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-00321

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed £500,000 fund for local organisations in international development partner countries to take forward work to ensure women and girls are safe, equal and respected.

Question reference: S6W-03575

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence it has had with local authorities and COSLA in relation to raising awareness about claiming pension credit and supporting people to do so.

Pension Credit is reserved to the UK Government and, therefore, the Scottish Government has not corresponded with local authorities or COSLA in relation to raising awareness about claiming pension credit or supporting people to do so.

The Scottish Government funds the Citizens Advice Network in Scotland to deliver the Money Talk Team Income Maximisation Service. This is a money advice service that includes advice about all benefits, including pension credit. We have undertaken three national marketing campaigns to make people aware of the service.

Question reference: S6W-03576

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what subsidised training schemes are in place for people seeking to train as (a) HGV and (b) bus drivers.

There are a number of subsidised training schemes provided by Scottish Government in regards to HGV and Bus Driver training:

Employability Fund - offers employability and skills training for unemployed individuals across Scotland. HGV driver training is available to eligible individuals through this fund.
Modern Apprenticeships – learn on the job to gain the experience you need and work towards a recognised qualification. The Freight Logistics framework applies to HGV/LGV. As part of this framework apprentices will be offered the opportunity to study SVQ Driving Goods Vehicles at SCQF Level 6.
Individual Training Account – to help people develop the skills they need for work. Up to £200 contribution towards a training course, which can include HGV and Bus driver training.

Question reference: S6W-03577

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been supported through its training schemes to train as (a) HGV and (b) bus drivers in each month since the start of 2019.

There are a number of subsidised training schemes provided by Scottish Government in regards to HGV and Bus Driver training including: Employability Fund, Modern Apprenticeships, National Transition Training Fund and Individual Training Accounts

A summary table has been provided, showing the number of people supported through the various schemes in relation to HGV and Bus driver training. To ensure consistency, we have provided figures based on financial years 2019-20, 2020-21 and Quarter 1 of 2021-22.

Intervention

Timescale

Numbers

Employability Fund

Bus and Coach Drivers

HGV/LGV Drivers

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

216

Modern Apprenticeship

(HGV)

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

1100

987

290

National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) – Part of Year One delivery extended until June 2021

(Driver CPC / LGV with CPC / PCV with CPC)

October 2020 - June 2021

Individual Training Account

(HGV and Bus Driving courses combined)

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22 Q1

537

292

195

Note: Disclosure control (*) has been applied where figures are less than 5 or where such small numbers can be identified through differencing

Question reference: S6W-03578

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information Social Security Scotland holds on current pension credit uptake, and how many people who are currently entitled to pension credit do not claim it.

Question reference: S6W-03574

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has access to Scotland and sub-Scotland level data on current pension credit take-up.

Question reference: S6W-03579

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to Year One of the National Training Transition Fund, how many applications for training in the transport sector (a) have been (i) approved and (ii) rejected and (b) are yet to be processed, and whether it will provide an update on when the final delivery figures will be published.

The National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) is being delivered through various sector-based projects which will have different application procedures. The data below sets out information on course participants in Year One as far as it is currently available.

In Year One of the NTTF, support for the Aviation sector was provided through Scottish Union Learning. Unite the Union developed a programme which continues this year to enable Aviation workers – many of whom were furloughed - to upskill to help support job retention. This provided a variety of training opportunities for ground and air crew.

In addition, Strand One of NTTF, which was managed by Skills Development Scotland, supported driver training, including Driver CPC, LGV with CPC and PCV with CPC.

In terms of NTTF college delivery, The college figures for 2020-21 are yet to be finalised as collection of college data only concluded on 12 October 2021 and still require to be quality assured before publication as Official Statistics in January 2022.

I have previously advised that a final report on NTTF Year One will be made available this year. As the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will not publish data until January 2022, I intend to issue a report immediately after the SFC publication is released. I do however, intend to update Parliament in November on anticipated outturns.

Question reference: S6W-03131

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted a review or evaluation of its performance in fulfilling its non-punishment requirements in international human trafficking law (a) generally and (b) in terms of Scottish public authorities’ responsibilities in light of the decision by the European Court of Human Rights in February 2021 on the case, VCL and AN v UK.

The circumstances which led to the case before the European Court of Human Rights preceded the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015. The 2015 Act introduced new protections for victims of human trafficking and exploitation offences in Scotland.

The 2015 Act requires the Lord Advocate to issue instructions regarding the prosecution of persons who are, or appear to be, the victims of trafficking, slavery, servitude or forced or compulsory labour and who have allegedly committed a criminal offence. These instructions were published in May 2016 and were updated in August 2021, following a review by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in light of the European Court of Human Rights’ decision in VCL and AN v UK. The instructions sets a strong presumption against prosecution of adult victims who have been compelled to commit an offence and the compulsion is directly attributable to trafficking or exploitation and a strong presumption against prosecution of child victims who have committed an offence in the course of, or as a consequence of, being trafficked or exploited.

Decisions in relation to prosecution are for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service which makes its decisions independently.

Both Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service continue to discharge their positive obligations to potential victims of human trafficking and exploitation.

Information on the application of the Lord Advocate’s instructions can be accessed through the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy progress reports https://www.gov.scot/policies/human-trafficking/ .

Question reference: S6W-03130

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 7 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with the UK Government regarding the decision by the European Court of Human Rights in February 2021 on the case, VCL and AN v UK.

Question reference: S6W-03129

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review or evaluate the operation and impact of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015.

The 2015 Act requires Scottish Ministers to prepare a Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy and this was published in May 2017. The Scottish Government has established governance structures to take forward implementation of this Strategy and discussions include feedback on the operation and application of the 2015 Act.

Annual reports against the Strategy have been published and a review of the Strategy was published in May 2020. The next annual report will be published later this year.