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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-11653

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of secondary school pupils have received education on the Holocaust during their time at school in the school year 2021-22.

The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust, not only within social studies, but across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the Holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.

Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of secondary school pupils who have received education on the Holocaust during the 2021-22 school year, however a wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.

Question reference: S6W-11655

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all secondary school pupils are taught about the Holocaust.

Question reference: S6W-11621

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to allocate further funding for university students facing hardship in relation to the cost of living.

Students in further or higher education currently experiencing financial hardship should apply to their college or university for support from Discretionary Funds. We have provided £16.8m in hardship funding for the current academic year to support higher education students experiencing financial hardship, in addition to free tuition in Scotland and a range of bursary support.

I have urged college and university principals to continue to prioritise hardship funds to students most in need, taking account the impact of rising energy bills.

Question reference: S6W-11686

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address Scotland’s reported productivity lag, in light of the findings published in the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development report, The four-day week: Scottish employer perspectives on moving to a shorter working week, that 63% of Scottish employers surveyed indicated that they would need to boost productivity before considering the introduction of a four-day working week.

The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland's businesses, industries, regions, communities and public services more productive and innovative. Productivity growth is the means by which we will build a better society, through higher incomes and living standards, and a fairer, more resilient, wellbeing economy for Scotland. Scotland’s longer term productivity growth has already been outperforming the UK as a whole since the financial crisis, and the Scottish Government is already taking direct action and investing in key policy areas to promote productivity growth and support a wellbeing economy.

Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation’s third programme focuses on making Scotland’s businesses, industries, regions, communities and public services more productive and innovative. We will stimulate business growth by investing in innovation, expanding opportunities internationally and supporting businesses to benefit from the transformational opportunities of digitalisation. Productivity Clubs were launched in 2019 to establish informal networks supporting peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and learning, and nurturing opportunities for collaboration, and have since been expanded.

The 2022-23 Programme for Government commits to undertaking research and advice to improve workplace productivity and wellbeing, including on the delivery of a four-day working week pilot, and to ensure that digital and technological innovation is used as a key driver for improved productivity and work standards/conditions.

Question reference: S6O-01451

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow regarding capital investment in the facility.

Question reference: S6W-11117

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to prioritise resourcing local authorities to exercise their powers to create municipal bus companies under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, in light of the cost of living crisis and climate emergency.

Section 34 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 is now in force, providing wider powers for local transport authorities to run their own buses. Additionally, secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of 2023. These powers will complement and continue to build on the service improvements supported through the Bus Partnership Fund.

We recognise that not every local authority will want to run their own bus services, but the new powers enable them to determine what is best for their local areas. We will continue to work with local authorities as they explore the full range of options set out in the 2019 Act, including local authority-run bus services. Work is currently ongoing with local authorities and COSLA to determine how best to allocate funding in light of the emergency budget review.

Question reference: S6W-11119

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review, and consider increasing, the sum of £74 million that has been allocated to the Community Bus Fund, in light of reports that the total cost of bus franchising in Manchester alone is estimated to be £200 million.

The Scottish Government introduced the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to provide an enhanced suite of options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs. Local Authorities now have the power to run their own bus services, and secondary legislation to enable bus franchising and partnership options will be introduced before the end of 2023.

It is important that the options within the Transport Act 2019 are fully explored to ensure they are appropriate for the area, and are sustainable for local authorities long term. As such, the Community Bus Fund aims to support local authorities to explore their powers under the Transport Act 2019, and enable options to be trialled on a smaller scale.

Question reference: S6W-11118

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to local authorities from the £74 million Community Bus Fund since 2021, and how much remains in the fund to be distributed by the end of the current parliamentary session.

The recent Resource Spending Review allocated £46 million to the Community Bus fund for the remainder of this parliament, with a further £30 million allocated in the Capital Spending Review. These financial envelopes are intended to guide financial planning and reform across the public sector, in anticipation of future Scottish budget setting processes. Work is ongoing with local authorities and COSLA to determine how best to allocate this funding.

Question reference: S6W-10832

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake a consultation on the introduction or piloting of bans or other restrictions on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) over 7.5t in weight from overtaking on Scottish trunk roads.

Question reference: S6W-10606

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm a capital finance package for the proposed Scottish Event Campus (SEC) expansion, which secured Planning Permission in Principle (PPiP) from Glasgow City Council in June 2021, and what its position is on whether its timeous construction is critical to maintaining the international competitiveness of the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

We recognise the importance of the Scottish Events Campus as one of the world’s top conference and events venues, as recently exemplified in the successful hosting of COP26. It is clear that the SEC makes a vital contribution not just to Glasgow’s economy, but to Scotland’s economy as a whole.

As Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, I engaged with Peter Duthie, the CEO of the SEC, with regards to the SEC expansion plans and broader matters affecting the events sector. These discussions have necessarily been paused due to emerging budgetary pressures and reassessment of budget priorities as set out in the Resource Spending Review. We are therefore unable to commit to the provision of funding support via a capital finance package for the expansion of the conferencing centre at the current time.

However, we are keen to continue to engage with the SEC and the wider business conference and events sector on how the review of the National Event Strategy Scotland: The Perfect Stage, can enable us to build on its success, and to deliver on the priorities of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.