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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: S6W-26130

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to replicating elements of the onshore wind sector deal, such as maintaining community benefit schemes and community shared ownership agreements as a condition of the sale or transfer, in other renewable technology sectors, such as battery energy storage systems.

Building on the success of our Good Practice Principles and our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme, the Onshore Wind Sector Deal represents a significant step forward in ensuring our journey to net zero benefits people across Scotland, and is part of a just transition. We are learning from these successes and will continue to work with industry to explore other avenues within our devolved powers to maximise the benefits flowing into communities.

We are also pressing the UK Government to explore mandating community benefits from onshore renewables as well as electricity transmission network infrastructure. It is critical that the UK Government continues to work with us as these proposals are developed to ensure they deliver the maximum benefits for the people of Scotland, and support our transition to a green economy in which no one is left behind.

Question reference: S6W-26043

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any local authority ceasing its funding for secondary school music tuition and relying on the funding provided by the Scottish Government following the 2021 announcement of the removal of fees to fund this service.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any local authority ceasing its funding for secondary school music tuition and relying solely on the additional funding provided by the Scottish Government. The most recent Instrumental Music Services: Results from the IMS Survey 2023 (improvementservice.org.uk) confirmed that 61,715 pupils participated in instrumental music lessons in academic year 2022-23, the highest number since the annual survey began 11 years ago.

The policy of free instrumental tuition has now firmly been established across all Local Authority Music Services. The Scottish Government continues to support local authorities to deliver free instrumental music tuition in schools, with £12 million allocated this financial year alone. The purpose of this funding is to enhance the instrumental music tuition offer that is provided through Local Authority budgets.

Question reference: S6W-26041

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether a reduction in the provision of secondary school music tuition would breach the 2021 arrangement to remove fees from such provision.

There is no evidence of an overall reduction in the provision of secondary school music tuition. In fact the most recent Instrumental Music Services: Results from the IMS Survey 2023 (improvementservice.org.uk) published in December 2023 confirmed that 61,715 pupils participated in instrumental music lessons in academic year 2022-23, the highest number since the annual survey began 11 years ago.

The policy of free instrumental tuition has now been firmly established across all Local Authority Music Services. The Scottish Government continues to support local authorities to deliver free instrumental music tuition in schools, removing financial barriers to learning an instrument.

Question reference: S6W-26093

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review Creative Scotland's processes for awarding funds to independent arts projects.

As the national arts development body, Creative Scotland operate at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.

As per the legislation, this means that neither Scottish Government nor Scottish Ministers have a role in funding processes and decisions made by Creative Scotland for individual projects. Creative Scotland are rapidly reviewing their funding allocation to Rein as they have been clear that what has been reported simply does not meet what the funding was applied for.

I look forward to Creative Scotland sharing its conclusions with the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S6W-26100

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on delivering on the recommendations of the City Centre Recovery Taskforce.

Question reference: S6W-26071

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24181 by Neil Gray on 16 January 2024, how many jobs it anticipates will be created as part of the £500 million commitment to offshore wind supply chains.

Offshore wind was highlighted by the First Minister’s Investor Panel as the single most important opportunity for attracting capital to Scotland and raising Scotland’s wider investment profile. Our up to £500m strategic investment will stimulate and support private investment in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to the growth of our world-leading offshore wind sector. It is key to unlocking the commitment made by ScotWind developers to invest an average projection of £1.5bn into Scotland per project.

We will ensure we invest this capital in the projects that are going to help us deliver our priorities and bring maximum economic impact – supporting market certainty, helping to create a highly productive, competitive economy, providing thousands of new jobs, embedding innovation and boosting skills.

It is widely accepted that offshore wind represents a significant opportunity to create thousands of good Scottish jobs. Based on the evidence available and assumptions made in individual studies, a range of economic impact from offshore wind deployment in Scottish Waters could be set at 10,400 jobs – 54,000 jobs.

We also want to ensure a just transition that takes our existing skilled workforce and supply chain with us. We will drive forward offshore wind skills development – working with stakeholders to focus on the opportunities for diversification and skills transfer from our oil and gas sector, in line with our commitment to a Just Transition.

Question reference: S6W-26042

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the funding to remove fees from secondary school music tuition, which was announced in 2021, whether it engages with local authorities on the level of music tuition that they provide, and, if so, whether it is aware of any reduction in provision since 2021.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Local Authority Heads of Instrumental Music, COSLA and the Improvement Service to support and monitor the ongoing delivery of free instrumental music tuition.

The annual Instrumental Music Services: Results from the IMS Survey 2023 (improvementservice.org.uk) undertaken by the Improvement Service and most recently published in December 2023 confirmed that 61,715 pupils participated in instrumental music lessons in academic year 2022-23, the highest number since the annual survey began 11 years ago.

Question reference: S6W-26005

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the next meeting of the Orkney Ferries Replacement Task Force will take place.

Question reference: S6W-26079

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the innovation scorecard, which is part of its National Innovation Strategy, will be published.

The National Innovation Strategy included an action to publish an annual innovation scorecard. These key metrics will enable us to track our progress towards becoming one of the most innovative small nations over the next decade.

The framework for the scorecard, showing current performance, was published as part of the Strategy document in June 2023. The next iteration of the scorecard will be published later this year, when the full set of latest statistics and indicators become available.

Question reference: S6T-01878

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the cost and impact of the transfer of HMP Kilmarnock into public ownership.