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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-02222

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to help ensure that asylum seekers in Scotland are provided with appropriate accommodation by private providers and local authorities, in light of the decision by Mears to end its use of hotel accommodation.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation to people who require it while awaiting the outcome of their asylum application. The Scottish Government has no control of asylum accommodation and support.

The Home Office procures asylum accommodation through private sector contracts. Mears Group are the current contract holder in Scotland.

While recognising that hotels have enabled people to be accommodated during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been clear that hotel accommodation for people seeking asylum is not acceptable as general practice or as long term accommodation. People seeking asylum should be provided with accommodation that is suitable for their needs and is based in communities to enable integration from day one of arrival. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Home Office, Mears Group, Glasgow City Council, COSLA and third sector support organisations in Glasgow on matters relating to asylum accommodation, support and integration.

Question reference: S6W-02607

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it plans to provide to help social enterprises.

The Scottish Government’s Social Enterprise Strategy was launched in 2016 and sets out a wide-ranging, ambitious and long-term programme to develop the potential of Scotland's social enterprise sector.

The latest Social Enterprise Action Plan was published on 24 March 2021 and covers the period 2021-24 and is available at: Social enterprise: action plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

To deliver the plan, we will spend over £5 million this financial year supporting Social Enterprises across the country. Some of the projects we have committed to support over the next three years include:

Doubling our funding for Social Enterprise in Schools to almost £2m to ensure that by 2024 every school child will have the opportunity to engage with a social enterprise project in their school career, introducing the benefits of the social enterprise model to young people across Scotland.
Investing an additional £1.5m to build on the successful programme of support offered through Adapt and Thrive which helps community organisations wanting to diversify their income streams.
Investing £1.5 million to create a clear pipeline for social enterprises from conception to the international market, with a focus on ethical opportunities in emerging markets such as Africa and South East Asia.

Question reference: S6W-02626

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to former residents of Hong Kong who have moved to Scotland under the UK Government's British National (overseas) visa.

Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities, including those from Hong Kong. We recognise the positive contribution of people who choose to make Scotland their home. They are assets to our society and communities: sharing their culture, building businesses, working in our public services, volunteering their skills and making friendships. We have recently published a British National (Overseas) Welcome Pack to support people in their integration into our communities.

The Chinese Government’s decision to implement the National Security Law in Hong Kong is of deep concern to the Scottish Government. This action seriously undermines the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, which guarantees Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, and will irreversibly diminish the rights and freedoms of its people.

We support the UK Government’s commitment to providing a bespoke pathway to citizenship for British National (Overseas) citizens from Hong Kong and their dependants and we welcome those who have chosen to move to Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02594

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to assist NHS boards to support patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Question reference: S6W-02527

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been on a waiting list for pulmonary rehabilitation in each quarter since Q1 in 2018-19, broken down by NHS board.

The information requested is not held centrally. Statistics on patients waiting for pulmonary rehabilitation are not held by Public Health Scotland (PHS). Waiting times statistics relating to specific conditions a patient is waiting to be seen for are not held centrally.

Statistics relating to the waits patients experience for new outpatient appointments and inpatient or day case admission at specialty level are published up to 30 June 2021 using the link https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-31-august-2021/ .

Question reference: S6T-00151

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is in discussions with the UK Government regarding its decision to terminate its supply agreement with Valneva for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001.

Question reference: S6T-00146

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement by the UK Government not to proceed with plans to introduce vaccine passports.

Question reference: S6F-00261

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2021

To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the preparations for COP26.

Question reference: S6F-00256

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to analysis by HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland suggesting that the Crown Office is masking the time taken to decide on criminal prosecutions.

Question reference: S6F-00255

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 September 2021

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will support the Scottish Ambulance Service in coping with reports of unprecedented pressure that is resulting in significant increases to waiting times.