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: S6F-00555

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 December 2021

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to provide support to small businesses in light of reports that 20,000 small businesses ceased trading during the pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-04509

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether data about the literacy levels of inmates in prisons and young offenders institutions is routinely collected.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Education in all public sector prisons is delivered through a commercial contract with Fife College. As part of Fife College’s induction processes with those in custody, a screening tool is utilised. This screening tool gives an indication of the initial literacy levels of each prospective learner and therefore informs their individual learning plan.

All individuals are also routinely asked questions on admission to capture their level of English and this is recorded on SPS’ internal system. Individuals are asked to confirm whether they can understand, write, read and speak English.

Question reference: S6O-00493

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met with key stakeholders, including business owners, to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine certification scheme.

Question reference: S6W-04508

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what work is undertaken to establish a profile of the social background of inmates in prisons and young offenders institutions.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Since 1991 the SPS Prison Survey has provided a unique insight into life in Scottish prisons from the perspective of those who are in custodial care; it furnishes a meaningful channel for the “user’s voice” to be heard. It offers a rich data source which complements official statistics and provides the Service, partner agencies, researchers and academics with valuable time-series trends. The Survey focuses on the core elements of prison life: living conditions, family contact, healthcare, relationships, atmosphere and perceived safety. Over the years, the questionnaire has introduced new topics on mental health, substance misuse, housing status, military service, knife carrying, gang membership, violence against women, equality and diversity, looked after as a child and adverse childhood experiences. The most recent Prison Survey in 2019 [1] found that one quarter of those held in custody reported that they had been in care at some point during their up-bringing.

Work undertaken in 2017-18 by SPS and the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) [2] on children and young people in custody also showed that they came from a range of communities across Scotland, but most came predominantly from the central belt. The highest numbers of young people in both age ranges were from the most deprived 10% of communities, with almost two-thirds of the 16 and 17 year olds and over half of 16 to 21 year olds living in the 20% most deprived communities in Scotland.

[1] Prison Survey 2019, J. Carnie & R. Broderick, Scottish Prison Service, 2019, page 19

Publications (sps.gov.uk)

[2] Children and Young People in Custody in Scotland: Looking Behind the Data, G. Robinson, J. Leishman & C. Lightowler, Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice, 2018, page 8

Children and Young People in Custody in Scotland: Looking Behind the Data (Revised June 2018) - Children's and Young People's Centre for Justice (cycj.org.uk)

Question reference: S6T-00329

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that people are shutting down their electric and rationing their energy use in the face of rising charges.

Question reference: S6O-00472

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there should be more programmes in the school curriculum that aim to prevent violence in dating and intimate partner relationships.

Question reference: S6W-04143

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is being given to a reduction or abolition of additional business rates specifically charged to businesses providing “through the wall ATMs” on top of standard business rates.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for independent assessors, and the Scottish Government has no locus to interfere in that independent process. We have no current plans to alter the specific treatment of ATMs in the non-domestic rates system.

The Scottish Government provides the most generous non-domestic rates regime in the UK, and in 2021-22 delivered an unprecedented reduction in the poundage mid-revaluation; returning it to pre-COVID levels, which saves Scottish Businesses over £120 million compared with a standard inflationary increase.

We already deliver a number of non-domestic rates measures that support ATM sites and the buildings they are located in, such as shops. This includes up to 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme relief, which is the most generous such relief in the UK. ATM sites in rural areas are exempt from rating in Scotland, and therefore are not liable for non-domestic rates.

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, each local Council has wide-raging powers to create rates reliefs to reflect local needs. This may apply to a sole business, sector or area. The relief may be an adaptation of an existing national relief scheme or a unique standalone scheme.

Question reference: S6W-04145

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison officers are trained in the use of naloxone.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

NHS staff on duty within prisons will provide a clinical response to an overdose in custody, including the administration of naloxone during the day.

To date a total of 272 operational night shift staff across the prison estate have received training in the administration of naloxone (This figure also includes staff trained who work in the private prisons - HMPs Addiewell and Kilmarnock).

Question reference: S6O-00442

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the music industry to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-03375

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the British Medical Association regarding the return to face-to-face appointments in GP surgeries.

The British Medical Association (BMA) and I issued a joint statement to all practices on face-to-face appointments as a result of multiple discussions between both parties.

For many years now, in person face-to-face appointments form part of a hybrid model of options that are offered to patients including video consultations, telephone consultations and in person face-to-face appointments. The pandemic changed the balance between these appointment types. While we are clear that face to face appointments must increase we also recognise that for a number of patients they will wish to continue with telephone or video consultations. Changes to physical distancing guidance will assist practices to safely increase more face to face appointments.

Importantly the type of appointment offered should be agreed through shared decision making, balancing patient choice and autonomy, and practice circumstances/capacity and clinical judgement.

I last met with the BMA on 25 October 2021.