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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-02688

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-24234

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last evaluated the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions guidance, and what its conclusions were.

Question reference: S6W-24371

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 January 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of independence on Scotland’s economy.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver on its commitment to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future, and I’m pleased to confirm that today the First Minister is launching a series of speeches on the opportunities independence would bring to Scotland’s economy.

The speeches will set out the Scottish Government's vision for a stronger and more productive economy that could be delivered with independence, further developing the economic strand of the Building a New Scotland (BaNS) prospectus.

The speech also sets out three key measures for a successful industrial policy for an independent Scotland:

Joining the EU as an independent country;
Establishing a dynamic government Ministry for Industrial Policy and consensus building institutions to drive the strategy;
Targeted capital spending investment in key areas of comparative advantage, a proposal for a Building a New Scotland Fund already set out in the third BaNS paper: A Stronger Economy with Independence .

Ministers will deliver further speeches on the opportunities independence would bring to Scotland’s economy in the coming months. The speech text “Building a New Scotland: Industrial Strategy in an Independent Scotland” is available to view on the Scottish Government website from today at www.gov.scot/newscotland .

Question reference: S6W-24048

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support children and young people who are currently living with long COVID and are unable to participate in school due to their symptoms.

Under section 14(1)(b) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education authorities have a statutory duty to make special arrangements for pupils of any age and stage of school education, who are unable to attend school due to illness, to continue receiving their education elsewhere than at an educational establishment.

The Scottish Government published guidance on the education of children unable to attend school due to ill health in June 2015. This guidance is available on our website through the following link: Education of children unable to attend school due to ill health: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Where any pupil is expected to be absent from school for a prolonged period of time due to ill health, we would urge their parents or carers to speak with the school’s head teacher at the earliest opportunity to ask for alternative arrangements to be put in place for their child whilst they remain absent.

We also published guidance on supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools to enable schools to support pupils with health conditions which require management during the school day. This guidance is available on our website through the following link: Supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Where a pupil does have a health condition, whilst attending at school, staff in NHS boards, education authorities and schools should work together with the children and young people concerned, and their parents or carers and families to ensure appropriate measures to meet their individual healthcare needs are in place.

Question reference: S6W-23938

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many children are currently considered to be "missing from education" at schools in Scotland, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) reason recorded for being missing.

Question reference: S6W-23811

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23424 by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023, what planned new programmes cannot proceed as anticipated as a result of the in-year budget changes set out by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 21 November 2023.

Difficult decisions have had to be made to allow us to balance the Scottish Government budget while still progressing implementation of our mental health and wellbeing and other strategies from a revised direct budget of £260.3 million.

The in-year budget changes impacted on a number of planned new programmes which could not proceed as anticipated. Planned increased funding to existing programmes were also not able to be progressed. This included programmes related to Mental Health and Primary Care; regional CAMHS developments; full implementation of Coming Home; full implementation of the new Mental Welfare Commission Patient Records System; and improving prisoner mental health.

Despite the savings made, we have continued to focus on delivery of our mental health and wellbeing strategy and recently published delivery plan, which includes commitments around mental health services and specific programmes of work around learning disability and autism, and cross-cutting trauma work.

Question reference: S6W-23815

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Music Education Partnership Group and what was discussed.

The Music Education Partnership Group had a joint meeting with myself and the Minister for Culture, Europe And International Development on 29 June 2023.

This was an introductory meeting and covered school and community music in Scotland, the various MEPG initiatives including the “We Make Music” initiatives, recent MEPG engagement with research on music learning and an update on a MEPG paper on the Vision for Scotland’s music industry.

Scottish Government officials liaise with MEPG and a range of music education partners on an ongoing basis.

Question reference: S6W-23708

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to increasing the income threshold for free school meal eligibility for families that are not currently covered by any free school meal entitlement, and whether it has (a) conducted any modelling and (b) had any discussions with local authorities on this issue.

The Scottish Government keeps the eligibility criteria for free school meals under regular review to take account of any developments which may impact upon it. The eligibility criteria was last amended in April 2023. We notify local authorities whenever any changes are made to the eligibility criteria to enable them to invite fresh applications for free school meals under the new criteria.

We are currently reviewing the existing eligibility criteria for free school meals in light of the latest increases to the National Living Wage, which were announced by the UK Government on 21 November 2023.

Question reference: S6W-24236

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last consulted with local authorities on the effectiveness of the Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing School Exclusions guidance.

The ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: Preventing and Managing School Exclusions’ guidance was published in 2017.

In June last year, I convened the first meeting of a Headteacher taskforce which focused on school exclusions. The topic of school exclusions was also discussed by a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, at the series of behaviour summits held between September and November last year.

In November, the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR) was also published, which provides the accurate national picture in relation to behaviour in Scotland’s schools. Local authority staff were interviewed as part of BISSR.

We are currently working with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools , which includes COSLA, to establish what actions are required to be included in the national action plan to respond to the findings of the summit process and BISSR. The national action plan will be published as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-24235

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to review its guidance on school exclusions.

We published guidance in June 2017 - ‘Included, Engaged and Involved – Part 2 – preventing and managing school exclusions’ - for teachers. The guidance gives a stronger focus on supporting positive behaviour and approaches that can be used to prevent the need for exclusion.

The series of summits I held with a wide range of stakeholders on behaviour in schools concluded in November. The summit process culminated in the publication of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), which provides the accurate national picture in relation to behaviour in Scotland’s schools.

In my statement to Parliament on 29 November, I confirmed that a multi-year plan is in development to tackle instances of challenging behaviour, working with local authorities, trade unions and others.

We are currently working with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools to establish what actions are required to respond to the findings of the summit process and BISSR. The national action plan will be published as soon as possible.