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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-31870

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that children's rights are protected in custody decisions relating to domestic abuse cases.

A key aim of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) is to ensure the child’s best interests are at the centre of contact and residence cases.

The 2020 Act will reform the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act) which is the key legislation in relation to child contact and residence. In deciding whether to make a contact order under section 11 of the 1995 Act, the welfare of the child must be the court’s paramount consideration.

The court must – taking into account the child's age and maturity – have regard to any views the child wishes to express. The court is also required to have regard to the need to protect the child from any abuse, or the risk of any abuse, which affects or might affect the child.

In advance of full implementation of the 2020 Act, the Scottish Government has convened a working group on child welfare reporters. These may be appointed in contact cases to seek the child’s views and report on their best interests. The working group will look back at changes made in the past in this area. It will also consider if further action can be taken in advance of the register of child welfare reporters envisaged by the 2020 Act being set up.

Question reference: S6W-31840

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of primary schools currently meet its target of providing at least two hours of quality physical education per week.

Question reference: S6W-31827

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04033 by Graeme Dey on 1 November 2021, how much grant funding it has provided to each local authority to purchase and/or lease zero emission vehicles in each year since 2021-22.

The Scottish Government has continued to support local authorities to decarbonise fleets and since 2014 we have now provided over £41 million to fund leasing and purchase of ultra-low and zero emission vehicles and installation of associated infrastructure.

Since 2021-22, support for local authority fleet decarbonisation has focused on the installation of fleet EV charging infrastructure to enable further fleet decarbonisation, rather than the purchase or lease of zero emission vehicles. Local authorities are provided funding by means of a block grant, each local authority allocates part of this grant to manage, operate and decarbonise its fleet. Figures for funding support in addition to the block grant for each local authority in each year following 2021-22 are set out in the following table.

In 2024-25 no additional funding has been provided to local authorities. We continue to work with public bodies to decarbonise the public sector fleet and we are working with the public sector to develop a Fleet Decarbonisation Action Plan that reflects the current fiscal operational environment, and the scale of emission reduction required.

Local Authority	2022-23	2023-24
Aberdeen City	£-	£-
Aberdeenshire	£108,849.00	£-
Angus	£73,392.76	£86,400.00
Argyll & Bute	£-	£95,000.00
Clackmannanshire	£-	£-
Dumfries & Galloway	£79,236.00	£-
Dundee City	£72,437.36	£-
East Ayrshire	£32,788.46	£217,630.86
East Dunbartonshire	£-	£-
East Lothian	£58,226.00	£-
East Renfrewshire	£41,985.00	£-
Edinburgh	£148,359.00	£-
Falkirk	£52,407.00	£100,000.00
Fife	£66,788.00	£102,925.00
Glasgow	£176,876.00	£-
Highland	£181,327.82	£47,500.00
Inverclyde	£22,715.00	£-
Midlothian	£-	£-
Moray	£65,256.00	£-
North Ayrshire	£92,857.98	£-
North Lanarkshire	£169,977.00	£261,000.00
Orkney	£45,870.00	£-
Perth & Kinross	£80,051.00	£-
Renfrewshire	£77,207.00	£70,455.32
Scottish Borders	£69,932.55	£-
Shetland	£38,616.00	£60,000.00
South Ayrshire	£59,681.00	£-
South Lanarkshire	£114,484.00	£250,000.00
Stirling	£34,833.00	£-
West Dunbartonshire	£53,440.00	£60,000.00
West Lothian	£78,261.00	£-
Western Isles	£47,430.85	£97,465.40

Question reference: S6W-31994

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it reportedly opted not to reintroduce business rates relief for the retail and leisure sectors in 2025-26, unlike in England.

It was not possible to fund all the Scottish Government’s priorities in the budget but, despite the financial challenges, the budget continues to support businesses and communities with a competitive non-domestic rates regime including the reintroduction of a 40% relief for hospitality.

The freeze to the Basic Property Rate in 2025-26 is estimated to save ratepayers £9m a year compared to an inflationary increase, and our generous relief package is worth an estimated £731 million next year and includes reliefs which will benefit properties in the retail and leisure sectors such as the most generous small business rates relief in the UK. In combination, we estimate that around half of the properties in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors will continue to pay no rates in Scotland in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-31995

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it received regarding reintroducing business rates relief for the retail sector in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-32021

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its draft Budget 2025-26, where the remaining unspent money allocated to the Bus Partnership Fund has been reallocated to.

Question reference: S6O-04138

Asked by: Audrey Nicoll, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its recently announced hub for offshore wind will have on the renewables sector in north east Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-04143

Asked by: Lorna Slater, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, what progress it has made towards implementing mandatory food waste reporting by larger businesses.

Question reference: S6O-04137

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to rolling out universal entitlement to free school meals for all primary school children within the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6O-04139

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, including in discussion with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, to promote electrical safety over the Christmas period.