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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-28372

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recently passed EU Nature Restoration Law and how it intersects with (a) existing Scottish Government policies and (b) its forthcoming biodiversity strategy.

Question reference: S6W-28375

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people it estimates are eligible for the Young Carer Grant in (a) Fife and (b) the Cowdenbeath constituency.

Question reference: S6W-28364

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what precautionary advice and training is given by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to firefighters sent to tackle outbreaks of fire at (a) recycling centres and (b) electronic recycling centres.

Question reference: S6W-28373

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is promoting the Young Carer Grant to those that are eligible for the payment, and whether it has consulted with (a) young carers and (b) other stakeholders on recent public campaigns.

Question reference: S6W-28377

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support housing associations to retrofit their housing stocks, with the aim of reducing fuel poverty, lowering energy consumption and preventing the occurrence of mould, and how it plans to ensure that any measures are implemented effectively.

Question reference: S6W-28376

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to ensure that local authorities provide adequate support to pupils and students with additional support needs in order to prevent the need for parents to appeal to the additional support needs tribunal, particularly in light of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 coming into force on 16 July 2024.

Question reference: S6W-28209

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what work it is undertaking to update the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967.

Question reference: S6W-28184

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when (a) it and (b) the Scottish Funding Council last offered to work with universities to develop alternative routes into teaching subjects that have traditionally been difficult to recruit for, and what options were considered.

The Scottish Government engages regularly through the Teacher Workforce Planning process, and recently discussed this with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education. Previously, this has led to the Scottish Government supporting a number of Initial Teacher Education universities to deliver a range of alternative routes into teaching. These included distance learning programmes, programmes aimed at training existing local authority employees to become teachers and a pathway to becoming a STEM teacher in rural areas. These programmes were summarised for the Strategic Board for Teacher Education (SBTE) in 2020 - Alternative%2Broutes%2Binto%2Bteaching%2B-%2BFebruary%2B2020v3.pdf (www.gov.scot) .

We are currently working with SBTE to consider issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail. The intention is that this will include consideration of potential alternative routes into teaching.

The Scottish Funding Council published its University Intake Targets for Initial Teacher Education AY 2024-25 (sfc.ac.uk) in April 2024. This contains a clear commitment to work with universities to develop alternative routes into subjects which have traditionally been difficult to recruit to, in response to the changing patterns of student demand for flexible learning routes.

Question reference: S6W-28186

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help coordinate communication and support for Web 3.0 research, development and commercialisation between academia, industry, regulators and the public sector.

We recognise the pioneering research and private investment in Web 3.0 technologies across Scotland. Nevertheless, our focus in applying digital technologies for Public Service Reform is based on an understanding of end-to-end services and user needs, rather than committing to use particular technologies.

We invest expert staff time in continuing to advise and support Scottish Enterprise’s work coordinating private sector activity on Web 3.0 technologies, through its Digital Trust Scotland - Blockchain Taskforce. The work of Scottish Enterprise produced a report in May 2023, Blockchain In Scotland Landscape Overview , which demonstrates the comprehensive engagement we have through this Taskforce. Hence, through involvement in the Taskforce, we would expect to have opportunity to provide more support where there are gaps identified that clearly lead to economic impacts.

The Scottish Government’s CivTech Programme enables research, development and commercialisation between the public sector, industry, regulators and academia across a broad range of technologies, including Web 3.0 approaches where they are relevant.

Through open innovation challenges delivered by the CivTech programme a range of innovative start ups and SMEs have worked with Public Sector bodies including Scottish Government Departments, Local Authorities and Non Departmental Public Bodies to develop experimental technologies which use Web 3.0 approaches on a range of issues including,

tracking of Scope 3 Carbon Emissions,

Building Standards certification processes,

helping people access support they are entitled to and

high integrity approaches to Nature Finance.

The CivTech programme has a strong track record in developing innovative technologies to solving challenges faced by the public sector while creating jobs and opportunities for new innovative businesses.

The Scottish Government has also provided funding support to the Scottish GovTech Cluster, which aims to support collaboration within the technology sector focused on connecting government agencies, businesses, researchers, academia and all other groups and individuals wishing to use technology (including Web 3.0) to improve and transform public services. The Scottish GovTech Cluster are working to attract investment both from within Scotland and from outside the country matching businesses and researchers with funding opportunities and provide support to help them secure investment.

We recognise that one potential private investment channel available for Web 3.0 companies is digital assets - for example cryptographic utility tokens. Our Financial Services/FinTech team are currently addressing related policy questions around Digital Assets in Scots Private Law. We would expect this work give Web 3.0 businesses in Scotland more legal clarity about such funding mechanisms.

Question reference: S6W-28136

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any schools without an on-site school counsellor or a mental health practitioner.

The Scottish Government continues to provide £16 million per year to ensure that all secondary schools have access to school counselling services.

Local authorities have confirmed that all secondary schools in Scotland have access to counselling services. All school pupils aged 10 and above have access to the service.

It is up to local authorities to decide how to deliver the service in their area to best suit the needs of their children and young people.

School counselling is just one of a range of services that schools and authorities have in place to support the mental health of children and young people.