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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-05617

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04648 by Shirly-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2021, which age groups of school pupils will be eligible to receive milk under the new scheme.

Question reference: S6W-05541

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which cabinet secretaries do not respond to correspondence from MSPs but instead delegate this to officials.

Correspondence from MSPs is routinely answered by Scottish Government Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers. The Health and Social Care portfolio has experienced a huge and unprecedented increase in correspondence over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order for MSPs to receive timely responses, much of the correspondence previously signed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport is being reviewed on their behalf by Scottish Government Deputy Directors. This remains under review and normal process will resume when volumes allow for timely responses.

Question reference: S6W-05540

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a target response time for correspondence to ministers, and whether this is monitored.

Question reference: S6W-05616

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04648 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2021, whether milk will be provided free of charge to pupils under the new scheme, or whether it will be subsidised by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-05649

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector tenders were awarded to Amazon in the financial year 2020-21, and what the overall value of those tenders was.

Following a search of the information held on the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) portal, there have been no contracts awarded to Amazon during financial year 2020-21 by any Scottish Public buying organisation. This information is already in the public domain and available on the internet by searching www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk . The PCS portal is a national advertising website provided by the Scottish Government as a one-stop shop for suppliers to access Scottish public sector contract opportunities.

Question reference: S6W-05478

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many beds have been allocated specifically for mental health patients in each NHS board in each of the last five years.

The total number of mental health and learning disability beds within the NHS Scotland estate each of the last five years was:

Year	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Beds	4,205	4,075	3,922	-	-

*Source: Mental Health & Learning Disability Inpatient Census

The annually published Mental Health & Learning Disability Inpatient Census details the number of inpatient acute, specialist and learning disability beds within the NHS Scotland estate. The Census was not completed in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-05539

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 14 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a correspondence management system, and whether this records the number of letters received by ministers.

Question reference: S6O-00623

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Orkney and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S6O-00622

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide financial support and advice to people facing hardship and debt as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising costs of living.

We know households are facing financial pressures and have urged the UK Government to take action, particularly on spiralling energy costs. Our £41 million Winter Support Fund is helping people meet rising living costs and we also doubled the December payment of the Carer’s Allowance Supplement which supported 91,000 unpaid carers. Our Scottish Child Payment will also double in April. We are providing £7.4 million this year to support free debt advice, including additional funding for increased demand. I would also encourage people to access our new Money Support Scotland website for debt and money advice and adverts promoting the site are running now.

Question reference: S6O-00624

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support small community businesses.

The Scottish Government supports businesses of all kinds through a wide range of interventions delivered through our enterprise and skills agencies and partner organisations and values the role small community businesses.

In August 2021 we launched the £10 million Scotland Loves Local multi-year programme to support local businesses and encourage people to shop locally. We have also established a £325 million Place Based Investment Programme backed by a five year commitment over the course of the Parliament to accelerate our shared ambitions for Place, Town Centre Action, 20-Minute Neighbourhoods, Community Led Regeneration and Community Wealth Building.