Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 48968 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6O-03121

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to cultural organisations in Stirling that are facing funding challenges.

Question reference: S6O-03141

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the open letter sent to MSPs from over 120 colleges, businesses and trade unions, on 5 February, urgently asking for the reinstatement of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund for Scotland’s colleges, which has been removed from the draft Budget for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6O-03132

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-03136

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with representatives of the college sector.

Question reference: S6O-03139

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-25533

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many prison officers need to be recruited to ensure that all prisons are able to adhere to minimum staffing requirements.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS has agreed prison officer staffing complements which are tailored to the needs of each establishment and agreed in partnership with the Prison Officers Association (Scotland).

On 2 February 2024 (the most recent data available), SPS had 59 prison officer vacancies across the prison estate, which is a 1.8% vacancy rate.

Question reference: S6W-25253

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison officer vacancies there were on (a) 31 January 2023 and (b) 31 January 2024.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS does not operate minimum prison officer staffing requirements. SPS has agreed prison officer staffing complements which are tailored to the needs of each establishment and agreed in partnership with the Prison Officers Association (Scotland).

SPS workforce data is produced monthly after the conclusion of the previous month, the most up to date data available is as follows:

On 2 February 2023, SPS had 70.9 prison officer vacancies (a 2.2% vacancy rate) across the prison estate.

On 2 February 2024, SPS had 59 prison officer vacancies (a 1.8% vacancy rate) across the prison estate.

Question reference: S6W-25150

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its digital strategy for education, as set out in its Programme for Government 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-24929

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24884 by Lorna Slater on 29 January 2024, whether it plans to use the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill as the mechanism to ban single-use disposable vapes.

Officials are moving at pace, with the rest of the UK to bring forward the correct mechanisms to ban Single Use Vapes. As this is an area of devolved competence, decisions on whether to act in this area rest with the respective Governments in each part of the UK.

I wrote to the NZET committee on the 26th of January informing them that the Scottish Government intend to bring forward Scottish regulations under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to enact a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland. In doing so, we will conduct a full impact assessment which, depending on its outcome in relation to the impact on different groups or communities, may require consideration of limited exemptions to a ban.

We will continue to work with UK Government and other Devolved Governments as we develop this legislation and will engage with Parliament as appropriate and necessary during this process.

Question reference: S6W-25352

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that the reported pause of the Bus Partnership Fund will have on its target of reducing car kilometres by 20% by 2030.

As outlined in the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km by 2030, achieving this commitment relies on a package of over 30 interventions. The route map does not apportion a specific reduction in car km to any single intervention such as the Bus Partnership Fund, which is one of a number of route map interventions which aim to encourage the use of public transport.

Bus Partnership Fund spend will proceed as planned for 2023-24 to complete the delivery of the bus infrastructure underway for the benefit of passengers and operators, and conclude appraisal work that could inform future investment. The pausing in 2024-5 presents an opportunity to recast bus priority work within a longer term more integrated public transport vision.

The Scottish Government is committed to making sustainable travel a more attractive option, which is why we invest over £2bn annually to support public transport including over £420 million allocated for bus services and concessionary fares in 2023-24 providing over 2 million people in Scotland with access to free bus travel. Our firm commitment to bus travel continues with almost £430 million in funding for concessionary travel and bus services planned for 2024-25.