reference: S5W-31033

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments it has conducted in relation to the use of virtual custody cases.

Question reference: S5W-30954

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29303 by Jeane Freeman on 25 June 2020, whether it will provide an update on the data protection impact assessments and their publication.

Question reference: S5W-31032

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for expanding the use of virtual custody cases.

Question reference: S5W-30650

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce road equivalent tariff on ferry routes across the Pentland Firth.

As the member is aware, the implementation of our preferred ferry fares policy of Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on Northern Isles ferry services has not yet been possible because of a State aid complaint that was made to the European Commission.

The Scottish Government has engaged with the European Commission on the complaints and we will continue working to establish an agreed mechanism for delivering RET for Orkney and Shetland, although this work has been delayed due to resourcing issues relating to Covid 19.

In the meantime, islanders travelling on Aberdeen-Kirkwall-Lerwick routes have received a 20% reduction on cabin fares and a three-year freeze on passenger, non-commercial vehicle and cabin fares, which came into effect on 1 January 2020. This package of measures builds on the 30% discount already enjoyed by islanders.