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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

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Question reference: S6W-17381

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been provided to support sporting activities on Scotland's islands in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) island group and (b) government body providing the funding.

The Scottish Government understand the importance of sport and physical activity and the positive impact that it has on physical, mental, and social health. We want to create and provide every opportunity for participation in sport and physical activity for everyone in Scotland.

As part of The National Islands Plan Implementation Route Map, which can be viewed here , the Scottish Government have committed to support relevant local authorities to plan and develop sports facilities on the islands that respond to the needs of communities.

As the national agency for sport , sport scotland invests Scottish Government and National Lottery resources to help the people of Scotland get the most from the sporting system. sport scotland works in partnerships with Scottish Governing Bodies of sport (SGBs), local authorities, leisure trusts, sports clubs and community organisations, schools, colleges, and universities to provide greater opportunities for all to participate in sport.

The table below details sport scotland’s investment in each island local authority area, in each year, since 2013-14 (10-year period). This data covers investment by sport scotland, in both the local authority and other organisations in the local authority area, including investment for Active Schools, Community Sport Hubs, Sport Facilities Fund, National and Regional Facilities, Cycling Facilities Fund, Cashback for Communities, Active Places Fund, National Lottery Awards for All, Direct Club Investment, and Get Into Summer.

Table 1:

Local Authority area	Investment Period (financial year)											Total Investment by Local Authority area
Local Authority area	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	£220,328	£311,448	£226,959	£208,100	£196,100	£187,611	£206,871	£197,689	£235,894	£274,032	£2,265,032
Orkney Council	£210,664	£257,114	£176,580	£175,614	£172,114	£194,259	£182,444	£207,043	£230,966	£173,485	£1,980,283
Shetland Council	£370,030	£258,998	£684,669	£237,775	£223,678	£228,178	£226,134	£254,780	£259,549	£264,274	£3,008,065

sport scoltand also invest into the following three local authorities who geographically cover Island communities. The investment covers the whole local authority area and do not hold information on the investment breakdown on the individual islands.

Table 2:

Local Authority area	Investment Period (financial year)										Total Investment by Local Authority area
Local Authority area	2013-14	2014-25	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Argyll & Bute Council	£653,987	£691,752	£441,988	£411,779	£414,673	£334,104	£327,772	£580,282	£357,992	£349,922	£4,564,251
Highland Council	£1,559,566	£1,901,298	£2,423,568	£1,332,407	£1,197,435	£1,448,482	£1,224,698	£1,245,138	£1,748,235	£1,796,204	£15,877,031
North Ayrshire Council	£536,834	£13,274,320	£487,661	£788,037	£400,950	£588,507	£457,305	£631,365	£490,963	£794,331	£18,450,273

Notes for table 1 and 2

1. Investment is recorded in the year of award, and it is the level of award that is reported.

2. The investment is a mix of revenue and capital spend.

3. The investment is a mix of recurring investment in long-term programmes (e.g. Active Schools) and one-off investments through open application processes (e.g. National Lottery Awards for All).

4. The data does not include investment into national organisations. (e.g. sport scotland invests in around 50 Scottish Governing Bodies of sport. This investment is excluded from the table rather than being recorded against the local authority in which the head office of the organisation is based.)

5. The data does not include direct awards to individuals. (e.g. sport scotland Personal Awards to high performance athletes).

Further investment in supporting sporting activities is included in The Islands Programme for financial year 2021-22. This includes three project strands which are being delivered in collaboration with Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), Inspiring Scotland, HIE and other key partners:

o The Islands Infrastructure Fund (IIF)

o The Island Communities Fund (ICF)

o The Healthy Islands Fund (HIF)

£523,782 of IIF investment contributed to projects that developed sporting and physical activities. Geographically this is broken down as follows:

Orkney Islands - £443,782; and
Argyll and Bute Islands - £80,000.

£233,738 of ICF investment contributed to projects that developed sporting and physical activities. Geographically this is broken down as follows:

Argyll and Bute Islands - £75,600.00;
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) - £80,920.00;
Orkney Islands - £7,477.48; and
North Ayrshire Islands - £69,741.00.

£1,122,954 of HIF contributed to projects that developed sports and physical activities. Geographically this is broken down as follows:

Argyll and Bute Islands – £34,052;
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) - £392,961;
Highland Council Islands – £108,067;
North Ayrshire Islands - £100,690;
Orkney Islands - £359,567; and
Shetland Islands - £127,615.

In addition the £230 million ‘Restart the Economy’ capital stimulus package was announced by the then Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 16 June 2020. As part of the capital stimulus package, the £2 million Islands Green Recovery Programme (IGRP) launched on 13 September 2020.

£333,289 of IGRP investment contributed to projects that developed sporting and physical activities. Geographically this is broken down as follows:

Argyll and Bute Islands - £92,161; and
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles) - £241,128.

Question reference: S6W-17452

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review any policies in relation to placing young people in adult mental health services.

The Scottish Government has no plans to review policies in relation to placing young people in adult mental health wards.

NHS Boards use the Admission to Adult Mental Health Wards for under 18's Guidelines which were published in 2020, alongside discussions with the young person and their family, to make the most appropriate decision regarding the treatment and support that a young person requires.

The guidelines make clear that we expect children and young people who require inpatient care to be looked after in age-appropriate facilities. There may be occasions when it isn’t possible for a young person to be admitted to a specialist child and adolescent bed – for example, a crisis admission out of hours where there are concerns for the young person’s safety, or the young person and their family have a preference for an admission to a local adult ward. On occasions where young people are placed within an adult ward this will be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that the young person is receiving the most appropriate treatment and care.

Question reference: S6W-17099

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average real terms spending, based on current prices, was for a participant undertaking a (a) modern, (b) graduate and (c) foundation apprenticeship programme, in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Question reference: S6W-17098

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the withdrawal rate was for participants undertaking a (a) modern, (b) graduate, and (c) foundation apprenticeship programme, in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Modern Apprenticeship statistics are published on the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) website at Modern Apprenticeships | Skills Development Scotland . Year-end statistics for 2022-23 are expected to be published in May 2023.

The proportion of individuals who don't complete their apprenticeship or leave early are published by SDS at the following links:

Foundation Apprenticeships - https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/50223/foundation-apprenticeship-report-2022-published-version.pdf

Modern Apprenticeships - https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/49237/modern-apprenticeship-statistics-quarter-4-2021-22.pdf

Graduate Apprenticeships – https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/49924/graduate-apprenticeship-annual-report-2022-final.pdf

Earlier years data can be found in older publications.

Question reference: S6T-01368

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding reports that a new contract has been awarded by the Scottish Police Authority, valued at around £663,000, for the provision of additional forensic testing in relation to suspected cases of spiking.

Question reference: S6T-01364

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to avoid industrial action by junior doctors, in light of the decision in favour of action by almost 97% of BMA Scotland members who voted.

Question reference: S6F-02109

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will consider a full ban on disposable vaping products on health and environmental grounds.

Question reference: S6F-02098

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the view of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland that NHS Lothian should review its Children’s Rights Impact Assessment of the decision to end the Youth Navigator programme, which operates at St John's Hospital.

Question reference: S6F-02100

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support colleges and universities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-02085

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the potential impact of the proposed timetable reductions by ScotRail on efforts to ensure a modal shift from car to train.