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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-02356

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will next review the car parking arrangements for MSPs and staff.

Question reference: S6O-02390

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide an update on the efficiency of the passholder secure entry system to the Parliament, in light of reports that passholders are experiencing difficulties in gaining access.

Question reference: S6W-18243

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many new trade envoys it aims to appoint in each of the next five years, and in which countries they will be based.

Our export growth plan, A Trading Nation, committed to evaluating the existing Trade & Investment Envoy network with a view to increasing the number of envoys from the four (at the time) to twelve. This would be subject to a review of the current arrangements and the identification of candidates with the right knowledge, experience and connections in the right markets to best support Scotland’s trade and investment ambitions.

There are currently 11 Trade & Investment Envoy based around the globe. The majority of Envoys are focused on promoting trade and investment within a specific market (Indonesia, Poland, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, New Zealand and the Unites States of America), while some have a sector-focus (International Higher Education and Capital Investment). A link to the current list of Trade and Investment Envoys can be found here .

Although the Scottish Government does not currently have any firm plans to grow the network, we are planning on evaluating the T&I Envoy Network to consider the markets and sectors within which they operate and this will inform the future focus and shape of the network.

Question reference: S6W-18241

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will launch its International Culture Strategy, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework.

Scotland’s culture is recognised across the world. It is a massive asset to our country in cultural and economic terms, but also in its potential to open doors and support Scotland’s wider international relationships. As such, we have committed to develop an International Culture Strategy to ensure that cultural links with our partners around the world are developed further and international engagement can help these sectors to recover and flourish.

It is vital that our International Culture Strategy reflects, and is fully informed by the views, experience and expertise of those working in our culture and creative sectors. In order to ensure this, we are currently carrying out a programme of stakeholder engagement to gather views on priorities for the strategy, including a public survey which closed for responses on 12 May 2023.

Close engagement with stakeholders will continue alongside the development of the strategy throughout 2023. Timelines have adapted as the development process has proceeded and requirements have become apparent. We aim to publish the strategy by the end of March 2024.

Question reference: S6W-18093

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it gives to customers of the tenancy deposits schemes if they have an issue, dispute or complaint with one of the tenancy schemes that do not offer an independent dispute resolution procedure.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes were introduced to deal with the problem of landlords and letting agents who unfairly withheld deposits from tenants. In Scotland a custodial scheme is operated by 3 schemes approved by Scottish Ministers.

Tenants benefit from having deposits safeguarded by an independent third party. Section 33 and 34 of the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 sets out the requirements for all approved schemes to provide a free and independent dispute resolution service, so that the deposit can be returned quickly and fairly.

Scottish Government cannot intervene with individual deposit disputes and cannot intervene in decisions made by the independent adjudicator in relation to a tenancy deposit case.

Question reference: S6W-18240

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will appoint its diaspora Youth Officers, as set out in the Scottish Connections Framework, and how many Youth Officers it plans to appoint each year.

The Scottish Government, in its Scottish Connections Framework, committed to engage with Scottish heritage organisations internationally, supporting these organisations to broaden their appeal to young people, including supporting appointment of Youth Officers and establishing scholarships and youth exchanges.

The Scottish Government will not appoint diaspora Youth Officers but will support and encourage diaspora organisations in their efforts to broaden their membership and appeal to younger generations.

Question reference: S6W-18653

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met with (a) COSLA and (b) individual local authorities to discuss council tax debt.

Council Tax debt was discussed at the last meeting of the Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform on 22 March 2023. Additionally, I met Fife Council earlier this year to see first-hand their collaborative approach to Council Tax collection highlighted in the Collaborative Council Tax Collection Guide, published jointly by Stepchange and The Improvement Service. I am scheduled to meet with Falkirk Council later in the summer.

Question reference: S6W-18465

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15973 by Ivan McKee on 22 March 2023, whether it will provide a further update on efforts to recommence operations at Stoneywood paper mill, in Aberdeen, in light of reports from 12 February 2023 that there was about to be a "credible bid" made.

Question reference: S6W-18367

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17500 by Angus Robertson on 12 May 2023, when it plans to update the gov.scot website with "the full costs of my visit, and those of all Ministerial travel costs", in order for MSPs to be able to see the information, in light of its answer encouraging people to "look there for more details"; whether it has now published "details of the meetings, including summaries of each", in light of its answer stating that this would "be published next week under Freedom of Information", and whether it will provide the "range of actions including follow up with specific companies, ongoing diaspora engagements and discussion with the Tartan Week Committee" that "will continue to be monitored in the coming year".

Ministerial Engagements, travel and gifts are published within 3 months in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code.

The Freedom of Information request referred to, detailing meetings and summaries of each, was published on 19 May 2023 on the Scottish Government Website. Details can be found at this link https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202300352406/ .

Follow up actions from business meetings are contained in the meeting summaries. Actions include, but are not limited to: offering to support links to centres of excellence in technology and data science; continued support of the encouragement of talent access; gathering examples of best practice across industries; supporting development of events; working with our diaspora partners to support improving delivery of Tartan Week results for Scotland; and continuation of support from Scottish Enterprise for development activities.

Specific actions that are sensitive to the future operations of those companies and diaspora groups, have been omitted in order to protect business interests and the strong US Scotland relationship.

Question reference: S6W-19016

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 750 additional nurses, midwives and allied health professionals from overseas, as announced in October 2022, with associated funding of £8 million, have been recruited by NHS boards across Scotland.

As a result of intensive work by Health Boards the target has been exceeded and an additional 800 staff from overseas have been recruited of which 293 are already in posts across the country to date, and a further 507 in train due to arrive, with the majority taking up posts in the first quarter of this financial year. This builds on the previous year where 200 staff were recruited from overseas, meaning an additional 1,000 staff have been recruited in the last 18 months, bolstering our existing workforce.