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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-36469

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a statutory duty on universities to uphold freedom of speech, similar to that set out by the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 in England.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce legislation in relation to freedom of speech at universities, however it fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, and believes universities to be places where freedom of expression should always be promoted and fostered, but this should be done in a courteous and respectful manner.

The Scottish Government expects universities to comply with relevant legal requirements in respect of academic freedom (which is addressed in section 26 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005), and carefully consider existing Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance on freedom of expression for higher education providers in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-36482

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the right of academics and students to express gender-critical views without facing discrimination or censure.

The Scottish Government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, and believes universities to be places where freedom of expression should always be promoted and fostered, but this should be done in a courteous and respectful manner. As autonomous bodies, universities are responsible for internal institutional matters such as complaints made or disciplinary action taken against staff and students.

Question reference: S6W-36467

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many formal complaints it has received in each of the last five years relating to concerns regarding freedom of speech on university campuses.

Question reference: S6W-36468

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 12 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had discussions with (a) the Scottish Funding Council and (b) individual universities regarding any implications of the recent Office for Students’ ruling concerning the University of Sussex.

Question reference: S6W-37267

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis on the cost per person to successfully transition an individual into employment through its Parental Employability Support Fund, and, if so, what that cost was.

The Scottish Government collects and publishes statistics related to the No One Left Behind strategic approach as a totality of all funding. Therefore, no breakdowns for Parental Employability Support, including a cost per person, are available.

The most recent statistics for Scottish Government funded employability support by all parents are available at: Scotland's Devolved Employment Services statistics - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-36892

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what fiscal, economic or industrial measures it is currently undertaking to support Scottish industry, beyond any calls it may have made for the UK Government to take action.

Over the course of this Parliament, the Scottish Government has invested almost £1.7bn in our Enterprise Agencies. In 2023-24, the three agencies were able to help companies unlock over £2 billion of capital investment.

As part of our Green Industrial Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to strategic investment of up to £500 million over five years in order to leverage £1.5 billion of private investment in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to growing the offshore wind sector.

We continue to ensure that Scotland is seen as an attractive investment opportunity, and also refer you to Parliamentary Question response S6W-36526 on 29 April 2025 which offers further information.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-37263

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals were supported into employment through its No One Left Behind programme in each of the last three years, and what this figure was as a proportion of all individuals supported through the programme in each of those years.

Question reference: S6W-36888

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full cost-benefit analysis of the four-day working week pilot carried out at (a) the South of Scotland Enterprise and (b) NHS Scotland through its Agenda for Change initiative.

The aim of the four-day working week public sector pilot is to assess the environmental, health and wellbeing benefits, and efficiency gains, that a four-day working week could bring.

The pilot will conclude with a report on findings from the pilots in South of Scotland Enterprise and Accountant in Bankruptcy and assessing the costs and benefits of a shorter working week in the wider public sector.

Whilst the Scottish Government is committed to reducing the full-time working week for Agenda for Change staff working in NHS Scotland to 36 hours on 1 April 2026, there is no pilot for a 4 day week.

Question reference: S6W-37264

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals were supported into employment through its Parental Employability Support Fund in each of the last three years, and what this figure was as a proportion of all individuals supported through the programme in each of those years.

The Scottish Government collects and publishes statistics related to the No One Left Behind strategic approach including the number of participants supported into employment. This includes a range of Scottish Government funding such as the Parental Employability Support Fund.

Since February 2022, statistics have been reported by totality of all funds and as such, no breakdowns for Parental Employability Support are available.

The most recent statistics for Scottish Government funded employability support by all parents are available at: Scotland's Devolved Employment Services statistics - gov.scot.

Question reference: S6W-37194

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Council Tax (Variation for Unoccupied Dwellings) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2023 has had on housing supply in areas where an additional council tax levy is applied.