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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-01988

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its target to recruit 800 additional GPs by the end of 2027.

Question reference: S6W-14228

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the Network Support Grant scheme for the bus network beyond March 2023 in (a) general and (b) order to ensure there is sufficient support for the number 52 bus route in Barrhead.

There are currently no plans for the Network Support Grant to end in March 2023. The Network Support Grant replaced both BSOG and emergency COVID support grants from 1 April 2022.

The Network Support Grant Plus was always a temporary fund, designed to further support operators as we emerged from the pandemic, due to the pressure still experienced, and to aid recovery. The Network Support Grant Plus was extended in both July and October, coming to an end in March brings us into line with the end of the funding in England and Wales.

It is important that the support we give transport operators continues to evolve to make sure it remains fit for purpose and is sustainable long term. Support is also provided to bus operators through our concessionary travel schemes which allows free bus travel to all children and young people under 22 as well as disabled people and everyone over 60. We also provide support to operators to decarbonise their bus fleet, assisting them with the purchase of zero emission buses and charging infrastructure through our Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme and the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund.

The intent of the Network Support Grant is to support the bus network and it is up to operators to use their own commercial judgement and decide which individual routes they run in the open de-regulated market, as established by the Transport Act 1985. Scottish Ministers have no powers to intervene.

Question reference: S6W-14229

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of its analysis of the impact of the Network Support Grant scheme on the bus network across Scotland.

The purpose of the Network Support Grant is to help to keep both commercial and subsidised services more extensive and fares more affordable than they would otherwise have been. The Network Support Grant continues to provide the same support that the Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) provided for many years. As such, it is difficult to separate the impact of the Network Support Grant from the Bus Service Operator Grant on the bus network.

Question reference: S6W-14227

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent communication it has had with McGill's Buses regarding the number 52 bus route in Barrhead.

Question reference: S6W-14226

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) regarding the proposal to withdraw the Network Support Grant scheme at the end of March 2023.

There are currently no plans to withdraw the Network Support Grant scheme and as such, no discussions on this topic have been held with SPT.

The Network Support Grant Plus scheme is a temporary scheme which is coming to an end on 31 March 2023. The Scottish Government, bus operators, local authorities and regional transport partnerships including SPT are continuing to collaborate through the Bus Taskforce to explore how to address the challenges of rising costs and driver shortages currently facing the bus industry.

Question reference: S6T-01149

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported announcement that Unite the Union has withdrawn from the co-design process of the National Care Service.

Question reference: S6O-01826

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with East Renfrewshire Council.

Question reference: S6O-01744

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting children and young people's theatre.

Question reference: S6W-12507

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make additional resources available to support the NHS Gluten-free Food Service.

Question reference: S6W-12325

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether low-income families that are comprised of children in (a) kinship care and (b) foster care are eligible for the new Scottish Child Payment.

Scottish Child Payment offers financial support to families with children, and is paid as a top-up of certain qualifying reserved benefits, such as Universal Credit. Applicants must also demonstrate child responsibility to meet the qualifying criteria in full.

The regulations for Scottish Child Payment specifically define kinship care as a way of meeting child responsibility and so low-income families that are also kinship carers may be eligible for Scottish Child Payment if they meet all the eligibility criteria. We recently amended the definition of kinship care to ensure more low income kinship carers are eligible now we have rolled out Scottish Child Payment to children under 16. These regulations can be found at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2022/336/contents/made ..

Low income families that are also foster carers are not eligible for Scottish Child Payment. This is because children in foster care are considered looked after by the local authority and, as such, foster carers do not satisfy the legal responsibilities or rights that entitle them to child responsibility benefits. Foster carers receive allowances from local authorities to cover the needs of children living with them.