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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: S6O-03215

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what steps it is taking to address any ethnicity-related pay gap amongst SPCB staff.

Question reference: S6O-03248

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what plans it has to commission a portrait of King Charles as head of state.

Question reference: S6O-03251

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the waiting time for external stakeholder parliamentary events sponsored by MSPs.

Question reference: S6W-25988

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with the UK Government to encourage more multinational companies to invest in Scotland’s regions.

Central to the Scottish Government’s Inward Investment Plan is a commitment to ensuring all of Scotland’s regions are able to share in the economic success resulting from inward investment.

We are already working with the UK Government to stimulate growth and attract investment at a regional level through the City and Regional Growth Deals. We are investing £1.9 billion in the programme covering all regions of Scotland and working with local authorities and the UK Government to deliver on shared ambitions. We are also working in partnership with the UK Government and with the Glasgow City Region and North East Scotland Regional Economic Partnerships to get Investment Zones up and running as quickly as possible; and to ensure that the Zones have the maximum positive impact for businesses, communities and Scotland’s wider economy.

Question reference: S6W-25986

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how its New Deal for Business will encourage scientific companies to see Scotland as a positive destination in which to invest.

As part of the Scottish Government approach to growing the Scottish economy, the New Deal for Business Group will continue to support this through the implementation of its key actions to improve collaborative working between business and government that will create a mutually beneficial business environment and contribute to improvements in commercial confidence and investment, fostering a stable business environment which will increase Scotland’s attractiveness as a location for inward investment.

Scotland has a strong record in attracting inward investment and Shaping Scotland’s Economy: Inward Investment Plan (IIP) is key to supporting Scotland’s growth clusters including opportunities in emerging scientific and technological sectors.

Question reference: S6W-25985

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how its Budget for 2024-25 will create opportunities for advanced scientific industries in Scotland.

While faced with one of the most difficult financial settlements since devolution, the Scottish Government is making the most of every resource available in the Scottish Budget 2024-2025 to continue to grow and transform the economy through investment of more than £5 billion across government.

Spending is targeted at measures that will support our long-term ambitions for a wellbeing economy that is fair, green and growing. The Scottish Government and its associated agencies are committed to creating opportunities for advanced scientific industries in Scotland, helping to deliver on our ambitions in the Innovation Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-25939

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that piscivorous birds have on the wild salmon population.

Quantifying the impacts of piscivorous birds on wild salmon populations is challenging as it requires updated information on bird populations, distributions and diet, as well as information on the population dynamics processes of both the birds and fish.

Nevertheless several studies have been commissioned in order to build knowledge of the potential impact of piscivorous birds on wild salmon. Most recently a study to document the diet of fish eating birds on four Scottish rivers was conducted between 2019 and 2020. A final report on the study is available on the Scottish Government website - Bird stomach contents analysis - final report: Goosander and Cormorant diet on four Scottish rivers 2019 to 2020 - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot ).

A separate project funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund has examined acoustic tracking methods that may be useful in identifying those stretches of Scottish rivers where salmon smolt losses occur. This pilot work included a study examining the feasibility of concurrently recording movements of piscivorous birds (goosanders) using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tags. A final report on the study will be published in due course.

Question reference: S6W-25926

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many members of staff were employed by Disclosure Scotland in each year since 2012.

Question reference: S6W-25925

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many staffing vacancies are currently unfilled within Disclosure Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-25971

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether any representatives from the Scottish Government attended the World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, and, if so, who.

From Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd March Glasgow hosted the World Athletics Indoor Championships for the first time in Scotland and only the third time in the United Kingdom. A total of 586 athletes from 128 countries across all six continental areas competed in Glasgow, watched by more than 22,000 ticketed spectators from 37 countries, and the event produced two world records, five championship records, ten area records and 54 national records.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships provided yet another opportunity to further enhance Scotland's reputation not only as The Perfect Stage for hosting Major Events but also as a welcoming place to live and work, study, visit and do business.

Given these excellent opportunities for engagement with key stakeholders, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care attended separate athletics sessions in the Emirates Arena. In addition the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development attended the Welcome Reception hosted jointly by the World Athletics President and the Glasgow City Council Provost. A senior Scottish Government Official also attended two civic receptions and sporting activity.

The Emirates Arena was also the venue for a meeting of the UK Inter-Ministerial Group for Sport, chaired by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. This was attended by Ministers from all home nations.

Year	Staff headcount
2012	290
2013	315
2014	336
2015	341
2016	494
2017	609
2018	413
2019	447
2020	474
2021	468
2022	465
2023	456
As of 29 February 2024	457