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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-25620

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the potential issues arising from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system in Scotland, whether it will publish any correspondence that it has had with the UK Government, including any related documents, regarding the method by which the sub-postmasters and mistresses whose wrongful convictions were based on Horizon evidence will be quashed.

The First Minister's letter to the Prime Minister of 10 January was published on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-minister-letter-prime-minister-post-office-horizon-cases/

Letters I sent to the Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk MP, and the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business, Kevin Hollinrake MP and the letter which the Deputy First Minister sent to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations concerning legislation to reverse convictions that may have resulted from the use of Post Office Horizon evidence are available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/post-office-horizon/letters-to-uk-government.

It is for the UK Government to decide whether to publish letters sent with an expectation of confidence by UK Ministers to the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S6W-25623

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will update the Parliament on any progress being made in relation to the exoneration of sub-postmasters and mistresses whose wrongful convictions in Scotland were based on evidence from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system.

Question reference: S6W-25951

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reallocate the funding earmarked for freezing Council Tax in (a) Inverclyde and (b) Argyll and Bute to other local authorities or public services, in light of reports of these councils not agreeing to the proposed freeze.

Question reference: S6W-25932

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to monitor and enforce the conditions set by its Reporter regarding the planned construction of Comsol Energy's solar farm on the Isle of Cumbrae.

Enforcement of planning control is a matter for the planning authority, in this case North Ayrshire Council. There are a wide range of enforcement powers in planning legislation and planning authorities have discretion to determine what power, or combination of powers, to use in any particular situation.

In this case the reporter accepted the proposed planning conditions suggested by the council with minor alterations.

Question reference: S6W-25981

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the Town Centre Action Plan.

The Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP) sets out our shared ambition for the future of town centres and is a call to action for partners, both locally and nationally, to re-build, re-energise and re-imagine our towns. This is a joint endeavour with responsibilities shared across the sectors.

We continue to take forward actions that we have direct responsibility for, working closely with cross-sector partners to support the delivery of TCAP. In collaboration with Scotland’s Towns Partnership, progress towards town centre regeneration has been showcased via a number of forums, including recent workshops on town centre living, place-based investment and the annual Scotland’s Towns conference.

Support for town centre action is also backed by our multiple capital investment programmes, including the Place Based Investment Programme, Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, all of which help to accelerate shared ambitions for town centre action. However, following the UK Government's Autumn Statement and Spring Budget, a reduction in our capital budget will adversely impact the support that we can provide in 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-25984

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on rural GP training of the reported decision by NHS Education for Scotland to withdraw funding for face-to-face GP Educator Supervisors’ workshops and conferences in the north of Scotland.

In November 2023, the NHS Scotland Chief Executive wrote to all Health Boards, requesting that they review their financial forecast for the remainder of the 2023-24 financial year and minimise any discretionary spend.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) play a critical role in supporting the education, training and wider development of the NHS Scotland workforce and is responsible for ensuring best use of available resources to support delivery of services and strategic objectives.

NES will continue to provide training and education, taking a flexible approach to its delivery across Scotland, while ensuring quality is maintained.

Question reference: S6W-25945

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will introduce its proposed Land Reform Bill to the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-25567

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any prisons in the female estate of the Scottish Prison Service where a transgender woman will not be held in custody, irrespective of the individual circumstances of that prisoner.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

By adopting a person-centred approach, SPS aims to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone in our care.

The placing of transgender individuals is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the persons individual circumstances, including an assessment of individual risk and need.

No transgender woman with violence against women and girls’ markers who presents a risk to women and girls will be admitted to or placed in the women’s estate.

Question reference: S6W-25568

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any prisons in the male estate of the Scottish Prison Service where a transgender man will not be held in custody, irrespective of the individual circumstances of that prisoner.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25567 on 15 March 2024. 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-25569

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 15 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners who are currently being held in custody have a Gender Recognition Certificate, broken down by prison.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

As defined in the Gender Recognition Act 2004, SPS cannot legally ask an individual to declare a Gender Recognition Certificate, however, SPS will record this information when an individual in our care choses to share this with us. At present, there are less than 5 individuals in custody who have chosen to share this information with SPS.