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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-35618

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve accountability and performance management within the civil service, and whether it is reviewing dismissal procedures for any underperformance.

Performance management procedures in place for Senior Civil Servants and for Civil Servants at delegated grades, are regularly reviewed and include procedure in relation to management of poor performance and dismissal.

While workforce and terms and conditions of employment for Scottish Government civil servants are delegated to Scottish Ministers, the terms and conditions of Senior Civil Servants (SCS) are reserved to the UK Government and any changes made by UK Ministers and their application will be considered by Scottish Ministers in due course.

Question reference: S6W-35430

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been made available to the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations, and what the objectives associated with that funding were, for each of the last five financial years.

Please see the following table outlining the funding made available to the Association of Chief Officers or Scottish Voluntary Organisations and the objectives associated with that funding for each of the last five financial years.

Financial Year	Grant name/amount	Objectives/Outcomes of Grant
20-21	ACOSVO Core Grant Funding £164,773	The main objectives / expected outcomes of the Grant are: Inspire: Champion Third Sector Leadership Excel: Build Skills and Confidence for Excellent Leadership Develop: Develop and Sustain ACOSVO as an Organisation which is an Example of Leadership and Governance Good Practice Support the government and communities in responding to Covid-19, as required.
20-21	Resilient Leadership Study £8,000	To support the study of “Resilient leadership in the third sector in Scotland” To expand intelligence gathering amongst third sector leadership to support this To deploy learning in support of leadership exchange work, the Scottish Leaders Forum and other priorities as agreed.
21-22	ACOSVO Core Grant Funding £219,697	The main objectives / expected outcomes of the Grant are: Inspire: Champion Third Sector Leadership Excel: Build Skills and Confidence for Excellent Leadership Develop: Develop and Sustain ACOSVO as an Organisation which is an Example of Leadership and Governance Good Practice Support the government and communities in Covid-19 recovery and renewal and responding to the end of the EU Exit transition as required.
21-22	Cyber Resilience – Voluntary Sector “Be Better Informed” Project £5,200	Increase access to, and use of, threat intelligence to inform understanding of risk Promote the use of NCSC’s Cyber Information Sharing Platform (CISP) Include information on cyber threat and risk in advice and guidance from third sector advisory and regulatory bodies Promote the range of cyber security standards and regulations available to support clearer choices for the Third sector based on their exposure to risk and their risk appetite.
22-23	ACOSVO Core Grant Funding £219,697	The main objectives / expected outcomes of the Grant are: Inspire: Champion Third Sector Leadership Excel: Build Skills and Confidence for Excellent Leadership Develop: Develop and Sustain ACOSVO as an Organisation which is an Example of Leadership and Governance Good Practice Support the government and communities in Covid-19 recovery and renewal and responding to the end of the EU Exit transition as required.
23-24	ACOSVO Core Grant Funding £228,485	SUPPORT, DEVELOP & INSPIRE voluntary sector leaders at all stages in their journey ADVANCE thinking, ideas and resilience for the future STRENGTHEN connections, organisations, governance, sustainability and partnerships.
23-24	£44,000	The expected outcomes of the Grant are: Implementing the recommendations of ACOSVO EDI survey on Learning and development; Transition and succession planning; and Participating in Delivering Equally Safe at Work The targets/milestones against which progress in achieving objectives/expected outcomes shall be monitored are: Monitoring of progress against outcomes and objectives is expected to be a joint and shared process. We will develop with the Grantee a proportionate approach to monitoring and reporting, via enabling relationships based on partnership, a focus on outcomes, and mutual learning, that takes forward our shared thinking, and can inform future policy.
24-25	ACOSVO Core Grant Funding £228,485	Outcome 1. SUPPORT, DEVELOP & INSPIRE voluntary sector leaders at all stages in their journey Outcome 2. ADVANCE thinking, ideas and resilience for the future Outcome 3. STRENGTHEN connections, organisations, governance, sustainability and partnerships.
24-25	£44,000	The expected outcomes of the Grant are: Implementing the recommendations of ACOSVO EDI survey on Learning and development; Transition and succession planning; and Participating in Delivering Equally Safe at Work The targets/milestones against which progress in achieving objectives/expected outcomes shall be monitored are: Monitoring of progress against outcomes and objectives is expected to be a joint and shared process. We will develop with the Grantee a proportionate approach to monitoring and reporting, via enabling relationships based on partnership, a focus on outcomes, and mutual learning, that takes forward our shared thinking, and can inform future policy.

