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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.

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Question reference: S6F-04026

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04025

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04036

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of the reported high demand for neurodevelopmental assessment services, when the Scottish Government plans to publish the report on the work that it funded on the five “tests of change” across Scotland, which concluded in March 2024.

Question reference: S6W-36580

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many in-person visits have been undertaken by health visitors in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-36584

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been in (i) red and (ii) amber warning levels for potential violence from pupils in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-36487

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported claims that schools are being discouraged from excluding violent pupils, and whether this reflects official policy.

Question reference: S6W-36164

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it has engaged with the construction sector in East Ayrshire to determine the demand for roof slating and tiling apprenticeship opportunities in the area, in light of reports that the National Federation of Roofing Contractors was unable to get a course re-established at Ayrshire College because it did not meet the requirement set out in the final report of the Skills Delivery Landscape Review, Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation, that “to use resources to best effect, and to ensure funding and provision can be aligned to need (not just demand), then there must be a clear articulation of the areas that are a national priority”.

Skills Development Scotland has operational responsibility for delivery of apprenticeships in Scotland, including assessment of demand. There are currently 3 different pathways linked to the roofing sector (embedded within Modern Apprenticeship Construction frameworks).

Ayrshire college, as with all of Scotland’s colleges, is responsible for its own course provision and operational decisions. Scotland’s colleges work with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to ensure that education provision meets local and regional requirements. SFC has delivered on various asks from the college sector to help invest funds more effectively, including giving colleges a more flexible way to invest in vital changes to curriculums so they can meet local and national skills needs.

The Scottish Government funding for apprenticeships prioritises Construction frameworks. The construction and related occupational grouping accounted for the highest number of Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts and MAs in training in 2023-24. MA allocations are also informed by consultation with employers through demand statements from Sector Skills Organisations and bodies, Industry Leadership Groups, Skills Investment Plans, and Regional Skills Assessments.

Question reference: S6W-36163

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that apprentices have equitable access to learning opportunities, and what its response is to reports that some roofing apprentices in East Ayrshire have a two-hour journey to and from college for training.

We are committed to ensuring that apprentices have equitable access to learning opportunities regardless of their background or circumstances. This commitment is reflected through various policies and initiatives aimed at promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

Recognising the challenges apprentices in remote and rural areas face, the government remains committed to working with training providers, employers and local authorities to improve accessibility. While apprentices in East Ayrshire do not qualify for the rural uplift supplement, we acknowledge that travel costs can be a barrier for young people. To support them we continue to offer free bus travel for those under 22 years of age, to encourage the early adoption of bus travel and to expand access to social, education and employment opportunities, including apprenticeships.

Question reference: S6W-36486

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out on whether there is a link between the reported fall in pupil suspensions and the rise in the number of teachers being assaulted.

Information on assaults on teachers is not held centrally as, under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education is the responsibility of local authorities.

The biennial Attendance, Absence and Exclusions data collection gathers data on the number and reasons recorded for temporary or permanent exclusions from schools. These data show that there were 1,281 cases of exclusion (temporary or permanent) from publicly funded schools in Scotland during 2022-23 where the reason recorded was either ‘physical assault using improvised weapon against staff’, ‘physical assault using weapon against staff’ or ‘physical assault with no weapon against staff’.

Question reference: S6W-36494

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Independent
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 28 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to increase the uptake of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, in light of recently reported local health warnings.

The Scottish Government is unaware of any particular concerns regarding uptake of abdominal aortic aneurysm screening in NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The social media posts reported in the press were routine reminders posted by NHS Ayrshire and Arran as part of a targeted campaign to raise awareness of all national screening programmes.

The latest Public Health Scotland report shows that 83.5% of men in Ayrshire and Arran attended abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening by the age of 66 years and 3 months for 2023/24. This exceeds the acceptable standard of 75%, and the national average of 77.3%. In addition, uptake was above the acceptable standard for men in all of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles.