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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-32410

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 16 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.

Question reference: S6O-04166

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is giving consideration to a pilot scheme on independent legal representation for rape victims.

Question reference: S6W-31969

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to compensate businesses on the Isle of Arran for any losses that they have incurred as a result of delayed and cancelled ferries.

Scottish Ministers appreciate the particular challenges faced by island communities as a result of delayed and cancelled ferries.

Recognising the distinct challenges of hospitality business on Islands, the Scottish Budget announced we will continue to offer 100% relief in 2025-26 for hospitality businesses located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas, capped at £110,000 per business.

The Scottish Budget also announced a freeze to the Basic Property Rate in 2025-26, delivering the lowest such rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row, and supporting a package of reliefs in 2025-26 worth an estimated £731 million. This includes maintaining the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous relief of its kind in the UK.

Question reference: S6O-04104

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that it plans to double the funding available to local authorities through its school meal debt fund from £1.4 million to £2.8 million, whether it plans to allocate the same amount of funding on a recurring basis in future Budgets.

The Scottish Government has taken steps to address the historic school meal debt accrued by local authorities by increasing the funding available through the School Meal Debt Fund from £1.5m to £2.8m in 2024/25. This increase has fully met the requests made by local authorities on school meal debt.

The 2025/26 budget will deliver a really strong deal for councils that means they can avoid families building up significant debt. This funding along with the measures outlined in the COSLA guidance on this matter, will ensure that future school meal debt is managed appropriately, as far as possible, for families.

Question reference: S6O-04008

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its cross-government co-ordination on islands policies, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding what more it can do to support residents and businesses on the Isle of Cumbrae.

Question reference: S6W-31143

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it is undertaking regarding (a) the implementation of firework control zones and (b) any impact that firework control zones are having on deterring the antisocial use of fireworks.

All local authorities are required to review the operation and effectiveness of any firework control zones designated within their area. Data gathered as a part of such reviews can be utilised for the Scottish Government's statutory obligation to report on the operation of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 for the period through to 10 August 2027. Ministers also engage with relevant parties, such as Police Scotland, to understand the impact of firework control zones.

Question reference: S6W-31145

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with industry representatives regarding standards of specification to categorise "silent" or "low-noise" fireworks, in order to incorporate their use into the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022.

The current maximum legal noise level for fireworks is defined in UK-wide legislation, the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015.

While we recognise that some retailers label fireworks as silent or low noise consultations with various stakeholders had confirmed that no formal standard or specification exists to identify or differentiate these products.

We are keen to stay informed about advancements in this area, and I have written to the new UK Government to request a meeting to discuss possible updates to fireworks regulations on a UK wide basis. I recognise we share the goal of enhancing community safety and wellbeing, and I plan to address noise as part of these discussions.

Within the powers available to us, we have taken a series of proportionate, evidence-based steps to strengthen the law around access to and use of fireworks.

Question reference: S6W-31144

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is reviewing whether to incorporate, via regulations, a provision for “low noise” or “silent” fireworks into the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022.

Question reference: S6O-03994

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-30882

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 11 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measurable objectives it has for building cohesive communities.

Community cohesion stretches across a number of policy themes and outcomes. For example, our Vision for Justice three year delivery plan remains to deliver a just, safe resilient Scotland. This will see us living in safer, more tolerant and inclusive communities, free from inequality and hate. We are progressing with delivering on our three year plan, and key milestones. We also continue to promote the use of the Place Standard Tool as an effective tool for community engagement, including within community planning and spatial planning. It includes themes and prompts relating to exploring community cohesion, and its use can in itself promote trust and increased participation in decision making, as well as drive improvements in neighbourhood quality. We don’t have formal measurable objectives regarding use of the tool.

The report Social Capital and Community Wellbeing in Scotland (published on 1 October 2024) provides a measure of social capital that includes ‘community cohesion’ as one of the four domains, and it provides a range of measures to track community cohesion over time and broken down by geography and population subgroups.