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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.

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Question reference: S6O-01635

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Age Scotland's report, Keeping the Doors Open.

Question reference: S6W-12509

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recruitment of a permanent chair of the board of Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow).

The Scottish Government is pleased to announce that as of 1 December 2022 Andrew Miller will be appointed as the new Chair of the Board FMPG.

Andrew brings a wealth of experience from previous senior positions, including Chair of the Board of Prestwick Airport, and is clear on the strategic and commercial issues for the yard. I am confident his experience will help to deliver Ministerial priorities.

Question reference: S6W-12106

Asked by: Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the repatriation of funding from the Dick Bequest, which was reportedly gained through slavery in Jamaica and is used to fund educational projects in Aberdeenshire.

The Scottish Government does not have the legal power to direct charitable activity. That is a decision for the charity’s trustees, taking advice as appropriate, including from OSCR, and accordingly the Scottish Government is unable to intervene in this matter.

This government is clear that we must never ignore or seek to hide the difficult aspects of our country’s history and we acknowledge Scotland's complex past, including our involvement in the slave trade.

The working group, “Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums: Addressing our Colonial Legacy” has made recommendations about how best to manage, present and protect elements of our contested or hidden heritage. We are carefully considering our response to these recommendations and will be meeting with its members and Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) to discuss the best ways to take this work forward. As an initial step the Scottish Government has provided £68,000 to MGS, as the museums development body in Scotland, so they can begin to support the sector to address these recommendations.

The Race Equality and Anti-Racism in Education Programme is considering how to embed anti-racism in education, including curriculum reform to ensure our historic past is accurately reflected.

Question reference: S6W-11888

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, from the implementation date of the proposed change that will enable parents to access automatic deferral funding for early learning and childcare for four-year-olds, what data it expects to receive from local authorities regarding the number of four-year-olds for whom parents have accessed such automatic deferral funding.

There will be an Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) census in September 2023 which, as in previous years, will collect information on the number of deferrals but not on the age of the children. The new individual level child census, due to take place for the first time in May 2024, will collect data on children registered for funded ELC, including the date of birth of the child. At that point it will be possible to identify how many children registered for funded ELC were eligible under the change in legislation on deferrals. Some local authorities already provide funded ELC for deferred children regardless of the child’s birthday, so we will not be able to identify if these children would have been registered for funded ELC if the legislation was not changed.

Question reference: S6W-12120

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the impact of the Deposit Return Scheme on delivery of the Carbon Neutral Islands Project.

Question reference: S6W-12194

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what further clarity it has provided regarding the New Build Heat Standard and potential ban on building new homes with gas boilers from 2024.

We recently completed our second consultation on the New Build Heat Standard , which sets out our proposals for regulating direct emissions heating systems within new buildings, applying for a building warrant, from 1 April 2024.

An independent analysis of the responses received to the consultation is now underway, and this will inform the development of regulations prior to their laying in Parliament in Spring 2023.

Question reference: S6W-12209

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the 433 properties that have been added to the R100 programme in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-12159

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to ensure that students from Scotland who wish to study at Scottish universities are able to do so.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of higher education and this is why we have protected free tuition for Scottish-domiciled students.

International students and those from other parts of the UK are not eligible to access the funded places which have been protected for eligible Scottish domiciled students.

We remain absolutely committed to the principle that access to education should be based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay. By 2030, we want 20% of students entering university to be from Scotland's 20% most deprived backgrounds. HESA figures show we have a record high 16.7% of full-time first degree entrants to university coming from the 20% most deprived areas of Scotland in 2020-21, exceeding the interim target of 16% by 2021.

There are also record numbers of young people securing places in the current UCAS cycle. The number of 18-year-old Scots that have secured a university place (as of 15 September 2022) is up 20% since 2019, the last year there were exams. Overall, Scottish domiciled acceptances through UCAS to Scottish providers is up 5% since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-12012

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what COVID-19 mitigation measures will continue in health and social care settings until the end of the current financial year, and what the estimated cost is of these.

Health and Social care settings are expected to follow the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual when caring for individuals who have been diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19.

Guidance on infection control measures across health and social care settings is determined by, and kept under constant review in light of, new and emerging evidence. While reduced prevalence of the virus and hospitalisation rates has resulted in an easing of the previous infection and prevention control (IPC) measures, and a consequent reduction in costs, various mitigations remain in place.

These includeongoing symptomatic testing for staff working in face-to-face roles with patients and service users in health and social care settings and extended use of face masks and face coverings in hospitals, primary care and wider community healthcare. As well as ongoing support measures including the Social Care Staff Support Fund (supporting staff whilst they self-isolate), financial support arrangements relating to testing in care homes and staff vaccinations, and PPE Hubs remaining available in case of emergency PPE being required and for unpaid carers and personal assistants.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS Boards and Integration Authorities to manage Covid expenditure within the 2022-23 budget and is considering the on-going cost of measures as part of the 2023-24 budget process.

Question reference: S6W-12006

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that the detection and management of the psychological consequences of stroke are seen as a priority by NHS boards.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) Lead conducts an annual review process on behalf of the Scottish Government, meeting all NHS boards to appraise their provision of stroke services and create a local action plan to improve performance where needed. Annual reviews of NHS boards’ stroke services will now include a requirement to demonstrate adequate provision of psychological support, including detection and treatment of the psychological consequences of stroke and evidence of a clear referral pathway for accessing psychological services.