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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: S6W-23178

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker MSP (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Bo on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it would consider keeping the canteen open in a limited capacity on business days from 2.30 pm to 3.00 pm, in order to provide a partial offering for staff who are unable to purchase lunch before 2.30 pm due to work commitments.

Catering service times across campus provide a robust offering around parliamentary business. Lunch service timings in the Garden Level Restaurant (11:30-14:30) are based on levels of demand and efficient use of resources in line with parliamentary requirements. If it is helpful, it is possible to pre-order food on our app, and collect it from the Holyrood room between 11:30 and 2:30, although this does not change the timings, it is a quicker service.

Alternative options are available after 2.30pm including the Coffee Bar where a hot sandwich option can be ordered and the Public Café where hot food options including soup, baked potatoes and a range of sandwiches are on offer. Hot food is also available from 4pm in Queensberry House Lounge.

Question reference: S6W-23345

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research will be published.

Question reference: S6O-02811

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the sustainability of healthcare services in Edinburgh, in light of the significant increase in the population of the Lothian region in recent years.

Question reference: S6O-02725

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-22486

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of its Heat in Buildings Strategy.

We have laid before Parliament today an annual progress report against our Heat in Buildings Strategy, the second since its publication in 2021: https://www.gov.scot/publications/heat-in-buildings-progress-report-2023 .

We have made significant progress in key areas during the past year, including our broad package of delivery schemes, heat networks, building standards and new build regulations. The biggest challenge facing us now is in existing buildings, and therefore the report confirms our intention to consult later this year on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill.

Question reference: S6O-02626

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what preparations are being made for the bonfire night period.

Question reference: S6O-02602

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering specific solutions to support the City of Edinburgh Council, and other relevant organisations, to address Edinburgh’s social housing shortage and growing population pressures, including providing additional resources in its 2024-25 Budget.

Question reference: S6W-21599

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Neil Gray on 21 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of a Scottish Onshore Wind Sector Deal.

Question reference: S6W-21460

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the £5 million funding announced at COP27 for action to address loss and damage.

At COP27, the Former First Minister pledged £5m of funding to address non-economic loss and damage (NELD) over the course of the parliament. Non-economic loss and damage includes, for example, cultural loss, damage to nature and health decline due to climate impacts.

Following the announcement, officials engaged with the international stakeholder community and explored options to deliver the funding. Our priority has been to ensure the funding:

quickly reaches those who need it, in particular women, in the global south,
responds to community needs and is participatory in design,
makes a genuine difference to their lives by allowing them to address the impacts of climate change,
is well-managed by a credible partner, and
allows other donors to join the Scottish Government and provide funding.

On this basis, we are delighted to be partnering with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF) to deliver the £5m of funding.

CJRF will use the funding to create a programme that will provide grants to support vulnerable global communities impacted by climate change and build grant partners’ capacity through technical assistance, learning and advocacy. The aim of the programme is to enable and support communities facing extreme climate-induced NELD to identify and prioritise the actions that will best address it. The programme will also focus on addressing NELD in a gender-responsive way, ensuring women and girls are given a strong voice throughout all stages of programme design.

In addition to meeting our criteria, CJRF were chosen as the preferred delivery partner on the basis of their ability to obtain additional funding and so to ensure that even more vulnerable communities receive support. We are delighted that Open Society Foundations (OSF) are providing $700,000 of additional funding for the programme, especially to foster youth-led community projects. OSF bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the programme given their historical human right and equity approaches to socio-economic challenges, including through their work on Climate Justice

We hope that this is not the only additional funding. The programme is fiscally sponsored by the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) who can accept other funds from governments, NGOs and the private sector, to address loss and damage. The aim is that Scottish Government’s contribution will galvanise others to pay into the fund to create a large, multi-donor initiative that can support more communities address non-economic loss and damage.

The programme is designed to respond to community needs. These may include, for example, activities to address climate-forced displacement and forced migration, and the myriad of associated losses: of family life, community, and culture; activities to address increases in gender-based violence, domestic abuse, and child marriage due to incessant climate stress. Other losses that communities may prioritise include loss of sites of cultural and/or spiritual importance, loss of language, and traditions.

Question reference: S6O-02494

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of the Scottish Land Commission’s work on compulsory sales orders and land value capture.