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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-01565

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the impact of carbon offset schemes on rural depopulation.

Question reference: S6O-01567

Asked by: John Mason, MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what role car clubs can play in reducing the number of private cars in Scotland's cities.

Question reference: S6W-11582

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any unsuccessful applicants to its Just Transition Fund: year one projects, and whether unsuccessful applicants are permitted to apply for the next round of funding.

Question reference: S6W-11478

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it awarded a contract to Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP, which is reportedly worth £46,749, in relation to National Care Service VAT Support.

Question reference: S6W-11479

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects the establishment of a National Care Service to give rise to VAT or other tax implications.

Question reference: S6W-11664

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase the accessibility of the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment webinars, in light of reports from the client experience survey that just one fifth of clients accessed the webinars.

PACE support is usually delivered face to face, often in an employer’s premises, in addition to support which is available through the PACE Helpline and through online resources. PACE webinars and pre-recorded content were a newly introduced service in 2021 to enhance online resources in response to restrictions on face to face support due to the pandemic and to enable PACE support to continue to be provided to individuals affected by redundancy. Clients who had engaged with these new services reported very high levels of satisfaction. However as reported in the PACE Client Experience Survey 2022, https://www.gov.scot/collections/partnership-action-for-continuing-employment-pace/ , approximately half of clients surveyed would prefer face-to-face service delivery (45% to 64% for each service).

Webinars are promoted in PACE materials and are available to book through My World of Work at https://careers.myworldofwork.co.uk/career-advice/facing-redundancy/pace-webinars#/ . PACE Advisers promote the webinars and a promotional toolkit has also been produced and issued to key partners including DWP to enable information to be provided to relevant customers. Details of webinars are regularly promoted through SDS social media channels and feature as events during specific weeks, for example during Challenge Poverty Week (3-9 October) and during Scottish Careers Week (7-11 November). We will continue to promote the webinar programme widely as an additional PACE service for those clients who prefer to access support digitally.

Question reference: S6W-11653

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of secondary school pupils have received education on the Holocaust during their time at school in the school year 2021-22.

The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust, not only within social studies, but across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the Holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.

Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of secondary school pupils who have received education on the Holocaust during the 2021-22 school year, however a wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.

Question reference: S6W-11670

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an impact assessment on the decision to reduce the budget for apprenticeships, which has reportedly resulted in Skills Development Scotland freezing apprentice places and budgets.

Apprenticeships are a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs now and in the future. As part of our recovery, we are committed to building back up to 30,000 apprenticeship starts.

There is no freeze on Modern Apprenticeships this year. SDS will continue to deliver at least 25,000 new Modern Apprenticeship starts this financial year to ensure we maintain momentum and build on the progress in 2021-22 as we work back towards our target of 30,000 apprenticeship starts annually.

It is standard practice for SDS to review changing demand for Modern Apprenticeship starts in-year, and they adjust the number of starts allocated to respond as appropriate within their budget. SDS will continue to follow this process and keep under review whether any additional starts can be allocated to providers within this financial year.

Ultimately these are operational decisions for SDS and it remains for them to continue to manage programmes within their budget and in line with Ministers’ expectations.

Question reference: S6W-11654

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how education on the Holocaust is delivered in secondary schools.

The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust both within the people, past event and societies section of social studies and across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.

The curriculum in Scotland is built around 4 central tenets, that young people will become successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals, and responsible citizens. Enabling young people to develop into responsible citizens requires them to understand both modern day and historic discrimination. One way this is built into our social studies curriculum is through the requirement for learners to demonstrate the following experiences and outcomes:

I can discuss why people and events from a particular time in the past were important, placing them within a historical sequence.
I can discuss the motives of those involved in a significant turning point in the past and assess the consequences it had then and since.
Through researching, I can identify possible causes of a past conflict and report on the impact it has had on the lives of people at that time.
Having critically analysed a significant historical event, I can assess the relative importance of factors contributing to the event.
I can express an informed view about the changing nature of conflict over time, appreciate its impact and empathise with the experiences of those involved.

A wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.

Question reference: S6W-11725

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 9 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many times ministers have met with (a) owners and (b) representatives of Hinduja Global Solutions since 2007.

The former First Minister, Alex Salmond, met with Hinduja Global Solutions on 12 October 2010 in New Delhi and the Deputy First Minister met with the company in Bangalore on 28 November 2018.

On 9 February 2016, the former Minister for Youth and Women's Employment, Annabelle Ewing MSP, visited the company’s Selkirk office; the former Minister for Business Fair Work and Skills, Jamie Hepburn MSP visited the Selkirk office on 18 October 2018; and the Deputy First Minister visited the Selkirk office on 12 February 2019.

The First Minister met with Hinduja Global Solutions at the City of London Corporation and Scotland Finance and Investment Partnership Dinner held at Mansion House in London on 19 April 2022.