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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-03014

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to setting a target to increase Scotland’s hedgerow network as part of its Forestry Grant Scheme.

Hedgerows can support ecological connectivity by joining up nature rich areas across Scotland, contributing to wider nature networks and helping to address habitat fragmentation, which is one of the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss.

The Scottish Government recognises the value of hedges and their creation and supports the this through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme which has committed £11.6 million since 2015.

Question reference: S6W-02879

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01926 by Graeme Dey on 23 August 2021, how many of the 58 potential new stations have been appraised in line with the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG).

The Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) provides a framework to identify and appraise transport interventions. The process is designed to provide investment decision-makers with the information they need in a clear, structured format. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review is following STAG as the basis for undertaking its appraisal, therefore all 58 station options are being appraised in line with STAG.

Question reference: S6W-02157

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason funding that it provided to support organisations responsible for building social housing, which have incurred additional costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has reportedly not been received by some organisations, in light of reports that sub-contractors of Cunninghame Housing Association have not received such funding.

The Scottish Government published guidance in August 2020 setting out the circumstances under which additional grant support requests would be considered for projects contractually awarded prior to the March 2020 lockdown and which were as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional grant support through this route from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme is discretionary and is dependent on the circumstances of the individual organisation, development and the contractual arrangements.

An assessment of applications can only conclude when all the appropriate evidence has been supplied to support the request for additional funding. In the case of a request for support in Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Government recently received sufficient evidence to determine the claim and the Housing Association has now been informed of the outcome of that assessment .

Question reference: S6W-02477

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the EIS and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-02476

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the primary school performance and attainment data that was published by The Times on 18 August 2021.

The performance and attainment data published by The Times was obtained from the Scottish Government and is publicly available via the School Information Dashboard Profile | Tableau Public . The Scottish Government does not produce school league tables and never will. The guidance published alongside the data makes it clear that statistical data alone is not a measure of how well a school is doing. All schools are unique. To properly understand how well a school is doing it is important to look at a range of different data sources, together with information about the individual school.

A wide range of school performance and attainment data is collected and analysed by the Scottish Government to inform the National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan for education. The information gathered identifies where further improvements can be made which will, in turn, contribute to delivering our priorities to deliver equity and excellence in Scottish education.

Question reference: S6O-00191

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the restarting of school inspections.

Question reference: S6O-00137

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its planned consultation on the removal of the not proven verdict.

Question reference: S6W-02249

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the availability of respite care services in the community for people with dementia and their carers.

Last year we added an additional £1.1 million to the annual £3 million voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund and have committed a further £570,000 this year, enabling more families/carers and young carers to take a break from caring, including families of loved ones with dementia.

Recently we launched a £1.4 million holiday voucher scheme for tourism businesses to sign up to help low income families, unpaid carers and disadvantaged young people enjoy a break. The scheme will open for applications from these groups in October 2021.

Question reference: S6W-02149

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reopen Eastriggs railway station.

As concluded in the South West Scotland Transport Study, a new station at Eastriggs was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal. This option is one of 58 potential new stations across Scotland that are being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on potential new stations such as Eastriggs.

Question reference: S6W-02181

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01931 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 August 2021, what opportunity was given to individuals and groups to highlight concerns or topics that were not included on the agenda for the planned OECD engagement.

The published remit for the OECD’s Independent Review of Curriculum for Excellence, sets out the approach taken to the review. This can be accessed at: Independent+Review+of+Curriculum+for+Excellence+-+Remit.pdf (www.gov.scot)

The OECD established a team of core OECD staff and international experts with experience in curriculum and assessment implementation. The process included:

A comprehensive desk-based analysis of policy documents, evidence and research on CfE implementation, which included, amongst other documents, the initial evidence base provided by the Scottish Government in July 2020, papers published as part of the Education & Skills Committee’s Inquiry on Subject Choice and published academic articles and research.
Compilation of information from key stakeholders’ websites and think tank publications.
A series of interviews and virtual school visits plus focus groups to gather primary data. These included discussions with the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Skills Committee, Scottish Government officials, national agencies, local government representatives, college and university bodies, employer groups, academics, teachers and head teachers, parents, young people, Gaelic and subject specific interest groups, and members of Scotland’s education governance groups.

This represented a significant and comprehensive amount of documentation, with many different perspectives informing the review.

The OECD were clear that it was not feasible for them to consider more information than they specifically requested, nor was the purpose of the Review to generate new written submissions or replace what would otherwise be a national consultation.

The OECD were made aware of any requests to submit written submissions and advised that should any additional information be required they would request this.