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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6O-01891

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to support that it can provide for households in Scotland, what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding energy affordability.

Question reference: S6W-13835

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 13 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on Green Freeports.

Having welcomed five very competitive bids in June, and following a rigorous assessment process, the Scottish Government can today confirm that the two Green Freeport locations selected jointly by Scottish and UK Ministers are Inverness and Cromarty Firth and the Firth of Forth.

Scotland’s Green Freeports will support businesses to create high-quality, well-paid new jobs; promote growth and regeneration; and make a significant contribution to achieving our net zero ambitions.

The Scottish Government looks forward to working closely with the successful consortia, supporting them through the next phase of the process as they develop their business cases, in order to ensure that they deliver maximum positive impact.

We will also work with the unsuccessful bidders to consider how they can build on the plans set out in their bids to deliver jobs and growth in their regions outside the Green Freeports programme.

Question reference: S6O-01765

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Question reference: S6O-01662

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-12524

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Supreme Court judgement on the reference by the Lord Advocate to the Supreme Court on whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate for an independence referendum.

Question reference: S6O-01579

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recently reported warnings by the Bank of England that the UK is about to enter the longest recession since the 1930s, what assessment it has made of the impact that this could have on its Covid Recovery Strategy.

Question reference: S6O-01462

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to tackle skills shortages.

Question reference: S6W-11314

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by George Adam on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to increase transparency regarding the Crown consent process and how bills apply to the Crown.

Question reference: S6W-10567

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when details will be made available regarding year six of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, and when it will commence.

Year Six of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund is ready to commence in line with the new 2022-23 academic year.

An evaluation of FWDF is near completion and we expect to publish the report in the coming weeks. In advance of this, minor changes are being made to standardise the offer to organisations this year, with further changes to be considered on completion of the evaluation process. We will consult stakeholders and align any further changes with the strategic lifetime skills commitments outlined in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

In Year Four changes were made to FWDF which made support available to non-UK Apprenticeship Levy paying small and medium enterprises via colleges or the Open University in Scotland (OUiS). At the same time, Levy paying organisations only were able for the first time to access non-college based skills support from other training providers via a Skills Development Scotland grant scheme, but they did not have access to the OUiS option.

In Year Six, all companies will, for the first time, be able to access upskilling support via Scotland’s colleges, OUiS, and the Skills Development Scotland grant offer on a first come, first served basis.

Levy payers will continue to be able to access support up to a value of £15,000 and non-Levy paying SMEs up to £5,000.

Question reference: S6O-01303

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recently reported views of Professor Catherine Barnard regarding the impact on Scotland’s food and drink exports of a potential trade war between the UK and the EU.