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: S6O-04018

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure equality of access for adults to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD or ASD, in light of the finding in a National Autism Implementation Team report in 2021 that the current thresholds for mental health services do not meet the needs of those who have been referred.

Question reference: S6F-03558

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government last met with Ineos or Petroineos to discuss the refinery at Grangemouth.

Question reference: S6O-03946

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact of the recent UK Budget will be on funding for Creative Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-30978

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it has applied its international trade principles and when it plans to publish the next Vision for Trade Annual Report.

I am pleased to announce that the third Annual Report on our progress towards implementing Scotland’s Vision for Trade is being published today and is available at: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019084

The Report sets out how the Scottish Government has applied its principles to international trade policy matters, covering the period from July 2023 – October 2024.

Since our last Annual Report, published in Summer 2023, we have taken a range of actions to improve the international trading environment for businesses in Scotland, including stepping up our direct engagement with the business community, supporting the resolution of individual market access barriers and using standards and regulation to support businesses. For example, we collaborated with the British Standards Institution on the introduction of a new voluntary whisky standard which empowers distillers in Scotland to trade internationally.

We are using our principles-based approach to trade to create more opportunities for people to participate in our economy, for example by gaining a better understanding of the cause, impact and potential measures to address the a clear gender export gap, whereby businesses led by women are less likely to export than those led by men.

The tragic events unfolding globally demonstrate why taking such a principles-based approach, with concern for human rights at its core, is so important.

Many trade levers sit with the UK Government, and we are committed to working constructively with the newly-elected UK Government in furthering our shared trade interests.

Question reference: S6W-30284

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported calls from the Scottish Retail Consortium and Scottish Tourism Alliance for the UK Government, in the upcoming Autumn Budget, to restore tax-free shopping for overseas visitors as a means of supporting Scotland’s retail, tourism and hospitality sectors.

The Scottish Government opposed the abolition of tax-free shopping when it was announced in 2020 and called upon the previous UK Government to listen to industry and urgently reconsider the issue, including in a letter sent to the Chancellor ahead of the 2024 UK Spring Budget.

The removal of VAT-free shopping is likely to be having a detrimental impact on retail businesses and may be discouraging tourists from visiting the UK, and Scotland specifically. Many EU countries offer tax-free shopping for non-EU visitors, giving their retail sectors an advantage over Scotland’s fantastic range of shops, stores, manufacturers and producers and making those European cities a more attractive tourist destination.

The Scottish Government’s position remains that the restoration of VAT-free shopping for all overseas visitors to the UK would help support this vital sector in Scotland.

Ultimately, the Scottish Government believes that all tax powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament so that we can provide the support that Scottish retailers and tourism businesses need.

Question reference: S6O-03849

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to sustain the economic value of the chemical production sector based around Grangemouth.

Question reference: S6O-03831

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what further support and guidance it can provide to secondary education establishments regarding the balancing of the right to education of both a victim of sexual assault and the alleged perpetrator.

Question reference: S6T-02044

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reports that Scottish universities' budgets have been impacted by £100 million due to a 20% drop in applications from international students in the last academic year as a result of new UK Government immigration rules.

Question reference: S6O-03533

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address any issues regarding the implementation of the presumption of mainstreaming, as set out in the recent Education, Children and Young People Committee report on its inquiry into additional support for learning.

Question reference: S6O-03488

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what place human ecology, specifically a focus on the relationship between the natural environment and the social environment, has in its rural affairs policy development.