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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-04135

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the expected health outcomes will be of the proposed increase in funding for Scotland’s NHS, as announced in the recent 2025-26 Budget statement.

Question reference: S6O-04036

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on Scotland's finances, how much it estimates will be raised in increased taxes in Scotland in 2025-26 as a result of the UK Autumn Budget.

Question reference: S6W-31010

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent commencement of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, what it will do to ensure that the views of children and young people are considered when a parent or carer seeks to withdraw them from religious observance and religious education in schools.

Religious observance (RO), plays an important role in pupil’s education. However, there is also a longstanding parental right to withdraw a pupil from both RO and religious instruction or religious and moral education (RME).

As with any decision which affects children and young people, it is only right that their views should also be taken into account when this right to withdraw is being exercised. Doing so is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and is especially relevant as pupils mature and take more responsibility for their own learning. However, while consideration of pupils’ views has long been a feature of our guidance on RO, this is not reflected in legislation.

The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 builds upon a strong record on children’s rights in Scotland, but the commencement of the Act is merely a step on our journey to uphold and promote children’s rights. It is with this in mind that I am announcing that the Scottish Government will shortly be bringing forward a narrowly focussed Bill, with the purpose of amending the current legislation to require that pupils’ views are considered when parents or carers are exercising their right to withdraw their child from RO and RME. This will bring legislation into line with existing guidance as well as strengthening our commitment to upholding children’s rights in all aspects of their lives, including education.

These changes in no way diminish the significance of RO and RME in the work of schools, helping pupils to grow and develop their own sense of themselves, to be confident in expressing their own beliefs and values, and to develop an understanding of and empathy towards others. This approach will strengthen the rights of Scottish children and young people, which are a key priority of this government, but I am also conscious of the wide range of views on this issue and will discuss these issues with members across the chamber and with other interested parties.

As part of this, although the proposed changes on RO and RME merely bring legislation into line with existing guidance, a public consultation will launch tomorrow to seek views on any implications of these changes, as well as insights into how the right to withdraw currently works in practice to help inform implementation. The consultation can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/education-reform/religious-observance-education-legislation-schools.

Question reference: S6W-30633

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the timescales for the delivery of the proposed National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

NatureScot and Scottish Forestry are currently putting together a project plan to build on the existing Ancient Woodland Inventory to develop the new National Register of Ancient Woodlands. Until this plan is complete, it is not possible to provide an indicative timescale for completion. The new National Register of Ancient Woodlands will be an important element of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery plan, which will be published shortly.

Question reference: S6W-30632

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to progress its commitment to establishing a National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

Question reference: S6W-30634

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what stakeholder engagement it has undertaken to progress the delivery of the proposed National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

NatureScot and Scottish Forestry are currently putting together a project plan to build on the existing Ancient Woodland Inventory to develop the new National Register of Ancient Woodlands. This will help us to determine how best work with land managers and other interested parties in delivering and maintaining the Register. We are committed to working with a broad range of stakeholders in taking this work forward.

Question reference: S6W-30593

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm what the full cost and impact of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships has been.

From 3 to 13 August 2023, Scotland proudly hosted the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships – the biggest cycling event ever. This historic and innovative event brought together 13 existing UCI World Championships to create a new ‘mega event’ that will be held every four years in the year preceding the Olympics.

More than 7,000 elite and amateur athletes from 131 countries competed, with 220 World Championship titles awarded. Around 1 million visitors attended the Championships, over a third of whom came from outside Scotland, with people travelling from five continents.

The event was a significant success for Scotland, economically and reputationally. It brought total GVA for Scotland of £205 million, with £129 million in total GVA for Glasgow. The total visitor spend in Scotland was £220 million. The Championships enjoyed significant international coverage, resulting in a global media equivalency value of £330 million for Scotland.

The Scottish Government was a Principal Funder for the Championships, alongside Glasgow City Council, UK Sport and British Cycling. The original budget for the event was £50 million, set in 2018. However, while significant efforts were made to bear down on costs throughout the project, the impact of Covid and inflationary pressures meant it was not possible to deliver the high-quality product required in the legal agreement with the UCI, the event rights holder, within the budget envelope. I can therefore confirm that the full cost of the Championships was £61.4 million. There is a small caveat to this figure which is still subject to final project closure and final company accounts being prepared and submitted, but there is no expectation that this will have a material impact on the overall figure.

The breakdown of costs is as follows:

Area	Cost
Commercial	£2.5 million
Governance and Business Services	£14.7 million
Marketing and Communications	£1.9 million
Operations	£7.3 million
Policy	£0.1 million
Sport	£27.1 million
Workforce	£7.7 million

The Scottish Government’s original forecast funding contribution for the event was £30 million, however the final figure, in part due to inflation, is £39.2 million. We are clear that the significant direct economic and long-term reputational benefits are such that hosting the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships provided a very positive return for this investment.

Our successful delivery in Glasgow and across Scotland in August 2023 leaves a fantastic blueprint for the next iteration of the Cycling World Championships in France in 2027, and for future major events in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03836

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are for the future provision of Gaelic education in primary schools in the Glasgow Anniesland constituency.

Question reference: S6O-03807

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the provision of levelling up funding for areas of multiple deprivation such as Drumchapel in the Glasgow Anniesland constituency.

Question reference: S6W-29657

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 20 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of interest is on student loans for students from Scotland, and how this compares with other parts of the UK.

The interest rate for Scottish domiciled students is currently 4.3%.

The interest rates currently applied across the UK are as follows:

Plan 1 – Northern Irish borrowers, English and Welsh pre-2012 borrowers – 4.3%

Plan 2 – Post 2012 Welsh borrowers, English borrowers between 2012 – 2023 – 7.3%

Plan 3 – English and Welsh postgraduate borrowers – 7.3%

Plan 4 - All Scottish borrowers – 4.3%

Plan 5 – English post 2023 borrowers – 4.3%

Information on student loan interest rates and further terms and conditions across the UK can be found here: Repaying your student loan: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).