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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-29735

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what percentage the block grant from the UK Government has increased (a) each year and (b) cumulatively since 2007, and by how much the local government budget has increased (i) each year and (ii) cumulatively over the same period.

The total Resource (RDEL) Block Grant funding received by the Scottish Government (SG) each year since 2007/08, along with calculations of the year-on-year percentage change and the cumulative change over the specified timeframe is as follows:

Year	Basis	£'m	Percentage Change Year on Year	Cumulative increase since 2007-08
2007-08	Outturn	22,905	-	-
2008-09	Outturn	23,552	2.82%	2.82%
2009-10	Outturn	24,486	3.97%	6.90%
2010-11	Outturn	25,211	2.96%	10.07%
2011-12	Outturn	24,814	-1.57%	8.33%
2012-13	Outturn	24,968	0.62%	9.01%
2013-14	Outturn	25,466	1.99%	11.18%
2014-15	Outturn	25,660	0.76%	12.03%
2015-16	Outturn	25,563	-0.38%	11.60%
2016-17	Outturn	26,098	2.09%	13.94%
2017-18	Outturn	26,716	2.36%	16.64%
2018-19	Outturn	27,255	2.02%	18.99%
2019-20	Outturn	28,621	5.01%	24.95%
2020-21	Outturn	38,852	35.75%	69.62%
2021-22	Outturn	36,939	-4.93%	61.27%
2022-23	Outturn	35,993	-2.56%	57.14%
2023-24	Outturn	37,609	4.49%	64.19%
2024-25	Plans	39,814	5.86%	73.82%
2025-26	Plans	41,141	3.33%	79.62%

The Total Local Government resource settlement each year since 2007-08, along with calculations of the year-on-year percentage change and the cumulative change over the specified timeframes is set out below. This is split into 2 parts, 2007-08 to 2012-13 and 2013-14 to 2025-26. Extended time series comparisons of the Local Government Settlement are inappropriate and misleading due to the impact of the Concordat and machinery of government changes such as the transfer of police and fire services out of local government which create discontinuities in the time series data. The data presented for the Local Government Settlement is taken from the relevant Local Government Circular published following the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order in each year. It is important to note that additional funding is often allocated to local authorities in-year and processed through a retrospective redetermination in the subsequent year’s Local Government Finance Order. By extension such funding is not reflected in this time series data but is published in the relevant Local Government Finance Circular and is available at Local government finance circulars - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Year	£'m	Percentage Change Year on Year	Cumulative increase since 2007-08
2007-08	8,717	-	-
2008-09	10,062	15.43%	15.43%
2009-10	10,603	5.37%	21.63%
2010-11	10,688	0.81%	22.62%
2011-12	10,432	-2.4%	19.67%
2012-13	10,487	0.53%	20.30%

Year	£'m	Percentage Change Year on Year	Cumulative increase since 2013-14
2013-14	9,583	0.00%	0.00%
2014-15	9,666	0.87%	0.87%
2015-16	9,871	2.12%	3.00%
2016-17	9,560	-3.15%	-0.24%
2017-18	9,527	-0.35%	-0.59%
2018-19	9,724	2.07%	1.47%
2019-20	10,016	3.00%	4.52%
2020-21	10,616	5.99%	10.78%
2021-22	10,928	2.94%	14.04%
2022-23	12,156	11.24%	26.85%
2023-24	12,374	1.79%	29.12%
2024-25	13,056	5.51%	36.24%
2025-26	13,803	5.72%	44.03%

Question reference: S6W-31657

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated to improve toilet facilities across the rail network.

Question reference: S6W-31652

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the trade union, ASLEF, Dignity for Drivers, including the claim that train drivers do not always have access to safe, clean and dignified toilet facilities, or adequate time to use them, during the course of their working day of up to eight hours; what its position is on whether a lack of such facilities could establish a barrier to recruiting a more diverse workforce by having a disproportionate impact on people who (a) have chronic health conditions, (b) are female, (c) are older and (d) have protected characteristics, and whether it will undertake an urgent review of toilet facilities for drivers across the rail network.

Question reference: S6W-31658

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) ScotRail and other train operators and (b) rail stakeholders regarding improving train drivers' access to safe, clean and dignified toilet facilities, with adequate time to use these, during the course of their working day of up to eight hours.

Question reference: S6W-31656

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that free sanitary products are available across the rail network.

Question reference: S6O-04062

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it can do to support access to library services in rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-31273

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers is an appropriate amount of time for a decision to be made for applications under the right to buy Part (a) 3A of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and (b) 5 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Acts of 2003 and 2016 detail the time that decisions on community right to buy applications should take. There is no end date set for these decisions. The Acts state that Ministers must not reach a decision on an application before the date which is 60 days after the last date on which the Part 3A/Part 5 community body may provide Scottish Ministers with a response to the comments on the application, provided by the owner and other parties.

In practice, the length of time each right to buy decision takes will depend on the complexity of the case, the timing and content of the comments received from all parties, and any legal issues that may be relevant to the case. It is important to ensure that, whatever decision is reached, that it is done so in a robust and fair manner to all parties.

Question reference: S6W-31274

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the review of community right to buy, and what impact the review is having on current applications.

Question reference: S6O-03959

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Fife Council following the publication of an EIS survey showing that two thirds of surveyed teachers in Fife were considering leaving teaching as a result of disruptive, challenging or violent pupils.

Question reference: S6O-03895

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address social isolation and loneliness.