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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: S6F-01903

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the First Minister, in light of Scottish Apprenticeship Week this week, how the Scottish Government is supporting people into apprenticeships.

Question reference: S6W-15245

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will revoke the Clydeport (COP 26 etc.) Harbour Revision Order 2021.

The Clydeport (COP 26 etc.) Harbour Revision Order (HRO) will not be revoked. The Order was put in place to cover a number of issues, including granting extraordinary powers to Clydeport for security purposes during COP26. As detailed in the Order, the extraordinary powers granted to Clydeport automatically terminated at 11.59pm on 15 November 2021, which was the last day of COP26. The Clydeport (COP 26 etc.) Harbour Revision Order was subjected to the full statutory approval process applied to all HROs.

Question reference: S6O-01976

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support, in addition to the local government settlement, will be allocated to Inverclyde Council in 2023-24, and how this compares to 2022-23.

Question reference: S6T-01218

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it can provide to the investigation into the capsizing of the tugboat, MV Biter, on the River Clyde on 24 February.

Question reference: S6O-01874

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had as part of its cross-government coordination of Covid Recovery policies regarding the wider impact of long COVID, including on the economy and workforce.

Question reference: S6W-13740

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to local authorities to support Gaelic-medium education.

The Scottish Government has two streams of funding available to local authorities to help support Gaelic medium and Gaelic learner education across Scotland. These are the Scheme of Gaelic Specific Grant, £4.482m, and the Gaelic Schools Capital Fund, £4m. In 2022-23, 26 local authorities applied and were supported from the Scheme of Gaelic Specific Grant and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Highland received support for projects that expanded Gaelic Medium Education educational settings.

Question reference: S6W-13667

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding any impact in Scotland, on the role that increases in alcohol duty play as a public health measure to reduce alcohol-related harms.

Alcohol duty is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of any review to alcohol duty.

The Scottish Government believes that the stronger the beverage, the higher the duty should be, as it is the alcohol that causes the harms and stronger alcoholic drinks allow for faster consumption of alcohol. This is in line with the rationale behind our world leading minimum unit pricing policy which targets high strength, low-cost alcohol.

Our Alcohol Framework sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol-related harm. We take a whole population approach to tackling alcohol-related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Question reference: S6W-13666

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on alcohol-related harms and other public health impacts in Scotland of alcohol duty freezes.

Alcohol duty is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of any review to alcohol duty.

We have made no assessment of the impact of the six-month freeze on alcohol duty on alcohol harm in Scotland. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Question reference: S6W-13668

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact in Scotland of the UK Government’s decision to extend the freeze on alcohol duty rates until 1 August 2023.

Alcohol duty is a reserved tax which is set and administered by the UK Government. We are not aware of the UK Government having made any assessment of the impact of the extended six-month freeze on alcohol duty on Devolved Administrations, nor did they consult with us on this decision.

We believe the UK Government must provide long-term clarity for the alcohol sector beyond the six-month rates freeze. Businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the freeze which was announced, cancelled, then re-announced, all in a three-month period.

When setting alcohol duty rates following the freeze, the Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of this. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Question reference: S6O-01756

Current Status: Withdrawn