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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-13951

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13505 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, what the timeline is for its project to trial the Framework in social care settings.

Question reference: S6W-13950

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13532 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, what the minimum standards developed are.

The Fair Work in Social Care Group has developed the following minimum standard terms and conditions:

Term/Condition	Proposed minimum Terms and Conditions
Sickness	Tenure within the sector is recognised for sick pay: < 1 Year. 5 weeks full, 5 weeks half pay 1 Year+ 9 weeks full, 9 weeks half pay 2 Years+ 18 weeks full, 18 weeks half pay 3Years+ 22 weeks full, 22 weeks half pay 5 Years+ 26 weeks full, 26 weeks half pay
Annual Leave	35 days; 27 holidays, 8 public On appointment: 35 days After five years: 37 days After ten years: 41 days (all including 8 public holidays)
Pensions	Contributions of 10% from the employer and 5% from the employee.
Professional Development Time	To include paid time for induction, mandatory training, and role specific training as required by regulatory bodies. To include ongoing professional development.
Maternity and Paternity	Maternity: 52 weeks, comprising; 8 weeks full pay, next 18 weeks half of full pay (plus Statutory Maternity Pay). Next 13 weeks, Statutory Maternity Pay, final 13 weeks no pay. Paternity: 2 weeks.
Core Pay (Contracted hours, overtime and overnight support)	Core pay should include contracted hours, any guaranteed overtime and overnight support payments.
Overnight Support	Sleepovers to be paid at a minimum Real Living Wage hourly rate. Waking hours paid at contractual rate with a minimum of Real Living Wage hourly rate.

Question reference: S6W-13826

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the development of an investment prospectus to support the move to a net zero energy system, as referred to in its Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which was published on 10 January 2023, when work on the prospectus is expected to (a) begin and (b) be completed.

The development of an investment prospectus, as mentioned in the Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan , originated as a recommendation from the Just Transition Commission, in its ‘Making the Future – Initial Report of the 2 nd Just Transition Commission’ report. Officials are committed to the development of the investment prospectus over the course of this Parliament, with much of the detail emerging through the process of developing our next Climate Change Plan and the Just Transition Plans.

We will be seeking to make use of the Just Transition Commission's expertise as we develop our work. The investment prospectus will also be developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including financial institutions, trade bodies, and business, ahead of the finalised Strategy and Plan.

Question reference: S6W-13879

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the scheme to equip 18,000 police officers with body-worn cameras to improve their safety will not go ahead.

In November 2022, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Resources Committee approved Police Scotland's Initial Business Case for the introduction of National Body Worn Video, ahead of consideration by the SPA Board. Once approved by the Board, Police Scotland is expected to undertake a full procurement exercise this year which will provide more clarity on costs - both upfront purchase costs and ongoing costs.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to using the resources available to support the vital work of Police Scotland in delivering effective and responsive policing across Scotland. We have invested over £11.6 billion in policing since Police Scotland was created in 2013 and we will invest a further £1.45 billion in 2023-24. Despite cuts to the Scottish Government capital budget, we have also continued to maintain the £45.5 million capital investment in the police asset base for buildings, vehicles and technology. Operational policing decisions on the introduction and use of body worn cameras and budgetary prioritisation remain matters for Police Scotland to decide, acting under the oversight of the SPA.

Question reference: S6W-13842

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scottish universities have an alternative investment option in the event that funding from international sources ends.

Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for managing their own financial positions appropriately. As independent institutions, it is vital universities continue to develop their own mitigating strategies to minimise negative impacts on their short, medium and long-term financial sustainability.

The Scottish Government along with the Scottish Funding Council continue to explore options in conjunction with the university and college sectors, to ensure institutions across the whole tertiary sector are sustainable in the longer-term.

Question reference: S6W-13843

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any overexposure of Scottish universities to investment and enrolment by Chinese students.

As independent institutions, it is vital universities continue to develop their own mitigating strategies to minimise negative impacts on their short, medium and long-term financial sustainability.

The Scottish Government along with the Scottish Funding Council, continue to explore options in conjunction with the university and colleges sectors, to ensure institutions across the whole tertiary sector are sustainable in the longer-term. To further support universities we have increased higher education resource funding by £20 million in cash terms as part of the 2023-24 Budget. This ensures that our universities continue to deliver a high standard of education for all students against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis.

Question reference: S6W-13864

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support veterans to access mental health services.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all veterans living in Scotland are able to access the best possible mental health care and support.

Scottish veterans are able to access support from the two veteran-specific mental health and wellbeing providers, Combat Stress and Veterans First Point (V1P). This year we awarded £658,000 to V1P and £1,424,090 to Combat Stress to continue to provide mental health support to veterans.

Additionally, the Scottish Government has worked in partnership with See Me , providing £50,000 to tackle stigma and promote the importance of veterans seeking help for mental health issues.

The Veterans Mental Health & Wellbeing Action Plan was published in December 2021 and the Veterans Mental Health Implementation Board has now been established to take forward the actions to improve access to mental health services for veterans.

Question reference: S6W-13875

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many drug tests for any prohibited substance have taken place in prisons (a) in 2021-22 and (b) so far in 2022-23, broken down by how many test results were (i) positive, (ii) negative and (iii) inconclusive.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following table provides the total number of drug tests conducted in each financial year, along with the results.

Year	Total Number of Tests	Positive tests	Negative tests
2021-22	4496	294	3892
2022- Jan 2023	3770	258	3185

* The reports run from 01 April to 31 March each year.

The SPS do not record data on inconclusive tests.

Question reference: S6W-13761

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many payments of the Scottish Child Payment for six- to 16-year-olds there have been since 25 December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-13782

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it still plans to report to the Parliament on its evaluation of minimum unit pricing in summer 2023.