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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-03136

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with representatives of the college sector.

Question reference: S6O-03139

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-03132

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6O-03141

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the open letter sent to MSPs from over 120 colleges, businesses and trade unions, on 5 February, urgently asking for the reinstatement of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund for Scotland’s colleges, which has been removed from the draft Budget for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-25533

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many prison officers need to be recruited to ensure that all prisons are able to adhere to minimum staffing requirements.

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

SPS has agreed prison officer staffing complements which are tailored to the needs of each establishment and agreed in partnership with the Prison Officers Association (Scotland).

On 2 February 2024 (the most recent data available), SPS had 59 prison officer vacancies across the prison estate, which is a 1.8% vacancy rate.

Question reference: S6W-25398

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the provision of shoreside recharging facilities for battery-powered ferries at harbours on the Clyde and Hebrides network.

The Small Vessel Replacement Programme (SVRP) will see Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) procure up to 10 small vessels across two phases which will serve the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service network. This will provide modern, standardised vessels that are capable of as close to zero emission operation as possible.

As part of the programme, CMAL will undertake associated enabling works to the shore side infrastructure to provide suitable shore power supply for charging batteries onboard. The work is progressing in relation to the Port feasibility studies for the relevant projects and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Scottish Power are involved in carrying out feasibility studies for the shore side power availability.

Ministers are currently considering the outline business case for SVRP and an update will be provided once a decision on investment has been taken. Cold ironing (shore charging) projects associated with the new Islay vessels and Little Minch vessels are also underway ahead of their delivery.

Question reference: S6W-25352

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that the reported pause of the Bus Partnership Fund will have on its target of reducing car kilometres by 20% by 2030.

As outlined in the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km by 2030, achieving this commitment relies on a package of over 30 interventions. The route map does not apportion a specific reduction in car km to any single intervention such as the Bus Partnership Fund, which is one of a number of route map interventions which aim to encourage the use of public transport.

Bus Partnership Fund spend will proceed as planned for 2023-24 to complete the delivery of the bus infrastructure underway for the benefit of passengers and operators, and conclude appraisal work that could inform future investment. The pausing in 2024-5 presents an opportunity to recast bus priority work within a longer term more integrated public transport vision.

The Scottish Government is committed to making sustainable travel a more attractive option, which is why we invest over £2bn annually to support public transport including over £420 million allocated for bus services and concessionary fares in 2023-24 providing over 2 million people in Scotland with access to free bus travel. Our firm commitment to bus travel continues with almost £430 million in funding for concessionary travel and bus services planned for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-25320

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the A96 Corridor Review will be published.

Question reference: S6W-25210

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when (a) officials and (b) ministers first became aware of any concerns regarding the Post Office’s Horizon IT system.

Management of the Post Office is a reserved matter for the UK Government, and the Scottish Government has no role in the investigation of miscarriages of justice, which is a matter for the independent Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Issues regarding the Post Office’s Horizon IT system were in the public domain from 2009.

The first record the Scottish Government has of any official or minister being made directly aware of any concerns regarding the Post Office’s Horizon IT system, is in an email from a member of the public dated 23 January 2020 addressed to the then First Minister. This email related to calls for a Public Inquiry into the Horizon IT system, a matter which is reserved and falls into the responsibility of the UK Government.

The Scottish Government was first formally made aware of concerns regarding the Post Office’s Horizon IT system by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) on 2 July 2020, at quarterly sponsorship meeting with Scottish Government officials.

Following this, on 29 September 2020 the then Cabinet Secretary for Justice was made aware by officials in the Scottish Government that the SCCRC intended to write out to 73 people with criminal convictions potentially affected by issues arising from the Post Office’s Horizon computer system, and encouraging all those who may have suffered a miscarriage of justice to make contact with it.

Question reference: S6W-25197

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it hopes to publish its refreshed Framework for Tax.