Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-03814

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to FOI request FOI/202100240457, what assessment it made that resulted in its decision to withhold information on the basis that concerns over home safety were outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the privacy of individuals who provided personal information.

Question reference: S6W-03581

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to South Ayrshire Council in light of reports of an estimated funding gap of between £59 and £69 million for the period to 2029-30.

Decisions on future local government finance settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets and/or Spending Reviews.

In 2021-22, South Ayrshire Council will receive a total funding package of
‎ £232.7 million to support local services, which includes an extra £6.3 million to support vital day to day services, equivalent to an increase of 2.9 per cent compared to 2020-21. To date, the council have been allocated an additional £30 million to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, through the local government settlement - over and above their regular grant payments.

Question reference: S6O-00331

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Barr Environmental has received a £99 million fine for having not paid tax on disposed waste.

Question reference: S6W-03584

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards are in place to ensure the £250,000 provided to the Humanitarian Emergency Fund to help with the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is not misspent.

On 2 September 2021, the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture announced that £250,000 would be made available from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to provide critical help for the people of Afghanistan.

The Scottish Government is in close contact with the charities involved in the HEF to determine how support could be delivered safely and effectively.

All members of the HEF Panel are obliged to comply with the HEF Operations Manual, which includes financial, safeguarding and fraud guidelines. Furthermore, project implementing partners are required to sign a grant offer letter with the Scottish Government before funding is released. Our grant conditions require all grant-holders to keep open and transparent records for all Scottish Government funds.

Question reference: S6W-03585

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £250,000 provided to the Humanitarian Emergency Fund in relation to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has been spent to date.

On 2 September 2021, the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture announced that £250,000 would be made available from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to provide critical help for the people of Afghanistan.

Given the volatile operating environment on the ground in Afghanistan, our NGO partners have been unable, as of 19 October, to operate safely to deliver much needed humanitarian assistance. However, we are in close contact with our partners and as soon as assurances over the safety of their staff in Afghanistan are forthcoming, disbursement will commence.

Question reference: S6W-03629

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported repeated occurrences of anti-Irish chants and behaviour of some individuals at Scottish football grounds.

The Scottish Government is committed to eliminating sectarianism, racism and all discrimination from our national game. We believe that there is no place for discrimination of any form in football or society in general and the Scottish Government condemns those who commit any actions.

Since 2012 we have invested £15 million in work to tackle sectarianism which has delivered the broadest and most comprehensive set of activities in response to this issue that there has ever been. This includes 9 projects funded for 2021-22, including the Fair Play Foundation who are working with SFA schools of football and community football clubs along with North Kelvin Sports Development and Sense Over Sectarianism who are now working with the South of Scotland Lowland Development League.

Police Scotland work with clubs to identify and take action against individuals as we appreciate the majority of football fans do not participate in these forms of hatred against others.

Question reference: S6W-03588

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ambition set out in its Suicide Prevention Action Plan to reduce suicide rates by 20% by 2022.

The Scottish Government launched its Suicide Prevention Action Plan (SPAP) ‘Every Life Matters’ in 2018. It contains a target to “reduce the rate of suicide by 20% by 2022 (from a 2017 baseline)” and outlines 10 actions to help achieve that goal.

The baseline rate of suicide in 2017 was based on a five-year average (2013-2017). The equivalent rate for the period ending in 2022 will be calculated in the same way, using data for the whole period 2018-2022, which will be available from National Records of Scotland (NRS) in mid to late 2023.

The National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) reports annually on progress in taking forward actions in the SPAP and on supplementary recommendations agreed since publication. Its most recent annual report was issued in September 2021.

Many of the key deliverables of the Action Plan have been achieved to date, including the launch of Scotland’s social movement: ‘United to Prevent Suicide’; production of learning resources on suicide prevention, mental health and self-harm; guidance to encourage, inform, and support local suicide prevention approaches; and the launch of a pilot service to support those bereaved by suicide.

We have accepted recent recommendations made by the NSPLG in its report on improving support for suicidal crisis. These recommendations will be taken forward by a new National Lead and a dedicated Suicidal Crisis Support Action Group.

Furthermore we are working with COSLA and stakeholders to develop a new long-term suicide prevention strategy for Scotland. The strategy will be published in September 2022, supported by a clear delivery plan, and underpinned by a commitment to double suicide prevention spending by the end of this Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-03583

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to South Ayrshire Council, including from any emergency funds, to tackle the reported increase in applications from people presenting as homeless in the area.

In 2021-22, South Ayrshire Council has been allocated £176,000 from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund. To date, South Ayrshire Council has been allocated an additional £30 million to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic over and above its regular grant payments. It is the responsibility of individual councils to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

However, South Ayrshire Council has reported that there has not been an increase in homelessness applications and that they are continuing to support people through the system and into settled accommodation as quickly as possible.

Question reference: S6W-03572

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to create a Peace Institute by 2022, including its (a) location, (b) cost and (c) remit.

Question reference: S6O-00281

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated for the upgrade of the A77 in its Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-2026.

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