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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-14508

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 has been allocated to the National Piping Centre in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-14159

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that digital skills are regarded as core skills for graduates who are planning to work within health and social care.

Question reference: S6W-14158

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has done with universities and colleges to prepare students for a digitally-enabled health and care environment.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, in partnership with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), has been working for a number of years to engage with universities and colleges to shape the future workforce for the digital health and care sector. This includes work with Skills Development Scotland, and the FUTUREquipped project with Scotland's colleges: FUTUREquipped | Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (dhi-scotland.com)

We will continue to collaborate with partners to identify opportunities to accelerate new entrants into health and care roles. This will involve planning a programme with schools, colleges and universities to ensure curricula prepares students for a digitally enabled health and care sector.

This complements existing work by education providers to ensure curricula prepares students in higher and further education for a modern working environment and is all part of the wider cross sector ‘Digitally-Enabled Workforce’ Programme managed and run by NHS National Education for Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government and partners.

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-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-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-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-01889

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding any impact in Scotland, to the new report by UK100, which highlights the benefits of Clean Air and Net Zero approaches.

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.