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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: S6W-35088

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that (a) it and (b) local authorities are accountable for ensuring that all qualified teachers who wish to work in the profession can find suitable employment opportunities, and what mechanisms it plans to introduce to monitor and report on employment practices for teachers.

Individual Local Authorities, as employers, are responsible for managing teaching vacancies and providing job opportunities across Scotland.

Teaching vacancies are advertised across Scotland, throughout the year, through a process of fair and open recruitment. Local authorities must balance the teaching jobs they advertise with their local needs and contexts.

The Scottish Government collects and publishes annual data on the number of teachers employed across Scotland’s 32 Local Authorities through the Annual Teacher Census. This data can be accessed at: School education statistics - gov.scot.

The Establishment of an Education Assurance Board, which was part of Scottish Government and local government’s joint agreement published in December 2024, will provide a forum by which we can carry out joint monitoring of employment practices, share best practice and ensure that teacher numbers return to 2023 levels; while understanding and considering local needs and geographical and subject recruitment challenges.

Question reference: S6W-35021

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) a landowner can assign sporting rights under the terms of a lease to a sporting tenant and (b) the area assigned under the terms of any such lease may not necessarily reflect the ownership boundary of a landholding.

Question reference: S6W-34988

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) meetings and (b) other discussions NatureScot and Scottish Land and Estates have held to discuss (i) the legal opinions regarding the wording of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 and (ii) what land should be included in a 16AA licence to shoot grouse.

Question reference: S6W-35020

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any section 16AA licence holders, granted under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, have specified the land to which the licence is to relate as the area immediately surrounding a line of grouse butts.

Question reference: S6W-35086

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review teacher employment practices to address any misuse of short-term and supply contracts, and how it will ensure fair, stable and sustainable employment conditions for teachers.

It is for individual local authorities, as employers, to manage their own practices regarding the employment of teachers and provision of individual employment contracts.

In December 2024 the Scottish Government reached an agreement with local government to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels and we are providing £186.5 million in the 2025-26 Financial Year for this purpose and to give local authorities the support they have requested to increase the number of teaching jobs. In addition we are also providing Local Authorities with £28 million to support ASN provision in schools, which may be used for measures such as the employment of ASN teachers.

As part of our joint agreement Scottish Government and CoSLA will also work together on the establishment of an Education Assurance Board. Improving employment opportunities for Scotland’s teaching workforce will be a key feature of the Education Assurance Board. The board will allow us to work together to review national employment practices, highlight best practice and use this to work in partnership with our councils to improve the availability of permanent teaching contracts nationally.

Question reference: S6W-35107

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) review its position that reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and the presence of it in any buildings should be addressed in the same way that other building maintenance issues are and (b) update any guidance that it provides for public bodies on what action to take when the presence of RAAC is identified.

Question reference: S6W-35128

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many assaults on (a) staff and (b) prisoners have been recorded at HMP Barlinnie in each of the last five years.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The number of assaults on staff in HMP Barlinnie in the last 5 years are as follows:

HMP Barlinnie
Year	Staff
2020	35
2021	49
2022	30
2023	45
2024	63

The number of assaults on Prisoners in Barlinnie in the last 5 years are as follows:

HMP Barlinnie
Year	Prisoner
2020	123
2021	163
2022	117
2023	120
2024	253

Question reference: S6W-35022

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the largest number of section 16AA licences is that have been granted to a single landholding under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Question reference: S6W-35027

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the results of the consultation on homecare medicines services, and any resulting recommendations.

In April 2023, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) announced an Independent Medicines Homecare Review in response to reports of failings in the standards of care provided across Scotland and the increasing demand for medicines homecare provision.

The CPO will be publishing the Homecare Medicines Review before the end of March. In terms of next steps, the CPO has met with NHS National Procurement to discuss what actions can be taken forward within their remit and what actions require further consideration through a task and finish group. The group will be established shortly and will be chaired by a Director of Pharmacy and a Director of Nursing. The Group will help to outline the next steps and timescales around this.

Question reference: S6W-35221

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full breakdown of costs associated with the replacement for HMP Inverness, including any penalties for delays.