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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-15390

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out, or plans to carry out, a full Gateway Review for the Deposit Return Scheme in February 2023, or close to that date, as recommended in the Gateway Review: Assurance of Action Plan report, which was published in December 2022, and, if so, whether it will commit to publishing the full Gateway Review as a matter of critical urgency to enable sufficient scope and time for any recommendations to be scrutinised and implemented.

The Scottish Government plans to carry out a further Gateway Review during week commencing 13 March 2023, in line with the last Assurance of Action Plan report’s recommendations for a review to take place in February 2023, or close to that date. The Scottish Government will consider carefully the recommendations from this review, and will share these and its response with the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee in due course.

Question reference: S6W-15951

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the percentage of the eligible population that have been cited for jury service in the past year.

Question reference: S6W-15952

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever carried out an analysis of any impact that jury duty citations may have on the wider economy.

Question reference: S6W-15694

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on full pay restoration for junior doctors in NHS Scotland.

We recognise the importance of Junior Doctors to NHS Scotland and the important work they contribute. Their demands for an above retail price index pay increase, plus an additional ask of 23.5% – meaning a pay raise of more than 35% - are unaffordable.

We have written to the independent Doctors and Dentist Review Bodies and asked them to consider a separate and specific recommendation for Junior Doctor pay in 2023. BMA Scotland have confirmed they wish to remain within the DDRB process this year.

Junior Doctors earn a basic salary plus a pay banding on top of their salary, meaning that the majority of Junior Doctors in their first year (FY1) are earning a salary of £40,000 plus a year. Their salaries continue to rise every year, and in their second year of training the majority will be earning £49,000+ per year. They are on a career journey towards becoming a senior doctor such as a Consultant or GP, with salaries in excess of £100,000 per year.

Question reference: S6W-15686

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the deferral rate for disabled people entering higher education has been in each of the last 10 years.

Information on the deferral rate for disabled students entering Higher Education is not held by the Scottish Government.

UCAS collect and publish information each year on the number of applicants, applications and acceptances for UK providers. As part of their releases, UCAS publish the number of acceptances who defer entry to a later year split by Domicile, Age and Gender, in their interactive dashboard. Deferral rates for those with a Disability Declared are not included.

UCAS Undergraduate end of cycle data resources 2022 | Undergraduate | UCAS

UCAS do publish the number of acceptances with a Disability Declared overall. This shows in the 2022 cycle, there were 6,535 Scottish domiciled acceptances with a Disability Declared, 17.5% of all Scottish domiciled acceptances.

Scottish Domiciled acceptances to UK providers, by disability
	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Disability Declared	3,195	3,510	3,775	4,290	4,560	5,450	5,865	6,535
No Disability Declared	31,580	32,165	32,760	32,820	31,160	33,060	33,435	30,785
Total	34,775	35,670	36,540	37,105	35,725	38,510	39,300	37,320
% Disability Declared	9.2%	9.8%	10.3%	11.6%	12.8%	14.2%	14.9%	17.5%
Source: UCAS End of Cycle 2022
Data not included prior to 2015 due to methodology changes in those included in the UCAS main Scheme.
Data only published for UK providers, not Scottish providers.

Question reference: S6W-15720

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in advance of publishing its refreshed tobacco control action plan in 2023, whether Public Health Scotland plans to update any analysis on the estimated effects of reduced smoking prevalence on the three outcomes of smoking-attributable deaths, smoking attributable hospital admissions and smoking-attributable NHS costs.

Question reference: S6W-15598

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has approved the strategic assessment for the National Treatment Centre in Cumbernauld.

Question reference: S6W-15695

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives from the British Medical Association to discuss pay restoration for junior doctors.

I last met with the Chair of the BMA Scotland Committee on 11 January to discuss their request for a national conversation, and met with Chair of the BMA Scottish Junior Doctors Committee on 15 December to discuss their concerns around pay for Junior Doctors.

In addition I wrote to the Chair of the BMA on 21 February offering to meet with both him and the Chair of the BMA Scottish Junior Doctors Committee to discuss further.

Question reference: S6W-15587

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) volunteers and (b) paid staff currently work at Citizens Advice Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-15898

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a breakdown of the changes in rateable values for each industry sector or property class, arising from the April 2023 revaluation of non-domestic property.

As stated on 8 March in the Chamber in response to a parliamentary question (S6O-01978), a revaluation statistical summary report, which will include information broken down by property class, is expected to be published in 2023-24 once final values for the revaluation have been made available. It is intended that this report will be available in the Spring.

The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the parliaments website, the Official Report can be viewed at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-08-03-2023?meeting=14190