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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: S6W-12624

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09636 by Keith Brown on 19 July 2022, whether it will provide an update on the findings of the Single Judge Trial Pilot Working Group.

Question reference: S6W-12626

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will report the findings of its consultation on improving victims' experiences of the justice system.

The independent analysis of responses to the consultation on improving victims' experiences of the justice system was published on 12 December 2022. The report can be accessed at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805253235 .

Responses to the consultation, where permission to publish them has been given, can be accessed at Improving victims' experiences of the justice system: consultation - Scottish Government - Citizen Space .

Question reference: S6W-12706

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of (a) 999 and (b) 101 calls have been abandoned or discontinued in each year since 2014.

Question reference: S6W-12585

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed in (a) 999 and (b) 101 call centres in each year since 2013.

The Scottish Government remains committed to working closely with Police Scotland to support delivery of the Joint Policing Strategy. The findings of the HMICS review of Strategic Workforce Planning, published this year showed that the focus needs to rightly be on capacity and capability.

The data requested are not held centrally by the Scottish Government as the recruitment and deployment of police officers and staff in Scotland is a matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the SPA. It is important that he has the flexibility to develop his workforce in a way that responds to the challenges he faces by ensuring the right workforce mix.

Question reference: S6W-13040

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-13089

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its refresh of the Fair Work Action Plan and the new Anti-Racist Employment Strategy.

The Fair Work Action Plan : Becoming a Leading Fair Work Nation by 2025 and the new Anti-Racist Employment Strategy – A Fairer Scotland For All , will both be published today.

It is this government’s ambition for Scotland to be a place where every person has the same opportunities to enter, sustain and progress in a safe, diverse and inclusive labour market.

Fair Work is a model for innovation and success, with many employers in Scotland already implementing fair work practices, addressing labour market inequalities, providing safe and secure working environments, and promoting inclusive workplace cultures. Through these practices, employers reap the benefits of a fairly rewarded, respected, diverse and inclusive workforce, in their performance, innovation and productivity.

Our ongoing work to reduce the Gender Pay Gap and the Disability Employment Gap is now incorporated within the refreshed Fair Work Action Plan, ensuring we better align on common issues such as pay and workers’ rights, whilst also allowing for action to be taken on discrete issues for respective protected characteristics.

The Anti-Racist Employment Strategy seeks to respond to the scale and complexity of the challenge of institutional racism, and will put anti-racism at the heart of what we do. Commitment to diversity and inclusion will not only help us to build a well-being economy, but it will also help us towards becoming a Fair Work nation, benefiting employers, workers and wider society.

Links

The Fair Work Action Plan : Becoming a Leading Fair Work Nation by 2025 - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805252870

Anti-Racist Employment Strategy – A Fairer Scotland For All - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805252887

Question reference: S6W-12523

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many times a Modern Apprenticeship contract has been terminated in line with clause (a) 22.1.2.1, (b) 22.1.2.2 and (c) 22.1.2.3, as set out under section 22, Termination for Reputational Damage, on page 25 of the Skills Development Scotland publication, Modern Apprenticeship Programme Conditions 2021-2022 (as extended to 31 March 2023).

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for the Modern Apprenticeship programme and administer funding, on behalf of the Scottish Government.

SDS have confirmed that no Modern Apprenticeship contracts have been terminated in line with clause (a) 22.1.2.1, (b) 22.1.2.2 and (c) 22.1.2.3, as set out under section 22, Termination for Reputational Damage in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme Conditions.

Question reference: S6W-13076

Asked by: Kaukab Stewart, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work to develop a purpose and principles for post-school education, research and skills development.

Today, we have published the Interim Purpose and Principles for Post-School Education, Research and Skills.

This publication sets out and seeks views on the interim Purpose and Principles and the topics that have to be explored to develop a plan for implementation that will deliver against them. This has been developed on the basis of feedback from previous research, reviews, reports and engagement, including the SFC Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability and the National Strategy for Economic Transformation , and sets out the priorities that must guide our decision making in the face of a challenging set of imperatives for reform. A stakeholder engagement plan for the next phase of work and a discussion guide to support people to hold their own sessions on the interim Purpose and Principles are also published today, which is available in Gaelic or easy read format.

Question reference: S6W-12434

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £9.036 million allocated to funding for the Primary Care Development Fund to address inequalities, including support for mental health and rural communities, which was outlined in the Scottish Government’s 2022-23 budget, has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date, broken down by expenditure.

Question reference: S6W-12645

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a timeline for NHS Forth Valley exiting Stage 4 of NHS Scotland’s National Performance Framework for Governance, Leadership and Culture.

Escalation addresses complex issues and an element of judgement will always be required. The timeline will be driven by the actions within NHS Forth Valley’s Improvement Plan and their associated timelines. My expectation was for the Improvement Plan to be developed and presented to the Assurance Board for scrutiny at its first meeting, with a focus on completing immediate actions by the end of the year.

The overall aim of escalation and the related package of scrutiny and intervention put in place is to support any NHS Board, including NHS Forth Valley, to deliver the required improvement and address the underlying issues effectively and sustainably so that they can be safely de-escalated as swiftly as possible.

The Assurance Board, which has been established to bring direct SG oversight of NHS Forth Valley’s escalation, will provide advice to the Director General about the future escalation status of NHS Forth Valley, including criteria for de-escalation.