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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-18387

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Community Bus Fund.

Question reference: S6O-02389

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, 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 what the newest developments are in the creation of Scottish Parliament apps to allow the public easier access to parliamentary business papers and other resources.

Question reference: S6O-02391

Asked by: Ruth Maguire, MSP for Cunninghame South, 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 what action it takes to ensure that children and young people from across Scotland can visit their Scottish Parliament.

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-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.

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-18505

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of any additional financial pressures on local authority budgets being caused by inflation.

Although it is the responsibility of local authorities to assess the impact of inflationary pressures on their budgets, Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with COSLA and individual local authorities to discuss all their respective financial pressures. This engagement has increased in recent weeks following the First Minister’s re-commitment to working with COSLA and SOLACE to agree a New Deal for Local Government in Scotland with the aim of providing greater flexibility over local funding, with clear accountability for delivery on shared priorities and outcomes.

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-18254

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14121 by Shona Robison on 9 February 2023, and in light of reports that around a quarter of the £375 million Welsh Building Safety Fund has been spent so far, whether it will provide an update on what (a) amount and (b) proportion of the £97.1 million provided by the UK Government to fund cladding remediation work has been spent to date, and what forecasts it holds for expenditure of the money.