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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-25844

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the school and college teacher consultation on the recommendations of the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment and National Discussion on Education.

Question reference: S6O-03082

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it considers when determining how to allocate funding for humanitarian aid in situations such as those in Gaza.

Question reference: S6O-02972

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the potential impact on Scotland’s exchequer and public finances of the measures referred to in the speech by the First Minister on 8 January.

Question reference: S6W-24010

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance can be provided to local authorities to support families struggling with school meal debt.

School meal debt is ultimately a matter for local authorities in the first instance, and the Scottish Government expects them to use the powers available to them to support families struggling with school meal debt.

However, we recognise that we are currently in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis which is hurting families across the country. In that spirit, the Scottish Government intends to bring forward a one-off, emergency fund to support councils to help remove the impact of school meal debt on families.

It is our expectation that local authorities will implement COSLA’s guidance on school meal debt going forward.

Further details on the one-off fund will be brought forward in due course.

Question reference: S6O-02874

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to setting its Budget and fiscal policy for 2024-25, whether it has undertaken any quantifiable financial analysis of the relative performance of European countries comparable in size to Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02857

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the impact of the UK Government’s Autumn Statement on NHS funding in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02762

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding any impact of the Autumn Statement on Scotland’s public finances.

Question reference: S6O-02711

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress on reducing teachers’ class contact time.

I have commissioned an external research exercise to consider how best to progress the commitment to reduce class contact time by 90 minutes per week. Any reduction in class contact time will, additionally, require the agreement of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers.

The research exercise will inform decisions on education workforce planning for future years, bringing together a range of factors, including current teacher numbers and pupil teacher ratios. The research is due to report by the end of December.

Question reference: S6W-22757

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans' Recognition Scheme.

In May 2021 the Armed Forces Personnel and Veterans Joint Group – Strategic Oversight Group set a priority to develop a Veteran aware GP accreditation programme, now called the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans Recognition Scheme (“the Scheme”). The aim of the scheme is to raise awareness among General Practice of some of the health challenges that veterans and Armed Forces Families face as a result of military service and improve person centred outcomes and care for the armed forces community.

Following the incorporation of feedback from practices who agreed to be part of an initial pilot, I can confirm that the Scheme will be open to all General Practices in Scotland on 6 November 2023.

General Practices who wish to sign up to the Scheme, should contact gp-afv@gov.scot for more information.

Question reference: S6W-22542

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 October 2023

To ask Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

I am pleased to announce that the successful Learning Estate Investment Programme Phase 3 projects are as follows:

1. Hazlehead Academy (Aberdeen City)

2. Mull Campus (Argyll and Bute)

3. Lochies ASN School (Clackmannanshire)

4. Lenzie Academy (East Dunbartonshire)

5. Carrongrange ASN School extension (Falkirk)

6. Forres Academy (Moray)

7. Chryston High School extension (North Lanarkshire)

8. Kirkwall ASN Centre (Orkney)

9. Brae Campus (Shetland)

10. Riverside and Letham Primary School (West Lothian)

I am grateful for all the bids that local authorities submitted. This newest phase of investment through our Learning Estate Investment Programme will continue to support local authorities, who maintain statutory responsibility for the school estate, to build modern, state of the art, learning environments.

The decision will mean that every local authority which has submitted a bid through the Learning Estate Investment Programme has now received funding for a project in Phases 1, 2 or 3.

The £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme follows on from the successful £1.8 billion Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme, which delivered 117 new or refurbished learning facilities across Scotland.

As a direct result of Scottish Government investment, the proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased from 61% in April 2007 to 90.7% in April 2023.

We will now take forward further engagement and collaboration with COSLA to explore how we can address the remaining sub-standard condition schools, and schools required due to population growth, which remain a priority for local authorities across the country.