Question reference: S6W-35420

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address reports of burnout and low morale among police officers in Scotland.

This is an operational matter for Police Scotland. The Chief Constable stated to the Criminal Justice Committee that the wellbeing of police officers and staff is one of her main priorities. Police Scotland has made a £17 million investment in wellbeing, which includes their 24-7 employee assistance programme that will focus on providing support wherever and whenever it is needed, and enhanced occupational health services to support officers and staff wellbeing.

The Chief Constable has provided reassurance that Police Scotland has a healthy recruitment pipeline, and more recruits have been taken on this (financial) year than at any time since 2013.

Question reference: S6W-35445

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what items were covered under the heading "Catering; Bar Equipment and Accessories" in the information provided under freedom of information (FOI) release FOI/202500450646 (Scottish Government office equipment spend).

FOI/202500450646 contained the spend category, Catering; Bar Equipment and Accessories. The following items are within this category -

Items for sample processing (knives, potato peelers, chopping boards, scoops, mills)

Protective clothing (disposable aprons/lab coats)

Storage boxes, plastic trays and jugs

Catering trolleys

Mops and cleaning chemicals

Water boilers to sterilise sample processing equipment

Freezers

Servicing of mills, and replacement of parts

Dishwashers

Compact Mobile Trolley

Vacuum Milk Jug

Replacement boiler for crew mess

Fridges

Crockery and cutlery

Chefs whites

Pots and sauce pans

Miscellaneous kitchen equipment

Bed sheets and linen for crew cabin areas

Milk Fridge, including materials, Powder/Hotwater/ Tank and maintenance agreement

Coffee Machine

Water Filter, Filter Cartridge

Cleaning Container and Carriage

Glass Rack 16 compartment x 5

Glass Rack 16 compartment x 4

Folding table,

Turbofan Convection Oven

Catering supplies for family and witness rooms

Kettle

Flasks for Tea/Hot Water

Question reference: S6W-35444

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 14 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network since 2021.

The Scottish Communities Climate Action Network has received the following funding from the Scottish Government since 2021:

2021-22: £67,000

2022-23: £88,800

2023-24: £135,787

2024-25: £80,000

In addition to their core grant they received funding to support the design and set up of a number of climate action hubs. They employed regional co-ordinators to work with community groups to understand their needs and priorities and identify how this could be best delivered by a hub for their area.

To support this work they received the following:

2022-23: £441,000

2023-24: £393,921.

Question reference: S6W-35193

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the highest salary currently paid within the non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos, is.

Question reference: S6W-35194

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many non-departmental public body, also known as quango, employees earn salaries exceeding £85,000 per year.

As part of the commitment to be an open and transparent government, we promote the disclosure of names and salary details of senior public sector staff. Since October 2010, Scottish non-departmental public bodies have been asked to list the names and salary details of members of their senior leadership teams. You can find links to each body’s website at National public bodies: directory or on the Public Sector pay website at Pay transparency - Public sector pay.

Question reference: S6W-35195

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the Scottish budget is allocated to public bodies and how this has changed over the past decade.

Question reference: S6W-34837

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has held with the (a) chief executive of (i) the SQA and (ii) Education Scotland and (b) general secretary of the EIS since March 2023.

I undertake regular engagement with Scotland’s national education bodies and teaching professional associations at Chief Executive/General Secretary and official level. Details of these engagements are published on the Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts register.

The register is currently published up to end October 2024. Engagements are published three months in arrears in line with Ministerial Code.

Question reference: S6W-35192

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on public sector wages for non-departmental public bodies, also known as quangos, in each of the past five years.