Chamber and committees

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: S5W-32215

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31793 by John Swinney on 28 September 2020, whether it will place the minutes of all discussions and copies of all correspondence in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), as requested, and what Bib number it has been assigned.

Question reference: S5W-32314

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to Appendix 2 of the SQA NQ 2020 Awarding Decision Timeline, whether it will publish the minutes of the meeting of 11 June 2020, which discussed moderation and dialogue.

Question reference: S5W-32308

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been (a) made and (b) granted each month under the Higher Education Discretionary Fund, broken down by institution.

Question reference: S5W-32307

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will place copies of all reports received from institutions regarding the spend associated with the Higher Education Discretionary Fund regarding extra hardship payments in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

The most recent data from the sector showed details of spending across the sector up to 31 July.

Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) are about to undertake an up to date analysis of spend on the Higher Education Discretionary Fund across colleges and universities. Information will be available in the early part of November and SAAS will give consideration to sharing this data with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S5W-32309

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29504 by Richard Lochhead on 5 June 2020, how much of the additional £2.2 million allocated to the Higher Education Discretionary Fund was new money.

Question reference: S5W-32310

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29504 by Richard Lochhead on 5 June 2020, whether if it will provide an update on the expenditure.

As of 31 July this year, £1,88M of the additional £2.2M Higher Education (HE) Discretionary Funds issued to colleges and universities in April, had been spent.

As of 31 July this year, £215,000 of the advanced first instalment (£11.4M) of the main 2020-21 HE Discretionary Fund issued to colleges and universities in June, had been spent.

Officials are planning to carry out further analysis on the spending later in October.

Question reference: S5W-31841

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed with a lung condition during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-31796

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31361 by John Swinney on 4 September 2020, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) any correspondence it had with the SQA that has been shared with, but not included in, the review to be published by Professor Priestley.

Question reference: S5T-02432

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that over 900 childminding settings are still to reopen, and the recent Scottish Childminding Association survey that suggests that the sector is "on the edge of financial viability".

Question reference: S5W-31840

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31185 by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020, whether it will provide an update on the consideration it is giving to introducing an official exemption card for people who are exempt from wearing a face covering.