Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 820 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-10741

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many visa applications under its Super Sponsor scheme have been rejected since the introduction of the scheme.

Question reference: S6W-10740

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on what documentation and proof of identity are required in order to be issued a visa under its Super Sponsor scheme.

Question reference: S6W-10260

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected cost is of the planned Scottish Government office in Warsaw, when it anticipates that the office will open, and what the process will be for hiring staff for the office.

The new Scottish Government Office in Warsaw will be opened within the lifetime of this Parliament.

The office will be staffed by Civil Servants and Country Based Staff. Civil Servants are appointed to represent Scotland in our international offices by a recruitment panel that includes the posts’ line manager. Appointees can be recruited from existing roles within the Scottish Government or from wider UK Government departments. The Country Based Staff are recruited using the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office recruitment processes in each country.

Costs and staffing levels for the office will be finalised under future Scottish Government Budgets, in line with our priorities and within our budgetary limits.

Question reference: S6W-10259

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) set-up and (b) running costs are for the newly-opened Scottish Government Copenhagen office, how many members of staff are employed by the Scottish Government in the office, and what the salary bands are for each of those members of staff.

The new Scottish Government International Office in Copenhagen operates from within the local British Embassy and is co-located with Scottish Development International.

It comprises three members of staff. Two are employed directly by the Scottish Government, while the third team member is locally employed via the British Embassy.

The two Scottish Government officials are on A-C pay bands. Due to the small number of staff members in this office, we are unable to disclose their specific pay bands as it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.

The locally employed team member is not on the Scottish Government’s pay bandings and their salary is based on location.

The total budget for the Copenhagen office in Financial Year 2022-2023 is £598,000. This covers staffing, running costs and all activities of the Scottish Government’s office in Copenhagen including a programme of policy, trade and cultural events to promote investment and economic opportunities between Scotland and the Nordic countries.

Question reference: S6O-01350

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Police Authority about improving the accountability of policing in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-10526

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 1 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that teachers going through the Teacher Induction Scheme can access permanent roles.

Local councils are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their staff. This includes providing a complement of teachers which best meets the needs of each of their schools and its pupils within the resources available.

During the pandemic, the Scottish Government provided an additional £240m to local authorities to support the recruitment of additional teachers and support staff.

We have since committed further permanent funding of £145.5m a year to support education staffing. This provides assurance of funding for councils, and removes any uncertainty as a barrier to employing staff on permanent contracts.

The Teacher Induction Scheme provides a one year probationary placement to allow teachers to meet the Standard for Full Registration. This does not, however, provide a guarantee of future employment with a particular local authority. Teaching posts should be advertised and filled in a fair and transparent manner by the local authority employer.

Question reference: S6O-01333

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-10047

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the five-year trends are for each type of recorded crime in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-10070

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the amount paid to hotel operators for accommodating Ukrainian refugees is calculated, and whether the amount varies depending on how many refugees are accommodated.

Question reference: S6W-10068

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has received from local authorities regarding the reported use of “surge teams” for supporting Ukrainian refugees.

Scotland’s response to the crisis in Ukraine is a round-the-clock operation, supported by multi-agency teams, local authorities, CoSLA and the third sector to ensure individuals displaced from Ukraine are treated with care and respect and their complex needs are met.

Scottish Government continue to benefit from a good working relationship with local authorities where we are, jointly with COSLA, providing additional matching resource to support local authority activity.

Feedback to date from local authorities and other partners regarding the use of matching teams has been positive.