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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: S6O-04524

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in hospital are waiting for a social care package assessment from North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

Question reference: S6T-02446

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider an independent external evaluation of the pilot scheme that provides victims in rape and serious assault cases with access to transcripts, in light of reports of some waiting a year for transcripts of their court cases.

Question reference: S6W-35355

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce a unified statutory framework regulating the use of restraint and seclusion on children across all state care and education settings, as set out in the letter from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner on 14 February 2025.

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing the need to practice restraint and seclusion. Across all settings we are clear that the use of restraint should only be used as a last resort in exceptional circumstances when it is the only practicable means of securing the welfare or safety of the child or another person.

A statutory framework covering all settings, including secure and residential care, health services and education settings would not be the most effective way of achieving a reduction of restraint and restrictive practice. Any scaffolding and support for children and young people in relation to restraint and seclusion, is best considered and addressed by each area independently to ensure that any support, training, guidance and reporting meets their needs in those particular settings.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with key partners, including the Children and Young People’s Commissioner and the Scottish Physical Restraint Action Group, to continue to reduce the use of restrictive practices through embedding transformational practice change and supporting developments in trauma responsive care.

Question reference: S6W-34291

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the current proposals from ScotRail, regarding a reduction of booking office opening hours in stations, address the preference of women and girls, highlighted in the recent Transport Scotland qualitative research, for an increase in a visible staff presence in the evenings and at weekends when using public transport, in light of reported concerns that the proposals would lead to a significant decrease in stations with facilities open in the evenings.

Following a conclusion of proposals mentioned by the Member, ScotRail stations will continue to offer access to station facilities as they do at present.

Staff will be more visible either on station platforms or on train to meet passenger aspiration of a more visible staff presence. There will be no job losses which means that staff no longer scheduled to be in the ticket office will be providing a more direct assistance to passengers on the network. Further information can also be found in S6W-34292 on 27 February 2025.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-34292

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in increasing staff presence and staff numbers across the ScotRail network, in response to the recommendation in the Transport Scotland summary report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, which calls for the feasibility to be explored of increasing staff presence at points of boarding, alighting and interchange.

The adjustments to ticket offices opening hours have been consulted upon with ScotRail staff and aim to increase the staff presence to enhance passenger travel experience and passenger safety, not least by allowing staff redeployment onto Travel Safe teams.

ScotRail Travel Safe Team has expanded to 28 members in the West and soon will add 9 team members in the East. Since its introduction, there has been a 43% reduction in reporting of low level anti-social behaviour, 10 suicide interventions and 1 lifesaving CPR intervention; youth related incidents decreased by 52% and a 70% reduction in anti-social behaviour related events in hot spot locations.

Importantly, it remains the specification of the Scottish Government that all ScotRail trains should have a member of staff on board to assist passengers, which is different to many UK operators.

Question reference: S6W-34591

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to embed the key messages of the paper, Improving relationships and behaviour in schools: ensuring safe and consistent environments for all, Joint action plan 2024 - 2027, which it published with COSLA in August 2024, in light of the decision by NASUWT members at Kirkintilloch High School to take industrial action, short of striking, due to reported concerns regarding staff safety and pupil behaviour.

Violent and abusive behaviours towards pupils or staff is unacceptable. Schools should be safe and consistent learning environments for all.

Since May 2023, we have responded to schools’ concerns about relationships and behaviour in a number of ways. This includes the publication of new guidance on gender-based violence, updating our guidance on mobile phones and anti-bullying, and providing £900k to local authorities to support training of support staff.

The joint relationships and behaviour in schools action plan was developed in collaboration with the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour, of which NASUWT is a member. The plan sets out 20 actions to be taken over the next three years at both national and local level to help support schools to improve relationships and behaviour. This includes a number of actions under the theme of reducing violence and harm in schools.

The Programme for Government 2024-25 contains a commitment to report annually on progress of delivery against the plan. The first progress report will be published in the coming weeks.

Question reference: S6W-34290

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the new duties on employers under the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, what steps are being taken to make all employers in Scotland aware of their obligations, and how commitments to the Respect principle in the Fair Work Framework will be addressed, to take account of these new duties.

The legal powers governing Health and Safety, Employment and Equality laws are reserved to the UK Government, and it is their responsibility to promote and enforce legislation in this area. However, taking action to prevent sexual harassment at work is an issue that the Scottish Government takes very seriously. We have made employers aware of their duty to protect their workers' health, safety and welfare by promoting fair work practices. For example, we notified employers and stakeholders of the Act in October’s edition of our monthly Equally Safe bulletin.

Additionally, we have been using the levers we do have to promote Fair Work and Fair Work Principles. Our Fair Work First Guidance on public sector spend is an example of this, it explicitly highlights to employers that violence against women and girls, including sexual harassment, is a workplace issue and how women's experiences of sexual harassment can have a detrimental impact on their employment.

The guidance highlights good practices for employers, such as Close the Gap's Equally Safe at Work accreditation program. It emphasises the importance of providing enhanced support for workers, including flexible working arrangements, leave entitlements, and access to resources for advice, such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and ACAS.

Our Fair Work approach follows the Fair Work framework introduced by the Fair Work Convention and commits to the principle of Respect, as it ensures the health, safety, and well-being of all employees. It addresses issues related to bullying and harassment and extends to promoting dignified treatment, social support, and the development of trusting relationships.

Question reference: S6O-04339

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to help local authorities move families with children out of temporary accommodation into suitable permanent homes.

Question reference: S6W-32654

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to complete the due diligence process in connection with the direct award of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract before 30 September 2025; what assessment it has made of the cost to taxpayers of the UK Government’s mandatory requirement to refer Scottish Government contracts to the Competition and Markets Authority, since 2022 to date, and when Transport Scotland officials last met with the chair and representatives of the Ferries Communities Board to discuss the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services 3 contract.

We expect to complete the due diligence in Spring 2025, prior to award of the new contract in October 2025.

The costs included in the referral to the CMA are the overall costs of providing ferry services over the coming years, which include the costs of increasing the number of vessels in the fleet, resulting in an increased charter cost to reflect the value of new assets.

Transport Scotland officials met with the Ferries Communities Board on 18 December 2024 to discuss issues related to Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services 3 contract.

Question reference: S6W-32410

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the new duties on employers under the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 regarding the prevention of sexual harassment of staff, how ScotRail is meeting its duty to take reasonable steps to prevent its employees from being subject to such harassment, including from third parties; whether it has asked ScotRail to (a) update its anti-harassment policies and (b) produce an updated risk assessment, and what its position is on whether ScotRail’s reported plans to reduce ticket office opening hours at 101 stations is compatible with the new duties.