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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: S6F-01490

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 November 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-11652

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for flood defences for individual homes, in particular for homes susceptible to flooding.

Grants towards the cost of flood resilient repairs and/or protection measures for individual homes are available from some local authorities. For example, the Scottish Borders Council make flood protection products available through a discount scheme. Further details are available through the attached link FINAL_Subsidised_Flood_Protection_Products_June_2021 (1).pdf or from the Council.

The Scottish Flood Forum, a charity funded by the Scottish Government, can provide households with informed impartial help and guidance in making the best choice of property flood protection. They can arrange a community Property Flood Protection Exhibition to show householders what options are available to help them reduce flood risks at homes and can arrange to carry out assessments of individual homes on request.

In recognition of the importance of reducing flood risk the Scottish Government has provided, since 2008, a total of £42 million a year through the General Capital Grant to local authorities to allow them to invest in flood protection measures. In addition the 2020 Programme for Government committed an additional £150 million over the course of this Parliament for flood risk management actions.

Question reference: S6W-11556

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many P1 children it expects will undertake a Scottish National Standardised Assessment by the end of the 2022-23 school year.

The national standardised assessments are designed to be age and stage appropriate, and as inclusive as possible: there is no time limit for their completion; learners can undertake the assessments in more than one session; the system is compatible with a range of devices and assistive technologies; and teachers have the flexibility to decide how and when assessments are administered. As such, we expect most primary one learners to undertake the assessments, as has been the case in previous years*. As always, teachers’ presentation decisions should be made after considering the individual needs and wellbeing of children, the diagnostic purpose of national standardised assessment and the way in which teachers and schools intend to use information.

* 2019/20 exception, due to COVID-19 related school closures.

Question reference: S6W-11588

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason colleges and universities have reportedly not received confirmation of funding for counselling provision for the 2022-23 academic year.

Since 2019/20, the Scottish Government have invested more than £11.5 million to support our Programme for Government commitment to introduce more than 80 additional mental health counsellors in colleges and universities. We have now achieved that target, as the latest figures from the Scottish Funding Council show that an additional 89 FTE mental health counsellors have been appointed by colleges and universities through the programme.

We will shortly inform institutions, through the Scottish Funding Council, of their funding allocations for Academic Year 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-11598

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that suicide awareness is taught in schools.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government. We are committed to improving support for children and young people’s mental health in order to ensure early intervention and prevention of suicide.

Health and wellbeing is a core part of Curriculum for Excellence, and schools play a vital role in supporting pupils’ mental health. The Mental Health in Schools Working Group, on behalf of Ministers, produced a framework to support local authorities and schools embed support for children and young people's mental health and wellbeing across all aspects of the school environment. The group has also developed professional learning for school staff, which includes suicide awareness.

We continue to support local authorities with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published a new Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan in September 2022. These include plans to further develop existing and new resources for schools which build understanding on mental health, self-harm and suicide prevention.

Question reference: S6W-11245

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work was conducted by (a) its, (b) Police Scotland and (c) Scottish Prison Service staff to get Peter Tobin to disclose the location of where he buried the remains of his victims.

These are matters for Police Scotland rather than Scottish Government or the Scottish Prison Service, which has no has no legal authority to question individuals in relation to crimes committed in the community.

I have asked the Chief Constable to write directly to the member with further detail on Police Scotland’s activity in this regard.

While I understand there are no current lines of enquiry following the death of Peter Tobin, any information that is received by Police Scotland will continue to be reviewed as has been the established procedure since his conviction and imprisonment.

Question reference: S6W-11786

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08911 by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2022, what figure was used for (a) revenue, (b) applicable discounts, and (c) the number of household properties in the most recent calculations of the average water charge in Scotland.

The calculation of the average water charge in Scotland for 2022-23 was done prior to the start of the current financial year (in February 2022), and is therefore a forecast, which was based on the expected average charges for 2021-22, uprated by the 2022-23 charge increase (4.2%).

The relevant figures that were used to calculate the forecast average charges for 2022-23 were:

? water revenue - net of applicable discounts, exemptions and reductions - £442.7m arising from 2.53m household water properties giving an average water charge of £175.05 and

? wastewater revenue – net of applicable discounts, exemptions and reductions - £486.4m arising from 2.43m household wastewater customers giving an average wastewater charge of £200.40.

Each of these averages was increased by the 4.2% increase in household charges to arrive at an average charge for a household with both water and wastewater services of £391.20 in 2022-23.

The total value of household discounts, exemptions and reductions in 2021-22 was £182m.

Question reference: S6W-11797

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ensure that optical coherence tomography machines are available in all medical practices.

Question reference: S6W-11430

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP surgeries in Scotland are currently without a permanent GP.

Question reference: S6W-11585

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many music and cultural organisations’ funding was (a) paused and (b) restarted by Creative Scotland, as a result of the Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review in May 2022.

Funding provided through the Youth Music Initiative Formula Fund by Creative Scotland, who deliver the initiative on behalf of the Scottish Government, was paused and then confirmed to all 32 local authorities and Jordanhill School. This was related to the management of the 2022-23 Scottish Budget. The Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review in May 2022 related to future years’ spending.