- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 11 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government in what ways it monitors the effectiveness of how (a) CalMac and (b) NorthLink engage with island communities regarding timetabling changes.
Answer
The timetable process is embedded and set out in both (a) Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) and (b) Northern Isles Ferry Service (NIFS) contracts and is monitored through the management of these contracts by my officials in Transport Scotland.
Both operators should engage directly with community groups on timetable issues.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many property factor enforcement orders have been issued by the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer
This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected annual spending on active travel is for each of the next five years.
Answer
Full details of active travel funding for the next five years has not yet been agreed and will form part of the annual Scottish Government’s Budget process. The Active Travel budget for 2022-23 increased by £35 million to £150 million and the Bute House Agreement committed to increase the proportion of Transport Scotland’s budget spent on Active Travel initiatives so that by 2024-25 at least £320 million or 10% of the total transport budget will be allocated to active travel.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on active travel in each of the past five years.
Answer
The following table provides the information on how much was spent on active travel in each of the past five financial years:
Financial Year | Total Active Travel Budget (in millions) |
2021-22 | £114.8 |
2020-21 | £98.9 |
2019-20 | £80.7 |
2018-19 | £80.0 |
2017-18 | £39.2 |
Total | £413.6 |
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06245 by Patrick Harvie on 23 February 2022, whether it will provide an update on how many free bikes have been given to school pupils since May 2021.
Answer
The total number of bikes issued to date is 2857. The bikes include adapted and non-standard bikes to cater for a range of needs.
In addition, fleet bikes delivered by Sustrans Scotland to participating schools, but not given to any individual child, have been used 4448 times.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £120 million allocated to the Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund in its 2022-23 budget has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date, broken down by expenditure.
Answer
As set out in the Emergency Budget Review (EBR), published on 2 November, the Scottish Government’s mental health programme budget has been revised to £252 million. This has resulted in revisions to this year’s Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund budget line, which now stands at £104,754,000.
Actual expenditure will not be available until after the end of the financial year.
Following the EBR publication, we are engaging with those organisations which have been incurring spend in order to formally confirm the remainder of the 2022-23 funding allocations.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09382 by Humza Yousaf on 13 July 2022, whether it will provide an update on the latest figures for 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service reports that in 2022, 46888 call-outs have alcohol mentioned as a possible factor by ambulance crews when completing an electronic patient record. The Scottish Ambulance Service does not specifically record alcohol-related incidents.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated illiteracy level among prisoners, as a proportion of the total prison population, was in (a) 2011, (b) 2016 and (c) 2021, broken down by sex.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
The Scottish Prison Service does not record this information.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any plans to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.
Answer
Plans for the Coronation of The Monarch are traditionally led by the Royal Household. Any consideration of planning in Scotland cannot be made public until the Royal Household share their intentions.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its staff, including any indirectly employed staff, such as agency workers or contractors, are earning (a) the real Living Wage or (b) less than the real Living Wage.
Answer
All of the employees of the Scottish Government earn above the real Living Wage, with the minimum full-time salary on our pay scales being £22,182 (£11.48 per hour).
For indirectly employed staff, agency workers doing the same grade of work as Scottish Government employees receive the same rates of pay as Scottish Government employees under our pay parity rules, and so are also earning above the real Living Wage as a minimum.
As a condition of Scottish Government procurement terms, employees of contractors working in Scottish Government buildings are paid the real Living Wage and the recent increase to the real Living Wage will be paid with effect from 1 November 2022.