Chamber and committees

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-13239

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of every (a) individual and (b) organisation the Education Reform Programme Board has met since its inception up to 9 December 2022.

The role of the Education Reform Strategic Programme Board is to provide advice and support to the programme, ensuring its successful and safe delivery.

The strategic board and three delivery boards have been established to lead, design and deliver work to establish three new national education bodies to replace the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland. The arrangements for education reform governance include a wide range of external stakeholders to provide a broad and diverse range of views and to put critical challenge at the centre of this work. Minutes of the Education Reform Strategic Programme Board, including attendance, can be found at www.gov.scot/groups/education-reform/.

Engagement with education reform stakeholders and users will continue to be a core part of the education reform programme whose delivery this board oversees. This engagement will provide all those with a stake and interest in the success of education reform with opportunities to provide further input and challenge to inform the design and delivery of the three new national education bodies and the wider education reform programme.

Question reference: S6O-01751

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reduce antisocial behaviour in the Central Scotland region.

Question reference: S6W-13061

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to promote locally-sourced, organic food for school meals throughout Scotland.

All local authorities are under a statutory duty to have regard to any guidance, such as ‘Better Eating, Better Learning’, issued by Scottish Ministers on the application of the principles of sustainable development when providing food or drink or catering services in schools. Local authorities, supported by Scotland Excel, remain committed to using local and sustainable produce in school catering wherever possible. It is up to each local authority to decide what produce, including organic, to use in their catering services, taking into account local needs, priorities and circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-12937

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its anticipated outcomes are of appointing a Chief Entrepreneur, and what the timetable is for delivery.

The outcome which the Scottish Government anticipated would be delivered through its appointment of a Chief Entrepreneur was to have someone with exceptional experience of growing start-up companies to scale with the credibility and influence necessary to command the respect of industry, investors and public sector leaders to take on a key role at the heart of government which covers designing, advising on and supporting effective programmes to successfully embed entrepreneurship across all sectors of the Scottish economy. This current appointment achieves that outcome. Under the terms of his contract, the Chief Entrepreneur will be in post for an initial term of two years.

Question reference: S6W-12936

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings its Chief Entrepreneur has had with education institutions since his appointment.

The Chief Entrepreneur has had 9 meetings with education institutions since his appointment, not including daily engagements through email, social media and wider events. These engagements reflect the urgency and drive which the Chief Entrepreneur has brought to his work in government as well as the broad base of engagement and relationship building required in order to successfully embed entrepreneurship across all sectors of the Scottish economy. A list of all engagements undertaken by the Chief Entrepreneur in this time will shortly be published through the FOI process.

Question reference: S6W-12935

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings its Chief Entrepreneur has had with businesses since his appointment.

The Chief Entrepreneur has had 24 formal meetings with businesses since his appointment, not including daily engagements through email, social media and wider events. These engagements reflect the urgency and drive which the Chief Entrepreneur has brought to his work in government as well as the broad base of engagement and relationship building required in order to successfully embed entrepreneurship across all sectors of the Scottish economy. A list of all engagements undertaken by the Chief Entrepreneur during this period will shortly be published through the FOI process.

Question reference: S6W-12932

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the job description is for its new Chief Entrepreneur role.

Question reference: S6W-12933

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants were considered for its new Chief Entrepreneur role.

Professor Logan was selected for this role in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code, which enables Ministers to make appointments providing they are satisfied that the preferred candidate is being appointed on the basis of merit. Professor Logan was selected from a list of outstanding candidates on the basis of his exceptional experience in growing companies to scale, advising and investing in Scottish start-ups, his strong relationship across industry and investors, and his work in teaching entrepreneurship at the University of Glasgow. This list was assembled, and the decision made, following discussions with key figures in industry, academia, the entrepreneurial ecosystem and public sector leaders.

Question reference: S6W-12934

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual salary is for its new Chief Entrepreneur role, and what (a) expenses and (b) support the post-holder is entitled to.

Question reference: S6W-12931

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide training and skills development for people who want to enter the field of ecommerce.

The Scottish Government understands that 13,000 new recruits are needed every year to fill digital technology roles, including roles in e-commerce. That is why we have invested over £4 million since 2020, via Skills Development Scotland, to broaden the digital talent pool. This has included the delivery of reskilling programmes such as the Digital Start Fund, a programme which supports people on benefits or low incomes, and the Digital Skills Pipeline, a modular set of courses running from beginner level all the way through to advanced coding. By giving grant funding to Code Your Future, another training organisation, we have also helped vulnerable people, including refugees, with the skills and networks necessary to progress in education and employment. Going forward, a new Digital Economy Skills Action Plan for Scotland, which is being developed in partnership with industry and stakeholders, will identify the activity that will best support the needs of the digital economy going forward, aligning with the recommendations from Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review (STER) and National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET).