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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-19323

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in the Adoption UK report, The Adoption Barometer: A stocktake of adoption in the UK, which was published in May 2023, whether it has any plans to introduce long-term funding support for parents adopting children.

In 2023-24, the Scottish Government has allocated over £480,000 directly to organisations delivering support for adoptive families, including parents. This funding supports a range of initiatives, including: a national helpline; services for practitioners; an Adoption Contact Register; Adoption Week Scotland; and Adoption UK’s PATHways service which provides therapeutic and peer support.

Future funding commitments are subject to the outcome of any spending review by the Scottish Government and approval of the annual Budget Bills by the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-19736

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with Scottish Development International since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.

Information about Ministerial engagements is proactively released on the Scottish Government website . The spreadsheets include a wide range of information including details of the organisation/individuals Ministers met along with the subject discussed.

Scottish Government Officials from the Directorate for International Trade and Investment have regularly met with the SDI since May 2021 as key partners to showcase Scotland’s strengths globally, boost inward investment and to achieve our export growth ambition. In addition, officials across a range of portfolios engage with the SDI as part of the policy development process and this will continue.

Question reference: S6W-19733

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.

Question reference: S6W-19619

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has given any consideration to expanding the number of public projects covered by Project Bank Accounts (PBAs).

The effectiveness of Project Bank Accounts is monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. Applicability was expanded in 2019 and the current considered position is that further expansion is not justified at this time. Scottish Government actively facilitates PBA use beyond mandated applicability in two main ways (1) flexibility to use a PBA on projects which are marginally below threshold (2) organisational freedom to use a PBA on lower value projects where they consider it appropriate.

Expanding PBA coverage would increase the number of applicable projects but risks upsetting the current fine balance of commercial viability, corporate capacity, skilled capability and budget affordability. Keeping those factors in a reasonable state of equilibrium is fundamental to ensuring PBAs remain a viable means of delivering prompt and insolvency-protected payment to supply chain firms.

Question reference: S6W-19240

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its reasons were for reshuffling some of the portfolio responsibilities that were previously the responsibility of the now Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition and her junior ministers.

Question reference: S6W-19532

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the estimated cost of the specified training that will be undertaken by Scottish SPCA inspectors in relation to wildlife crime, and who will bear the cost.

Scottish SPCA inspectors currently undertake training to enable them to carry out their duties as part of their current responsibilities provided through the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. This includes internal training courses, on the job training, and externally audited training during and after their probation period.

We expect that any additional training would be incorporated into current training. The details of the training and the associated costs will be developed after the public consultation on the proposals this summer.

Question reference: S6W-19505

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18534 by Natalie Don on 21 June 2023, how much funding it provides for free school breakfasts.

Question reference: S6W-19502

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when work will begin on the next Northern Isles Ferry Services Contract.

Question reference: S6W-19530

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost was of the independent taskforce charged with conducting a review of Scottish SPCA powers.

Question reference: S6W-19448

Asked by: Ruth Maguire, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many parents or carers who are in receipt of Scottish Child Payment are under the age of 25, and whether it will publish this data.

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on Scottish Child Payment applications, payments and an estimate of the number of children actively in receipt of the payment.

While Social Security Scotland has not published the number of parents or carers in receipt of Scottish Child Payment to date, development is currently underway to do so in the next edition of the Scottish Child Payment Official Statistics publication. This will also include the number of parents or carers actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment by age group. This next edition will cover the period to the end of June 2023 and is due to be published on 29 August 2023.

As of March 2023, around 12% (37,560) of applications for Scottish Child Payment were made by parents or carers aged under 25. It is important to note that these statistics relate to applications, not receipts of Scottish Child Payment. This information can be found in the latest Scottish Child Payment Official Statistics publication:

https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/publications