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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-10195

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Scottish Ministers have ever had meetings with Uber and, if this is the case, what the purpose of any such meetings was, whether any notes were taken at the meetings, and, if this is the case, whether it will place copies of any such notes in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Question reference: S6W-10262

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last updated the HOSFGN/002: Property Thresholds Guidance for the Home Owners' Support Fund.

Question reference: S6W-09385

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been carried out through the National Improvement Framework regarding the allocation of money from pupil equity funding to Police Scotland for police officers in schools.

This information does not fall within the scope of data gathered through the National Improvement Framework. The 11 key NIF measures assess progress towards closing the attainment gap using indicators from pre-school to school leavers. These are supplemented by 15 sub-measures that reflect the key stages of the learner journey and the breadth of issues that can impact on attainment. Together these provide a wide range of measures covering school leaver attainment and literacy and numeracy but also other, broader, measures such as health and wellbeing, school attendance rates and school leaver destinations.

Question reference: S6W-10465

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging public collections to consider returning cultural artefacts that were stolen during colonial times.

The Scottish Government encourages our public collections to consider the method of acquisition of all objects in their care, the vast majority of which were obtained ethically and legally.

Any consideration of returning cultural artefacts would initially be a decision for the relevant Board of Trustees. However Scottish Government officials engage in ongoing discussions with the museums sector, and will continue to encourage open and inclusive discussion on this topic.

Question reference: S6W-10508

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any planning or research regarding a reduction in the devolved civil service headcount in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken specific planning or research regarding a reduction in the devolved civil service headcount in Scotland.

The Scottish Government regularly reviews its workforce numbers to ensure affordability, and that the organisation is delivering for the people of Scotland as efficiently and effectively as possible. The organisation's focus is on aligning its workforce plans with the outcome of the Resource Spending Review, and contributing to achieving the broad aim set out within the Resource Spending Review, to return the total size of the devolved public sector workforce to around pre-COVID-19 levels by 2026-27. This will be achieved through effective vacancy and recruitment management, working in partnership with the Council of Scottish Government Unions.

The RSR sets out how the wider decrease in the public sector workforce will not be achieved via a uniform approach due to varying trends in demand for different services and the recovery of services from COVID-19.

Question reference: S6W-10505

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many acres of Scotland’s land are currently in community ownership.

The area of land in community ownership was estimated to be 191,261 hectares as of 31 December 2020. This figure has been taken from the Official Statistics publication Community Ownership in Scotland 2020 which is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/community-ownership-scotland-2020/ . The next update to this publication will be published 27 September 2022 and will include information on any further assets brought into community ownership up to
‎ 31 December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-10491

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought assistance from the British Army in order to assist Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-10628

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when 4G masts in Rackwick and Stronsay in Orkney, as part of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme, will go live.

Construction of the masts at Rackwick and Stronsay is complete. Both masts are being developed in collaboration with the Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN). 4G service will, ultimately, be provided on these sites by mobile network operator EE. To move these sites to activation requires the Home Office to execute a Change Request as part of their ESN programme. The Scottish Government is aware of a substantial delay in the Home Office enacting this Change Request which is preventing these masts from moving to service activation.

All efforts are being made by the Scottish Government to expedite this issue which, once resolved, will enable a number of masts including Rackwick and Stronsay proceed to activation.

Question reference: S6W-10335

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of wool produced in Scotland is used in (a) Scottish and (b) other UK textile manufacturing.

Question reference: S6W-10369

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that dental nurses, working in practices with NHS contracts, have the same terms and conditions as other NHS employees, including pension entitlements.