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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-13766

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay the remaining regulations to allow for section 50 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, prohibiting pavement parking, to be commenced.

Transport Scotland is continuing to consult with Local Authorities and others to develop both the secondary legislation required to allow them to enforce the National pavement parking prohibition as well as the Parking Standards Guidance which will underpin the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

The first of the associated regulations, which sets out the Exemption Order Procedures which local authorities must follow, was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 16 November and came into force on 9 December 2022.

My officials continue to work on the other secondary legislation which is required during the course of this year. These further regulations will ensure Local Authorities have all of the necessary tools to enforce the pavement parking prohibitions from late 2023 onwards.

Question reference: S6W-13781

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 which sources are informing its evaluation of minimum unit pricing in Scotland.

We are currently in the process of evaluating minimum unit pricing (MUP) as a whole over its first five years of operation. Public Health Scotland will be producing a final report on MUP in 2023, which includes assessing the impact of MUP on health, crime, public safety and public nuisance in Scotland, and the impact on the alcohol industry. This will inform our evaluation report which will be laid in Parliament and published in 2023. In addition we will engage with a range of interested parties as set out in Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012.

Question reference: S6W-13760

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 were prior to 25 December 2022.

Social Security Scotland routinely releases information on Scottish Child Payment including full applications received, application outcomes and payments.

The next quarterly release of Official Statistics, covering the period to the end of December 2022, is due to be published on 28 February 2023 and will include the total number of payments made to clients each month, and the number of children actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment as of the end of December 2022.

As part of data improvement, development is currently underway to include additional child age breakdowns in the future editions of the Scottish Child Payment statistics publication.

Question reference: S6W-13757

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Dorothy Bain on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will publish its annual report on the Victims’ Right to Review scheme for 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-13776

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 when it will publish the analysis of responses to the consultation, Scotland's social security system: Enhanced Administration and Compensation Recovery.

The consultation, Scotland's social security system: Enhanced Administration and Compensation Recovery, sought views on proposals to effect ongoing improvement of the Scottish social security system across a range of topics. Taken together, the proposals reflect the Scottish social security principles, unanimously endorsed by the Parliament, on seeking opportunities for continuous improvement in ways which put the needs of clients first, and delivering efficient systems and value for money.

The Scottish Government intends to publish the analysis of responses to the consultation before the Parliament’s Spring Recess.

Question reference: S6W-13783

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 when it expects Public Health Scotland to publish its final report on minimum unit pricing.

Question reference: S6W-13953

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-13474 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, how much it is spending on the development of a mobile-friendly IPC practice support app for social care workers based on the IPC pocketbook.

Question reference: S6W-13623

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christine Grahame on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider allowing members of the public to request to have a loved one's 100th birthday recognised through a greetings card sent on behalf of the Scottish Parliament in situations where the recipient's contribution to Scottish public life is considered significant.

Question reference: S6W-13858

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South 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 what it has done to develop support for spouses and partners of people in the Armed Forces who are seeking employment or training in Scotland.

No One Left behind and Fair Start Scotland are integral parts of the employability support landscape in Scotland and aim to support individuals, including veterans and their partners, to overcome barriers through person-centred tailored support, enabling them to access and sustain fair employment.

No One Left Behind supports those transitioning out of military service, to deliver local place based approach to facilitate easier alignment of employability support with existing local level support services including housing, health, justice and advice services to ensure that individuals can access the holistic packages of support that they need to move towards, into and to sustain employment.

Fair Start Scotland, our national employment support service, offers 12 to 18 months of tailored, person-centred pre-employment support, along with up to 12 months of in-work support available for individuals and their employers. Support includes access to workshops and guidance utilising the transferrable skills that people leave military services with.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) the Scottish Government’s skills agency, also work closely with the Service Families Federations in Scotland. Recently, they commenced a new delivery model at the Drumfork Community Centre aimed at spouses and partners within the naval community in Helensburgh and the surrounding area. Prior to the pandemic, SDS engaged with spouses and partners in Inverness and have also re-engaged with the Fijian community, which includes a number of armed forces spouses and partners.

The Scottish Government continues to offer work placements and Fixed Term Appointments to veterans and the partners/spouses of veterans and Serving personnel through the Going Forward Into Employment (GFIE) programme. This programme is ongoing with plans to identify more vacancies and match these to suitable veterans, their partners or partners of currently serving personnel.

Furthermore, an updated version of Welcome to Scotland was published in April 2022 following extensive consultation with Military, third sector and public sector organisations to ensure that the guide is both up to date and contains the most important information for Service personnel and their families ahead of relocation to Scotland or those returning to Scotland after leaving the Armed Forces.

Question reference: S6W-13790

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the reporting mechanisms put in place by local authorities for members of the public to complain about potholes and other damage to roads, and whether it will consider introducing a national standard whereby all local authority areas adopt the same methods for the reporting of road defects.

The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places statutory responsibility for local roads, including the procedure for reporting road defects/damage on local authorities. As such it is the responsibility of the local authority to determine how best to meet its duties on local roads in their respective areas, including how the public report issues, and no formal guidance is issued on this matter.

SCOTS (the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland) – www.scotsnet.org , are responsible for implementing new materials and best practice on local road maintenance.