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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-27176

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Graduate Apprenticeship Enhancement Group has been created; who sits on it, and what the expected workstreams are for the group.

The Scottish Government has established the Graduate Apprenticeship Enhancement Group. It held its first meeting in April and met again in May. Membership includes Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, representatives from universities and colleges, Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland, Student Awards Agency for Scotland and members of the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board. Former and current Graduate Apprentices will also be invited to join the group. The Group is developing the workstreams which will support its work.

Question reference: S6W-27448

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on implementation of the Investor Panel's recommendation 14, and when the results of the exercise will be published.

Question reference: S6W-27236

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17778 by Graeme Dey on 23 May 2023, whether it will provide updated information on how many (a) modern, (b) foundation and (c) graduate apprenticeship learning providers there have been since 2019-20, based on the latest information available.

Question reference: S6W-27274

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many individual (a) employers and (b) learners used the Flexible Workforce Development Fund in each year since its inception in 2017-18.

Based on data provided by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) (academic years 2017-2023) and Skills Development Scotland (2020-2023), the number of employers supported in each year since the start of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF) is set out below. Please note that the SFC element of the 2022-23 figure is based on interim data which will be finalised in the coming months.

Employers supported by FWDF
Academic year	Total
2017-18	687
2018-19	750
2019-20	741
2020-21	1,753
2021-22	2,051
2022-23	1,642

Based on data provided by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) (2017-2022) and Skills Development Scotland (2020-2022), the number of individuals supported in each year since the start of the FWDF is set out below. Please note that SFC learner figures for 2022-23 are not yet available and will be finalised in the coming months so no figure has been provided for this academic year. The figures on individuals may vary from the published evaluation figures as it is a record of individuals, not enrolments. Some individuals will have enrolled more than once in an academic year.

Individuals on FWDF courses at Scottish colleges by academic year
Academic year	Total
2017-18	7,865
2018-19	19,285
2019-20	19,540
2020-21	22,137
2021-22	29,539

Question reference: S6W-27034

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline any research underpinning the decision to close all VisitScotland information centres.

VisitScotland’s Strategic Change Programme seeks to ensure that they continue to make the biggest possible positive impact on the visitor economy.

As part of VisitScotland's Strategic Change Programme, a detailed review has considered their role in information provision. VisitScotland's future information strategy is based on research including trends and data that show how visitors plan their trips. As part of the review process, VisitScotland also took into account data related to their iCentre network.

The following key research sources were utilised:

VisitScotland insight data over a number of years as published in their annual reports: Our Annual Performance Report | VisitScotland.org
VisitBritain: MIDAS - Full Research Report - Dec 2022
Expedia: Expedia Group's Path to Purchase Study on Traveler Behaviors: Key Findings and Methodology
TripAdvisor: E conomicPortraitofTraveler2023

In addition to the above, VisitScotland drew upon the professional knowledge and experience of their staff.

Question reference: S6W-27035

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on local economies of the decision to close all VisitScotland information centres.

VisitScotland has taken the decision to close its iCentre network by March 2026 in response to reduced footfall and demand for information, with data showing that the majority of visitors to Scotland access information ahead of travelling to the country. As this was an operational decision for VisitScotland, the Scottish Government did not conduct an impact assessment.

However, data indicates that the previous phase of iCentre closures in 2018-2019 did not negatively impact the visitor economy. Since 2019, the number of overseas visitors to Scotland has increased by 14%, with the number of tourism businesses increasing by 6%.

VisitScotland continues to support the growth of the visitor economy in every region of Scotland through its marketing activity, support for events, destination development and free-to-access business advice and support programme.

Question reference: S6W-27033

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation took place with (a) staff and (b) trade unions before the decision was made to close all VisitScotland information centres.

a) A formal staff consultation was not triggered prior to the announcement as there are no compulsory redundancies.

Staff are VisitScotland's priority, and they are engaging with them to discuss their options such as re-skilling, redeployment and voluntary redundancy.

VisitScotland have established a staff engagement programme, which involves every iCentre and allows for both collective and individual engagement and representation throughout the change programme.

b) VisitScotland consulted with Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union prior to the announcement and continue to work with them during the on-going change programme.

Question reference: S6W-27203

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it will have to pay Consort Healthcare when the PFI contract for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh ends.

The project agreement for the RIE was signed in 1998 between NHSL and Consort Healthcare. Consort are responsible for the provision of facilities management and lifecycle maintenance works until the end of the Primary Period in December 2027. The Secondary Period begins automatically following the end of the Primary Period, the exact arrangements for the secondary period, which include the possibility of terminating the agreement, will be determined by the ongoing discussions and decisions taken by NHS Lothian and Consort Healthcare, which have not yet concluded.

Question reference: S6W-27204

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many issues NHS Lothian has reported against Consort Healthcare since it took ownership of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6O-03444

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is ensuring that those awarded public sector contracts and grants meet its Fair Work First requirements, including the payment of the real Living Wage.

Year	Modern Apprenticeship Providers	Foundation Apprenticeship Providers	Graduate Apprenticeship Providers
2019-20	256	39	15
2020-21	255	39	14
2021-22	243	40	12
2022-23	228	39	12
2023-24	205	44	11