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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.

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Question reference: S6W-26290

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26010 by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024, how many employees were involved in job-related and professional training courses, which amounted to £58,408.55, in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-26289

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26010 by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024, how many job-related and professional training courses, which amounted to £58,408.55, were completed in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-26291

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26010 by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024, what the nature of the other sundry payments, which amounted to £48,792.82, was in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

The amount of £48,792.82 is in relation to 2022-23 only. In 2021-22 the equivalent amount was £49,383.28.

2021-22

Description	Amount - £
Council Tax/ Insurance	17,680.27
Digital Subscription	15,255.57
Licence Fees	789.00
Marketing Campaign	10,278.11
Newspaper Subscriptions	618.00
Sim Card Fees	224.00
Travel/ Hotel/ Car Hire	95.00
Small Sundry Costs	4,443.33
Total	49,383.28

2022-23

Description	Amount - £
Council Tax/ Insurance	15,311.40
Digital Subscription	23,086.34
Legal Fee	2,250.00
Sim Card Fees	288.00
Travel/ Hotel/ Car Hire	1,122.20
Small Sundry Costs	6,382.99
Newspaper Subscriptions	320.50
Digital Subscriptions	31.39
Total	48,792.82

Question reference: S6W-26288

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26010 by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024, which job-related and professional training courses, which amounted to £58,408.55, were completed in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

The amount of £58,408.55 is in relation to 2022-23 only. In 2021-22 the equivalent amount was £31,663.82.2021-22 – a total of £31,663.82 related to job-related and professional training courses. These included:

1. Health &Safety Training Courses

(including Evacuation Chair Training, Fire Safety Course, Institute of Civil Engineering H&S Course)

2. Conference and Seminars

(including Road Safety Scotland Annual Seminar 2022, Training for Transportation Professionals Conference, Women in Transport Event, Rapid Transit Conference, Construction News Decarbonising Construction Conference)

3. Educational Development Training Courses

(including Excel Training, Chartered Institute of Public Relations Course, The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Procurement Training)

2022-23 – a total of £58,408.55 related to job-related and professional training courses. These included:

1. Conference and Seminars

(including Bridge Design & Engineering Bridges Conference 2023, Smarter Working Expo, Road Expo 2022, World Routes Conference, Freedom of Information Conference, Road Safety Scotland Annual Seminar 2023)

2. Educational Development Training Courses

(including Holyrood Insight Course, Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Training Course, International Centre for Parliamentary Studies Training Course, Institution of Civil Engineering Training Course, Writing Course)

Question reference: S6W-26186

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when capital funding for the Community Bus Fund will be made available to local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-26185

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when bids will open for the 2024-25 Community Bus Fund resource funding.

Question reference: S6W-26010

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) job-related and professional training course costs, (b) professional subscription fees and (c) purchases of small equipment made up the £146,366.43 of electronic purchasing card (ePC) transactions by Transport Scotland in 2022-23.

Under the Public Sector Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 Government bodies are required to publish details of information relating to: public relations; overseas travel; hospitality and entertainment; external consultancy; details of all items of expenditure over £25,000; remuneration; sustainable growth; efficiency; and shared services.

Transport Scotland has also followed the Scottish Government extension of these requirements to publish annual details of Electronic Procurement card transactions. Details can be found on the Transport Scotland website.

Disclosures for the financial years 2022-23 and 2021-22 - Electronic Purchasing Cards | Transport Scotland

Description	Amount - £
Job Related and Professional Training Courses	58,408.55
Professional Subscription Fees	24,586.63
Small Equipment	14,578.43
Other Sundry Payments	48,792.82
Total	146,366.43

Question reference: S6O-03258

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will give further consideration to allowing events to start in the Parliament building while Members' Business debates are ongoing.

Question reference: S6W-25421

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24652 by Mairi McAllan on 7 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £37.8 million, or 75.6%, reduction to the Just Transition Fund in its Budget 2024-25, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Question reference: S6W-25384

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24650 by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2024, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether an impact assessment was conducted regarding the £6.7 million reduction to the "Central Government Grants to Local Authorities" budget, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Further to the response given by Miri McAllan MSP, in a particularly challenging fiscal landscape, the Scottish Government has had to take difficult decisions to deliver balanced and sustainable spending plans for the 2024-25 financial year.

The UK Autumn Statement was a worst-case scenario for Scotland. Our block grant funding, derived from the UK Government’s spending decisions, has fallen by 1.2 per cent in real terms since 2022-23 and our capital spending power is due to contract by almost 10 per cent in real terms over five years. Furthermore, the Spring Budget includes no new capital funding.

A significant proportion of the expenditure in the Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition portfolio is legally and contractually committed, and I have ensured that those commitments are met in full in this budget as well as allocating funding to support critical maintenance and renewal expenditure to ensure that the people of Scotland have access to a safe and reliable transport system. This has been compounded by continuing high inflation, which has further reduced our room for manoeuvre.

It is within these challenging circumstances that we have had to make difficult decisions to achieve a fiscally sustainable budget.

As Miri McAllan MSP indicated, the Equalities and Fairer Scotland Budget Statement and Carbon Assessment were published alongside this Budget. These impact assessments not only analyse the budget and the impact of the decisions contained in it, they also consider the process of making those decisions, and how we make sure the needs of all people are actively considered. The Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition portfolio was actively engaged in the analysis and production of these assessments.