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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-31252

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to improve the (a) collection and (b) availability of information on (i) underemployment and (ii) its causes.

Data on underemployment and its causes is collected for Scotland by the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS).

The Scottish Government publishes its own analysis on underemployment in Scotland based on the ONS LFS and APS data. The most recent publication including this data is Scotland’s Labour Market Insights: July 2024 publication. This can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-labour-market-insights-july-2024/pages/people-in-work. The report highlights that an estimated 5.9 per cent of those in employment in Scotland were underemployed, the joint lowest in the series.

The Scottish Government is working with Welsh and Northern Irish Governments and our colleagues in ONS to better understand and to guide improvements in the collection of this data.

Question reference: S6W-31195

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it can take to support individuals with learning disabilities into work.

No One Left Behind, our shared approach with Local Government to delivering devolved employability services, has a key role to play in meeting our commitment to halving the Disability Employment Gap by 2038. Whilst we have seen positive progress to date in the number of people with learning disabilities accessing support, we are committed to going further. That is why our Programme for Government sets out that we will have Specialist Employability Support in place across all 32 local authority areas by Summer of 2025.

Additionally, as outlined in the refreshed Fair Work Action Plan, we are working with partners to develop a central resource hub for employers. Feedback from surveys of a range of employers and engagement with key stakeholders is being used to inform the design of the resource in an accessible way to help ensure that organisations of all sizes and sectors across Scotland can access advice and support to better implement Fair Work.

Question reference: S6W-31253

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to improve the (a) collection and (b) availability of information on (i) economic inactivity and (ii) its causes.

Data on economic inactivity and its causes is collected for Scotland by the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS).

The Scottish Government publishes its own analysis on economic inactivity in Scotland based on the ONS LFS and APS data. The most recent publication including this data is the Labour Market Trends: November 2024 publication. This can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/labour-market-trends-november-2024/

The Scottish Government also recently published an evidence review on Economic Inactivity in Scotland: Supporting those with longer-term health conditions and disabilities to remain economically active. The report can be found here: Economic inactivity in Scotland: supporting those with longer-term health conditions and disabilities to remain economically active - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government are working with Welsh and Northern Irish Governments and our colleagues in ONS to better understand and to guide improvements in the collection of this data.

Question reference: S6W-31441

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has (a) set out and (b) acted upon for consultation on the Rural Support Plan.

Question reference: S6W-31350

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the percentage of food wasted from school meal services since 2012.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Reducing food waste in schools is important and we therefore continue to develop tools to prevent it. This includes the work undertaken by Zero Waste Scotland to provide a Food Waste Monitoring Tool Kit for schools (https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/food-waste-monitoring-toolkit-schools) and the Education Scotland Food for Thought Programme (Food for Thought support resources | Resources | National Improvement Hub (education.gov.scot)) – which is a whole school teaching resource for primary and secondary schools.

Question reference: S6W-31439

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what formal steps it has taken to develop the Rural Support Plan.

The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to publish a five-year Rural Support Plan. The plan will build upon for the Vision for Scottish Agriculture and the Agricultural Reform Route Map and outline the phased transition from legacy EU CAP schemes to the new four-tier framework. The 2024 Act sets out the requirements for the plan including for engagement. Meeting these requirements is integral to the operation of the Agricultural Reform Programme, including through the co-development of future support with our rural partners and in the developing secondary legislation that will introduce changes. The Rural Support Plan will collate this information into a single strategic and coherent package, provide programme level input and ensure that the totality of measures is considered. Once the 2024 Act is commenced, the initial plan is intended to be drafted through 2025 and laid in Winter 2025, to reflect the published Route Map. The 2024 Act requires that the plan is laid before the Scottish Parliament, and published.

Question reference: S6W-31440

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Rural Support Plan.

Question reference: S6O-04040

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-04047

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will give consideration to expanding the Parliament's medical equipment.

Question reference: S6O-04054

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider making mental health first aid awareness training mandatory for all MSPs and their staff, to support them with their own mental health, and in light of the significant number of people that MSPs and their staff support on a daily basis who may be in crisis or dealing with longstanding mental health issues.