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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-11859

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any discussions that have taken place between NHS Lanarkshire and funeral directors regarding preparations for this winter.

Question reference: S6W-11851

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with complex disabilities require the use of life-support equipment at home that depends on an energy supply, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-11665

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve outcomes for female clients of the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment scheme, in light of evidence that just 14% of female clients described their new role as higher skilled and higher responsibility than their previous role, compared to 27% of men.

We recognise the importance of improving labour market outcomes for females and we monitor the influence of PACE support through a major survey every two years. The most recent 2022 PACE Client Experience Survey report was published in September 2022,

https://www.gov.scot/collections/partnership-action-for-continuing-employment-pace/

The report shows that female clients were more likely than males to have gone straight to paid work for an employer which may suggest a desire to get a job quickly rather than hold out for a ‘better job’. Female clients were also much more likely to go into part-time work which tends to be lower-paid and require fewer skills; also fewer females than males are actively looking for jobs with greater responsibility or higher skill levels, likely to be due to these jobs not tending to be available part-time or in the sectors within which they typically work.

PACE Advisers assist female clients by helping them to break down barriers to accessing better paid work/sectors. We will seek to ensure as many females as possible access this service and if appropriate are directed to the Women Returners programme. This programme provides one-to-one bespoke support, advice and access to opportunities for women aged 25 and over who have been out of the labour market for six months or more and want to restart their career journey.

A refreshed Fair Work Action Plan, due to be published in the next few months, will refresh and take forward our commitments in our Gender Pay Gap Action Plan making explicit that addressing gender pay gaps is a key element of Fair Work.

Question reference: S6W-11661

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to support voluntary sector employees over the coming months as living costs continue to rise.

The Scottish Government values the important role of those working in Scotland’s third sector to tackle tough social issues at source. We recognise the challenges faced by the third sector in the current cost crisis and we will ensure the sector is not excluded from any financial support made available to the public or private sectors.

The Scottish Government is doing what it can with its limited powers to ensure people receive the help they need. We are already providing significant support for households to mitigate the impacts of the cost crisis. By the end of March 2023, we will have invested almost £3bn in a range of measures for households, supporting energy bills, childcare, health and travel, as well as social security payments that are either not available anywhere else in the UK or are more generous, such as the Scottish Child Payment.

The Scottish Government has developed a website as a ‘one stop shop’ to help those struggling with the cost of living crisis. The website provides information on the wide range of advice and financial support available to people to meet rising energy, housing and other costs. The new website address is http://gov.scot/costoflivingsupport

Question reference: S6W-11595

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11363 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022, whether the Caledonian Sleeper will continue to provide at least the same level of service frequency as it does at present, when it the Franchise Agreement with Serco is terminated in June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-11564

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider the decision to end the provision of free COVID-19 lateral flow test kits for vulnerable adults.

Thanks to the progress we have made with widespread vaccination and new Covid treatments, which have reduced the severe health harms of the virus, the purpose of testing has changed from population-wide testing to reduce transmission to targeted testing to support clinical care. As a result, most people in Scotland no longer need to test for Covid.

Some people do remain at higher risk – primarily people who are immunosuppressed. These people should continue to follow the advice of their GP or specialist clinician, who best know their health condition and individual circumstances. Those that have a health condition which means they’re eligible for Covid treatments can continue to access testing.

Question reference: S6W-11660

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding streams have been affected by the £53 million reduction in Employability spending announced by the Deputy First Minister in September 2022, and how many jobs would have been supported by this spending had it not been reduced.

The £53 million announced as a saving was intended to support additional employability activity around child poverty in 2022-23. At a time of acute labour shortages, historically low unemployment and soaring inflation, we have taken the view that we must prioritise money in people’s pockets now over spending on employability which is unlikely to result in immediate benefits for individuals, but this is not a decision we have taken lightly. However, this decision will not result in services people are already accessing being reduced. We have maintained our core investment in employability this year, with over £82 million available to ensure those who require support will continue to receive it.

Our commitments in Best Start Bright Futures were made over the lifetime of the plan. Whilst this decision will have an impact on the numbers we aimed to support this year, our commitment to ensuring employability plays its part in tackling child poverty remains. Employment outcomes are subject to a time lag depending on the length of time an individual requires support. In addition, our services are voluntary, demand led, and based on the principle of supporting people into the right job at the right time – low quality jobs that are quickly gained will not necessarily lead to an increase in household income and a reduction in poverty.

Question reference: S6W-11596

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11363 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022, whether operation of the Caledonian Sleeper will transfer to the operator of last resort from June 2023.

In accordance with the requirements of the Railways Act 1993 and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services.

Scottish Ministers have to work within the relevant current legislation, principally the Railways Act 1993, which neither we, nor the Scottish Parliament have powers to change.

Question reference: S6W-11593

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 October 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11363 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022, whether it expects any disruption to the Caledonian Sleeper service when the Franchise Agreement with Serco is terminated.

Question reference: S6T-00975

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that nursing staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital are routinely left in charge of up to 30 patients and are forced to conduct 5.00 am bed washes due to staff shortages.