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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-18468

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance or advice it has issued to Scottish public authorities and charities that it funds, that have contact with asylum seekers or presumed human trafficking survivors, regarding the UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill and, in particular, any retrospective effect since its introduction into the UK Parliament on 7 March 2023.

The UK Government’s Illegal Migration Bill does not currently have legal effect. The Scottish Government has made clear our position that this cruel and inhumane Illegal Migration Bill should be scrapped immediately and will cause significant harm to victims of human trafficking. It will facilitate even greater control by perpetrators as a consequence of its provisions which restrict access to vital support and assistance and will likely deter victims from reporting their situation for fear of removal.

The Scottish Parliament rejected the UK Bill during a debate on 25 April. We set out our intent to lodge a legislative consent memorandum on two clauses within the Bill which alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers. We will recommend that Parliament withhold legislative consent to these provisions. We continue to monitor the Bill closely as it is considered by the House of Lords.

Question reference: S6W-18840

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations National Galleries Scotland has undertaken to determine whether any of the buildings that it manages were fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and what the cost was of conducting any necessary repairs, broken down by building.

Question reference: S6W-18731

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many interest-free loans, up to a maximum of £5,000, have been used by Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service staff for the purchase of specialised equipment through the SCTS Respite Care Scheme, and whether it will outline the total value of any such loans, broken down by each year in which the scheme has been active.

Question reference: S6W-18730

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) staff are currently on the SCTS Carer register, including as a proportion of the total SCTS workforce.

Question reference: S6W-18733

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are employed in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service's Equality and Diversity team, broken down by job title, and what the total value is of their combined salaries.

Question reference: S6W-18727

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14445 by Neil Gray on 7 February 2023, whether it will provide an updated table, including data for (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2022-23.

According to data acquired directly from the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), in March 2023 Aberdeen City Council closed 6 libraries, Cornhill, Cults, Northfield, Ferryhill, Woodside and Kamhill. No other Scottish Libraries have permanently closed in the last 3 reporting years.

The Scottish Government do not hold information on numbers of libraries dating back to 2007-8. The earliest information on library numbers that SLIC are able to acquire from Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability (CIPFA) begins from 2009-10.

Question reference: S6W-18732

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service Equality Advisory Group last met, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-18714

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional advanced nurse practitioners, which were announced in April 2018, have been trained to date.

Question reference: S6W-18698

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what actions its Working Group on Missing People has taken to support the delivery of the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland.

The Working Group for Missing People continues to support the implementation of the National Missing Persons Framework across Scotland.

Key actions taken forward by the Framework so far include a standardisation of the national definition of missing persons; a standardised approach to risk assessment; and the development and delivery of return discussion training to ensure more consistency across the country. Building on this work, the Group will continue work with National Co-ordinators to engage with and support multi-agency partners in areas across Scotland to limit the likelihood of people going missing.

A comprehensive update on the Group’s work was published in 2020 – Working Group for Missing People in Scotland: National Framework for Missing Persons - implementation report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . A further update will be part of a refreshed Framework later this year.

Question reference: S6W-18705

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it met its target of 58,000 additional outpatient activity in 2022-23, as outlined in its NHS Recovery Plan.

Our £1 Billion backed NHS Recovery Plan aims to continually increase capacity for outpatients.

We have seen an increase in the level of activity for new outpatients in the latest quarter (May 2023), which was at the highest level of activity in any quarter since the start of the pandemic.

Last year there were over 1.2 million patients seen for an outpatient appointment, an increase of 8% compared to 2021, when over 1.1 million outpatients were seen.

Further statistics on additional inpatient and day case activity in 2022-2023 will be released alongside the NHS Recovery Plan update this autumn.