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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-14513

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding was distributed by the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-14770

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the High Level Output Specification and Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 7, and how these align with the wider objectives for Scotland’s Railway.

Transport Scotland has published both the Scottish Ministers’ High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and the Statement of Funds Available (SoFA).

The HLOS, funded by the SoFA, continues the Scottish Government’s record investment in Scotland’s Railway. This investment is focused on Scottish priorities for Scotland’s Railway and will fund delivery of a safe, efficient and high performing railway.

To make best use of the £4.2 billion SoFA funding, the successful delivery of the requirements in the HLOS will require Network Rail to cooperate with a whole rail industry approach, aligned with and focussed upon the delivery of the strategic priorities of Scotland’s Ministers to take climate action and to connect communities sustainably. In particular this investment will attract more passengers and freight customers to Scotland’s Railway as an essential part of decarbonisation plans, and will increase expenditure on the weather resilience of Scotland’s railway infrastructure.

Copies of the HLOS and SoFA are available on the Transport Scotland website here:

Transport Scotland's Rail Policy and Strategy

Question reference: S6W-14455

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09908 by George Adam on 26 July 2022, whether the Cabinet plans to meet in the Highlands and Islands region in 2023, and, if so, whether it will provide details of the locations of any such meetings.

Question reference: S6W-14520

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the introduction of student loans for people undertaking PhD study, similar to those introduced in other parts of the UK.

The Scottish Government does not have any immediate plans to directly fund PhD students through the introduction of student loans.

We do however support postgraduate research by providing universities with funding to support the training of PhD students through the core research and knowledge exchange grants from the Scottish Funding Council. One of these is specifically aimed at PhD training and support: the Research Postgraduate Grant which is £36.9m in 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-14777

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Lorna Slater on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity extending Dr Colin Church’s position as chair of the independent review of the role of incineration in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, following his first report, Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury? Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, to enable him to consider options to decarbonise residual waste infrastructure in Scotland, whether it will provide an update on Dr Church’s second report.

Dr Colin Church submitted his Second Report on the Decarbonisation of Residual Waste Infrastructure in Scotland to Scottish Ministers on 16 December and we have published the Report today. The Report is available at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805254942 .

We are carefully considering the key findings and recommendations of Dr Church’s Second Report and will respond to these in March.

I would like to thank Dr Church for completing the independent review of the role of incineration in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01873

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to propose time for a debate in the Parliament on parliamentary reform.

Question reference: S6O-01883

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with the Scottish National Investment Bank and the Bank of Scotland regarding any impact of the repayment terms of the investment in Circularity Scotland in May 2022 on the timetable for the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6O-01876

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to deliver superfast broadband to 100% of premises in Scotland by 2021.

Question reference: S6O-01882

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how its budget settlement for local authorities will support the future delivery of quality public services.

Question reference: S6O-01891

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to support that it can provide for households in Scotland, what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding energy affordability.