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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-16191

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Enterprise has made an estimate of when it anticipates being repaid the reported £7 million in outstanding loan payments to Liberty Steel Dalzell.

Question reference: S6W-16192

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to secure the repayment of loans made to Liberty Steel Dalzell.

Question reference: S6W-16193

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline what the current exposure is, that is backed by public funds, to any financial guarantees that it has given to GFG Alliance.

Question reference: S6W-16198

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of jobs that have been created at Liberty Steel Dalzell as a result of the financial support that it has provided to GFG Alliance.

Question reference: S6W-16422

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date from which universal free school meals will be made available to pupils in P6 and P7.

We remain committed to the expansion of universal free school meals in primary schools. In the Scottish budget for 2023-24, we announced additional investment of £16 million in revenue funding and £80 million in capital funding for free school meals expansion. This will continue to fund the next phase of our expansion, which will be targeted to Primary 6 and 7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, which is the next step in fulfilling our commitment to universal provision of free school meals in primary schools.

We recognise that a number of local authorities have indicated they face challenges in planning for the substantial expansion of free school meals. It is right that we work in partnership with local government to deliver our shared commitment. We will continue to engage with COSLA and other key delivery partners to undertake planning for further expansion.

Question reference: S6W-16194

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to address any current exposure, that is backed by public funds, to any financial guarantees that it has given to GFG Alliance.

Regular engagement takes place between the Scottish Government and GFG Alliance at both official and ministerial level. Officials hold quarterly meetings to monitor performance in respect of the Scottish Government guarantee and maintain frequent engagement at local and group level on business operations. Officials are further supported in this activity by external commercial experts. The Scottish Government has a suite of securities in relation to the assets at Lochaber that are valued at more than the outstanding amount guaranteed.

Question reference: S6W-16395

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has received on any increase in sea bass landed in Cumbria by fishermen from England with permits to fish on the Solway Firth.

Marine Scotland has not received any information or indication of an increase in sea bass landed in Cumbria by fishers from England with permits to fish on the Solway Firth.

The current commercial level of European sea bass which may be caught within British fishery limits is subject to the provisions contained within The Sea Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations 2023, which came into force on 1 April 2023.

Question reference: S6W-16197

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of jobs that have been created at the Lochaber Aluminium Smelter as a result of the financial support that it has provided to GFG Alliance.

Question reference: S6W-16311

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has provided to Forestry and Land Scotland for the financial year 2023-24.

There is regular engagement at all levels between Scottish Government and Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and this will continue for the remainder of the financial year 2023-24. This includes regular dialogue between Ministers and the FLS CEO. FLS’s second Corporate Plan (2022 – 2025) was published on the 01 April 2022, this sets out the direction of travel for the organisation and priorities for the three-year period, including 2023-24.

Corporate Plan - Forestry and Land Scotland

The FLS Business Plan sets out the main actions that the organisation we will take over the period 1 April 2023 - 31 March 2024 to deliver the commitments and outcomes identified in their Corporate Plan. Ministers approved that plan in March 2023.

Business Plan - Forestry and Land Scotland

Like all Scottish public bodies, FLS receive relevant guidance documents from the Scottish Government. For example, FLS have received a copy of the Public Sector Pay Strategy 2023-24 and a copy of the Fair Work First Guidance.

Question reference: S6W-16314

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 11 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it provided to (a) Historic Scotland and (b) Historic Environment Scotland in each year since 2007.

Details of Scottish Government funding for Historic Scotland, from 2007-08 until it became part of Historic Environment Scotland, can be found in the following table. These figures come from the annual Scottish Budget publication.

Year	Historic Scotland Funding £m
2007-08	47.7
2008-09	51.7
2009-10	49.3
2010-11	49.8
2011-12	47.0
2012-13	45.3
2013-14	43.6
2014-15	37.8
2015-16	40.1

Details of the Scottish Government funding for provided Historic Environment Scotland since 2016-17, the first full year of its accounts, can be found in the following table. These figures come from the annual Scottish Budget publication with the exception of the revised budget in 2020-21 which took account of the effect of pandemic closures on its commercial income.

Year	Historic Environment Scotland Funding £m
2016-17	45.0
2017-18	45.5
2018-19	41.1
2019-20	39.8
2020-21 (pre-pandemic)	42.8
2020-21 (revised)	80.4
2021-22	75.9 (including £20m in COVID consequentials)
2022-23	70.1
2023-24	72.7