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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-09053

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08994 by Jenny Gilruth on 1 June 2022, which states, "This scheme forms part of a rolling programme that is expected to see electrification extended to Dundee and Aberdeen", when it anticipates electrification will reach (a) Dundee and (b) Aberdeen, and what the estimated cost is of electrification (i) to Dundee and (ii) between Dundee and Aberdeen.

Question reference: S6W-09202

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to increased access to short breaks or respite services for family carers as a result of any cuts to day services.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of day services to both those who use them and to their families and carers. Revised guidance for buildings-based day services was published on 26 May 2022 which says that such services should return to pre-pandemic capacity wherever possible, while operating safely in line with COVID-19 guidance.

We are investing now in additional support for breaks. We have allocated an extra £5 million for short breaks in the 2022-23 budget, on top of the annual £3 million voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund. We have already distributed £3.5 million of this funding to the Time to Live delivery partners to expand short break support for carers. This is in addition to a further £20.4 million in the 2022-23 local government settlement for Carers Act implementation. We are also legislating through the National Care Service Bill to establish a right to breaks from caring.

Question reference: S6W-09064

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-01176 by Shona Robison on 1 June 2022, how many people have been helped onto the property ladder through government schemes in each Scottish Parliament region in each year since 2016-17.

The information on properties purchased through the Scottish Government shared equity schemes (Help to Buy (Scotland), the Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) scheme, New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) and the First Home Fund is not recorded by Scottish Parliamentary region. It is recorded by Local Authority area and information on the numbers of properties purchased in each year of each scheme can be found in the published figures at the following links.

Help to Buy (Scotland) under Monitoring Information Report

https://www.gov.scot/policies/homeowners/help-to-buy/

Open Market Shared Equity and New Supply Shared Equity under Affordable Housing Supply Programme annual out-turn reports and related data

https://www.gov.scot/policies/more-homes/affordable-housing-supply/

First Home Fund

https://www.gov.scot/publications/first-home-fund-spend-and-units-monitoring-information-report-december-2019-to-march-2021/

Question reference: S6W-09018

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of Ukrainian nationals on seasonal work visas who are currently resident in Scotland.

Agricultural workers from Ukraine are critical in the production of soft fruit and vegetables in Scotland. The seasonal worker Labour Providers have a contractual and data sharing agreement with the Home Office. Numbers relating to Seasonal Workers are only shared by labour providers with the Home Office as part of this. Following engagement with officials in the Home Office and DEFRA our best assessment of the information available is that there are approximately 500 Ukrainian Nationals on seasonal work visas currently residing in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-09096

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government in which academic year it plans for a new Scottish Education Exchange Programme to be operational for the two-way international exchange of students.

Question reference: S6W-09095

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to run a formal consultation exercise on the development of a new strategy for international education, and, if so, when.

Question reference: S6W-08888

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates the full ScotRail timetable to be restored in the Highlands.

Question reference: S6W-09094

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish a new strategy for international education, as set out in its Programme for Government 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-08892

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on business revenues in the Highlands as a result of the reduced ScotRail timetable.

No assessment has been made if the impact on business revenues in the Highlands as a result of ScotRail’s temporary timetable.

We do recognise that the current temporary timetable is causing inconvenience and frustration to travellers, especially to people who need early and late services to get to and from work, and those sectors and businesses in the economy that depend on people being able to travel in the evenings. However, ScotRail conducted its formal review on 3 June and as a result, more services particularly in the evenings are now being added back into the timetable. In addition with the positive progress made on pay negotiations with ASLEF in Scotland, it is to be hoped more services will be added back in the near future.

Question reference: S6W-09020

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 21 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence it has had with the seasonal worker employment sponsor agencies in relation to supporting Ukrainian nationals on seasonal work visas in Scotland to access the Ukraine Extension Scheme.

As immigration is reserved to the UK Government, the Home Office is responsible for the operation of visa schemes and application processing. The Home Office has been supporting approved labour providers for the Seasonal Worker Scheme to complete applications to the Ukraine Extension Scheme on behalf of Ukrainian workers, to process the visas as quickly as possible and monitor the process more effectively. The Scottish Government will continue engaging closely with the Home Office and other partners to ensure that workers displaced by the crisis in Ukraine are able to access the support they need while they are here in Scotland.