- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of people appearing before a court, who were aged between 19 and 25 years old, have cited attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as part of their defence in each of the last three years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collate data on the number of people who have cited ADHD as part of their defence.
Having ADHD would not amount to a defence in law to a criminal charge, though it might be something a defence solicitor presents in mitigation on behalf of a client with ADHD.
The information held on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Services (SCTS) live operational case management systems is structured to support the processing of court business, rather than for statistical reporting or research purposes. SCTS and their staff provide administrative support to the Scottish courts, tribunals and their judiciary and rely on information provided by justice partners to consider any adjustment that may be required to facilitate a court hearing.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full list of current board members of all public sector bodies, including their (a) daily rates, (b) number of days worked and (c) total annual remuneration.
Answer
The list of public appointments by public body, which was published on 25 March 2025, is an exhaustive list of Ministerial regulated public appointments. Ministerial regulated public appointments are those governed by the Ethical Standards Commissioner and the Code of Practice for Public Appointments (2022). The Code requires publication.
The list covers daily rate and/or total remuneration and time commitment. It is intended to be updated regularly so that it reflects recently made appointments. It was corrected on 25 March 2025 following the identification of errors.
Details added to the spreadsheet should be correct at the point of the appointment commencing. These details may change over time and become out of date. A process is underway to update the spreadsheet to ensure accuracy, including rectification of any other errors identified, and it will be re-published when complete.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many adults are currently being prescribed medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and how this figure compares with previous years.
Answer
There is currently no standard dataset covering the number of people being prescribed medication for ADHD in Scotland, and consequently the Scottish Government does not hold figures for this year or for previous years.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions have been brought for breaches of mandatory catch-and-release rules since their introduction, and how many convictions there were.
Answer
The relevant legislation in this context is the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016, which outlines the areas where the retention of salmon is prohibited, meaning catch and release is mandatory when fishing for salmon in these areas.
There were no prosecutions, where it was the main offence, under the Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016 between 2013-14 and 2022-23.
Please note: The latest available information on proceedings and convictions is for the financial year 2022-23.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted to determine the impact of careers advice services on the reported increasing number of early school leavers.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not conducted analysis to determine the impact of career advice services on the reported increase in the number of early school leavers.
We are continuing to work collaboratively with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and other partners to better understand senior phase pupils’ career decisions.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any representations to the UK Government regarding any potential consequences for the education sector in Scotland of removing bursaries and scholarships from independent school pupils.
Answer
Bursaries for independent schools are a matter for the proprietors of each institution, as each independent school is a private company. It is for the school itself to administer and provide bursaries for pupils to attend their establishment.
We continue to engage with the UK Government on this matter. My officials have been assured by the UK Government that their mailbox for school enquiries remains open. We have provided this to all Scottish independent schools, should they wish to contact them.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Fiscal Commission's projection that the number of people aged over 85 in Scotland will almost double in the next 25 years, and what implications this may have for public finances.
Answer
We welcome the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s analysis and recognise the impact that changes in Scotland’s population health and demographics could have on fiscal sustainability, and we are taking steps to mitigate this.
The Ministerial Population Taskforce is committed to delivering our Population Strategy to ensure that Scotland has a balanced population, which meets the needs of our communities, economy and public services now and into the future. This includes delivery of Scotland’s Migration Service, to support people and employers to navigate the UK immigration system and ensure that Scotland is able to be as attractive and welcoming as possible, and delivering the commitments in the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan to empower local communities to address the factors leading to population decline. We are also working with COSLA on plans to prioritise prevention and our medium-term approach to health and social care reform will be published by the summer.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is consistent with the prudent management of public finances for public body board members to earn more per day than some public sector workers earn in a week.
Answer
Where Ministers have agreed that an appointee should be remunerated, the Daily Fee Framework for Chairs, Board Members and Public Appointments must be used to determine the appropriate Daily Fee. The framework does not mandate that a fee be paid.
It is open to the Sponsor Team to decide whether a payment need be made. Remuneration may be proposed where it is particularly important to have representation from as wide and diverse a range of candidates as possible, or where there is specific need for appointees to be drawn from otherwise under-represented groups.
Any remuneration payable is not intended to meet the market rate that could be commanded by the individuals concerned.
The relevant Scottish Government approval must be obtained prior to implementing any daily fee and prior to advertising, negotiating a remuneration package or confirmation of appointment.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when the Glasgow Central Station low-level refurbishment works will commence.
Answer
My officials confirmed with Network Rail that, taking account of available budgets, the refurbishment of Glasgow Central low-level platforms 16 and 17 will not take place in Railway funding Control Period 7 (CP7), which spans 2024-29. Network Rail will be responsible for determining when and if these renewals works take place, at a date beyond 2029.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether gene-edited crops offer a more sustainable and resilient approach to food production, in light of reported climate and disease pressures.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 2025. 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.