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-02271

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates that its taxation policy, including in relation to businesses, will have on the strength of the economy.

Question reference: S6O-02256

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to abolish NHS dental charges by the end of the current parliamentary session.

Question reference: S6F-02100

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support colleges and universities in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-17305

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority on the decision to revert to pre-COVID-19 pandemic arrangements for coursework and exams for the 2023-24 academic year.

Scottish Government is represented on the National Qualifications Group, and Scottish Ministers and officials were kept informed of the decision, and the rationale behind it, through regular meetings with SQA. I last discussed this with SQA when I met with the Chief Executive on 19 April.

SQA took this decision following engagement with the National Qualifications Group and wider education community, informed by extensive feedback gathered as part of their evaluation of the 2022 arrangements. All other parts of the UK have already returned to full course requirements.

Question reference: S6W-16785

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding any impact in Scotland, on the decision of the World Athletics Council to “exclude male-to-female transgender athletes who have been through male puberty from female World Rankings competition from 31 March 2023”.

The Scottish Government and sport scotland believe that sport is for everyone. An ongoing priority for the Scottish Government is to support participation across all groups and tackle inequalities in participation. Sports are incredibly diverse, so Governing Bodies and Federations need to consider inclusion, fairness and safety to determine appropriate options for their sport.

Scottish Athletics are working with UK Athletics and the other home countries to develop a Transgender Eligibility Policy for athletics across the UK. At present, there are no transgender athletes competing at the elite/performance level within Scotland or as part of Scottish Athletics performance squads.

The World Athletics policy applies to any events that are registered as World Ranking Competitions, where the licence for the competition or event is granted by UK Athletics or a Home Country Athletics Federation. This includes the Scottish Athletics National Championships.

During the transitional phase across athletics in the UK, the World Athletics policy applies to all licensed events. In Scotland, the World Athletics Transgender Regulations and World Athletics Eligibility Regulations for the Female Classification (Athletes With Differences of Sex Development) will not apply to local school events other than Home Country National School Championships and those events where athletes can qualify for Home Country National School Championships.

Question reference: S6W-16696

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its properties do not have single-sex restrooms.

Question reference: S6W-16637

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it plans to introduce a domestic abuse register.

Question reference: S6W-16638

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it taking to ensure that people enrolled in higher or further education institutions disclose any sexual assault charges.

The Equally Safe in Colleges and Universities Core Leadership Group, which I chair, has established a short-life working group to consider institutional enrolment and safeguarding processes, including with regard to students subject to criminal proceedings.

The short-life working group includes representatives from Police Scotland, Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland and Emily Test.

The Scottish Government will continue to work at pace with stakeholders on this issue.

Question reference: S6W-16639

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its response to reports that students at the University of Edinburgh who have experienced sexual assault have been warned against reporting incidents to the police.

It is imperative that all institutions support victims of sexual assault, and that victims feel comfortable in reporting incidents to their institutions and to the Police.

The Scottish Government has received assurances from the Principal of the University of Edinburgh that it is committed to tackling gender-based violence, and that it would not discourage a student from making a report to the Police. Further discussions with the institution are planned.

Question reference: S6W-16640

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans on introducing a requirement for (a) Police Scotland, (b) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and (c) the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to record the sex of people charged with or convicted of rape or attempted rape.

We have no plans to introduce such a requirement. It is a matter for those relevant public bodies collecting information on sex to establish the best approach in their individual institutional settings. In the case of those committing crime, this approach will rightly be shaped by how Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service operationalise both the wider legal context (where for example an arrested person is not legally required to answer questions on their sex or gender) and any associated guidance on collecting data about sex and gender.

The information Police Scotland record on the sex of people, which flows through to partners as any criminal proceedings are taken forward, has no impact on how cases are investigated or prosecuted. It will be based on how people present, unless an alternative gender is disclosed. In respect of the offences of rape and attempted rape, the law requires that there is penetration or attempted penetration of the complainer’s mouth, vagina or anus by the perpetrator’s penis, which includes a surgically constructed penis.