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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-17089

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what projections there are of how much will be raised under each income tax band in 2023-24, based on the tax bands introduced in the Scottish Budget 2023-24.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission are responsible for producing independent forecasts of Scottish Income Tax for the Scottish Budget. Their most recent forecasts published in December 2022 does not include a breakdown of this forecast in terms of revenue raised by taxpayers at their highest marginal rate.

The Scottish Government estimates that the Income Tax policy changes announced, for 2023-24 alone, will add £519 million to the Scottish Budget.

Question reference: S6W-17472

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the former Minister for Transport, during the members’ business debate on motion S6M-06478 on 21 March 2023, that she would "ask Transport Scotland officials to speak to Argyll and Bute Council" in relation to reported road traffic accidents on the A815, whether it will provide an update on this.

Transport Scotland officials have liaised with Argyll and Bute council and Police Scotland regarding the road safety performance of the A815.

As a Police investigation into a recent road traffic collision is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.

Argyll and Bute council are responsible for local roads in their council area. For any further information about road casualties on the council’s local roads please contact: Hugh.O'Neill@argyll-bute.gov.uk or Stuart.Watson@argyll-bute.gov.uk who will be able to help you further.

Question reference: S6W-17447

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason revised guidance on major NHS service changes has reportedly not been consulted on or published.

Question reference: S6W-17176

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16277 by Kevin Stewart on 6 April 2023, which states that “Transport Scotland intends to achieve journey time savings via a series of infrastructure upgrades including signal enhancements and specific capacity alterations to facilitate the operation of more and faster trains”, what the (a) nature, (b) geographical location and (c) potential time-saving of each infrastructure upgrade is, and how it plans to reduce the ScotRail journey time between (i) Aberdeen and Dundee by three minutes and (ii) Dundee and Edinburgh by 17 minutes, by 2026.

As set out in my response to PQ S6W-16276 on 6 April 2023, Transport Scotland intend to publish the Outline Business Case for the Aberdeen to Central Belt Rail Enhancement Project later in the year. This will provide the requested details of the specific infrastructure upgrades and their contributions to journey time savings.

In the meantime, Transport Scotland has been updating key stakeholders on the progress of the design of this project.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-17485

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to include lamppost charging as part of the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure.

Last year the Scottish Government announced the £60 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund that aims to draw commercial investment in the public charging network across all parts of Scotland. Transport Scotland has already provided funding to Scotland’s local authorities to help them to work together to establish electric vehicle charging strategies and infrastructure expansion plans. These plans are identifying local and regional charge point needs and locations, the investment requirements, as well as the best approaches to delivering collaborative investments with commercial charge point operators. Opportunities to consider the installation of lamppost charge points, or other appropriate solutions, as part of their approach, will fall to local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-17448

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any revised guidance on NHS service changes has been shared with Healthcare Improvement Scotland - Community Engagement, previously known as the Scottish Health Council, and, if so, when this took place.

A final draft of the updated version of Planning with People: Community engagement and participation guidance published in April 2023 was shared with Healthcare Improvement Scotland – Community Engagement in February 2023. The guidance is co-written with COSLA, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland were involved in the process.

As is stated in the updated version of Planning with People, the established principles and requirements for major service change decision-making process for NHS Boards, remain unchanged from those outlined in CEL 4 (2010).

Question reference: S6W-16509

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered adopting a national approach to the teaching of a first additional language (L2) to ensure that pupils from certain areas are not left behind.

Question reference: S6W-16927

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it and (b) Circularity Scotland will receive a share of the packaging recovery note value of any packaging waste collected by Biffa under the proposed Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-17006

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of minority ethnic people in poverty, in light of reports that almost 50% of people from Asian, British Asian, Mixed-ethnic, Black and Black British backgrounds in Scotland are in poverty.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical and interdependent missions for the government – alongside our focus on the economy and strengthening public services.

The Scottish Government is taking a wide range of action to tackle and reduce poverty, with almost £3 billion allocated both last year and this to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Key actions, which will benefit people from a minority ethnic background, include continued investment in the delivery of more affordable homes, providing free transport for over two million people in Scotland and delivering five family payments including the Scottish Child Payment, which was increased in value to £25 per child per week as of November 2022.

In addition to these key anti-poverty actions, we are also taking action targeted to supporting people from a minority ethnic background. This includes f unding local community organisations such as BEMIS, CEMVO and SAREC, who work predominantly with minority ethnic householders, and have been able to offer targeted support to vulnerable households. This includes issuing direct hardship payments and ensuring they are supported to access welfare support they are entitled to.

The Scottish Government also published ‘A Fairer Scotland for All: An anti-racist strategy’, in December 2022, which includes guidance, advice, and examples of good practice for employers in order to address the issues and disadvantages experienced by people from racialised minorities. The strategy is a key component to reaching the ambition of a becoming a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025.

Question reference: S6W-17005

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met (a) local authorities and (b) the UK Government to discuss the issue of poverty rates among minority ethnic people in Scotland.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical and interdependent missions for the government – alongside our focus on the economy and strengthening public services.

As set out within ‘ Best Start, Bright Futures’ , the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: 2022-26, the Scottish Government is taking a wide range of action across the three drivers of poverty reduction – income from work and earnings, costs of living and income from social security and benefits in kind – as well as taking action to improve the wellbeing and outcomes of people across Scotland.

In delivering action, we are focused on ensuring that interventions deliver for those at greatest risk of poverty, including people from a minority ethnic background. In doing so we will help to reduce poverty for these groups whilst delivering significant progress on our wider equality and human rights ambitions – particularly in relation to advancing equality and human rights for women, disabled people and minority ethnic people.

The Scottish Government meet regularly with representatives of local government in order to progress shared priorities which tackle poverty. This includes in relation to delivery of employment support through our No One Left Behind approach, which is tailored to the needs of people from a minority ethnic background, delivery of more affordable homes, tackling child poverty and delivery of the wide ranging action set out in our refreshed Fair Work Action Plan.

The Scottish Government also meet regularly with the UK Government on areas of shared interest, which are key to tackling poverty, including in relation to social security and employment.