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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-25305

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to Central Advocacy Partners since 2019.

Since 2019, the Scottish Government has provided funding to Central Advocacy Partners from the Victim Centred Approach Fund and from the Victim Surcharge Fund.

Victim Centred Approach Fund

Organisations that receive support from VCAF are required to demonstrate how the services they provide, or propose to provide, can contribute towards delivery of one or more of the following priorities:

Priority 1 - Victims will have access to practical and emotional support, regardless of: whereabouts in Scotland they live; the nature or severity of the crime; whether it has been reported; or what stage of the justice journey they are at.
Priority 2 - Victims will have access to joined-up services that are inclusive and accessible to all, are trauma-informed, provide streamlined support, and reduce the need for victims to recount their experiences to several different organisations.
Priority 3 - Families bereaved by crime committed in Scotland or abroad will have access to specialist practical and emotional support.
Priority 4 - Victims / survivors of gender based violence will have access to consistent and specialist criminal justice advocacy support.
Priority 5 - Adult victims of human trafficking and/or slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour will have access to support and assistance.

Full details on the terms and conditions for the Victim Centred Approach Fund are set out in the application guidance .

Victim Surcharge Fund

The Victim Surcharge Fund (VSF) supplements and enhances support core services that the victim support organisations (VSO) already provide to victims of crime

The VSF is intended to meet:

costs that would not have been incurred if the person was not a victim of crime;
costs which cannot be met reasonably by any other source.

In many cases, this will mean using the fund to pay for one-off expenses or services incurred by the victim or their relative within the first 6 months of the victim engaging with the VSO. However, VSOs have flexibility to determine on a case-by-case basis how long after initial engagement support can be provided.

Funding provided is to allow VSOs to make payments to third parties, contractors, etc for goods and services provided.

Full details on the terms and conditions are set out in the Victim Surcharge Fund Guidance .

Question reference: S6W-24909

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to the St Andrews University Students’ Association since 2019.

The Scottish Government provided a one-off payment to college and university student associations as an exceptional measure to provide additional mental health and wellbeing support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

£730,250 was provided to the Scottish Funding Council in financial year 2020-21 to allocate to college and university students’ associations. The University of St Andrews Students’ Association received £16,000 of this funding.

Further details on the purpose and use of this funding can be found at: https://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications-statistics/announcements/2021/SFCAN012021.aspx

Question reference: S6W-24914

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to the Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association since 2019.

Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association was awarded funding from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults in 2021-22 and 2022-23 to support their Keeping Warm Project and mental health training.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is distributed in all 32 regions of Scotland by Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations who, working in collaboration with other local partners, are responsible for allocating the funding to local community initiatives which support mental health and wellbeing. This is based on local needs and in line with national criteria issued by Scottish Government.

The grant terms and conditions relating to this funding to Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association are determined by Highland Third Sector Interface

Question reference: S6W-24912

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to Moray Mental Health since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-24913

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Holding Answer by Emma Roddick on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to the Milngavie Old Peoples Welfare Committee since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-25300

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it provided to Alternatives West Dunbartonshire CDS since 2019.

Alternatives West Dunbartonshire CDS has received funding from the Scottish Government’s Prison to Rehab Protocol since 2022. The pathway supports individuals leaving prison who would benefit from accessing abstinence based treatment on release, based on an individual needs based assessment.

Alternatives West Dunbartonshire CDS is a recipient of the National Drugs Mission fund. Whilst Scottish Government do not directly set the objectives, the Corra Foundation has administered the National Drugs Mission Funds on our behalf, since 2021, to third sector and grassroots organisations and details of the projects are available at : Grant holder data - Corra Foundation .

Question reference: S6W-24919

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to The Active Learning Centre since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-24924

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 22 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in each year since 2019.

Since 2019 Scottish Government has provided £750k to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This funding was transferred on 1 December 2023 in response to UNRWA’s flash appeal for those caught up in the conflict between Hamas and Israel. This funding was a one-off contribution in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We have no plans for further contributions at this point in time.

Question reference: S6W-25298

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 20 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for any funding that it has provided to Refugee Sanctuary Scotland since 2019.

Refugee Sanctuary Scotland was formerly known as Refugee Survival Trust, up to July 2023. The Scottish Government has not provided funding to Refugee Sanctuary Scotland, but has provided funding to the organisation under their former name since 2019.

The following table contains a list of objectives set by Scottish Government with reference to the funding provided to the organisation then known as Refugee Survival Trust since 2019.

Funding	Objective
Immediate Priorities Fund	To address the additional needs of asylum seekers and people subject to NRPF that will occur as a result of anticipated Covid-19 restrictions in the Glasgow area for the period 2020 - 2021.
Immediate Priorities Fund	To address the immediate needs of refugees and asylum seekers, in particular those experiencing or at risk of destitution during the current public health crisis 2020 – 2021.
Immediate Priorities Fund	To address challenges as a result of Covid-19, to support vulnerable individuals and those in need, to help communities respond to the needs and challenges they are experiencing, and protect the wellbeing of the people of Scotland 2020 – 2021.

Refugee Survival Trust also received funding under the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund, which is operated by Paths for All, for a pilot project facilitating public transport access.

Question reference: S6W-24928

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent steps it has taken to improve A&E waiting list times at NHS Forth Valley.

Officials meet regularly with NHS Forth Valley to ensure progress against their delivery plan. The board have a number of actions underway to support performance recovery including optimisation of their Flow Navigation Centre to ensure better links with primary and community care, increasing frailty capacity and focused work to embed their Discharge without Delay approach.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) is working with NHS Boards including NHS Forth Valley to support delivery of the Urgent and Unscheduled Care collaborative, to ensure sustainable ways of delivering services, improving access for patients, and reducing unnecessary demand for services.