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: S5O-00506

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the roll-out of superfast broadband.

We are making excellent progress in extending access to superfast broadband across Scotland and remain on track to deliver 95% fibre coverage by the end of 2017.

That progress is supported by findings from Ofcom's Connected Nations 2016 report which indicates that superfast broadband coverage in Scotland has increased from 73% in 2015 to 83% in 2016 - the greatest increase across the UK, with a year-on-year rise of almost 14%, compared to an average of around 7% for the other nations.

Our £400 million investment through the Digital Scotland Superfast Programme is having a significant impact across Scotland, with around 679,000 homes and businesses connected so far.

And we will go further. We are committed to delivering 100% superfast coverage by 2021. Last week’s Budget confirmed an initial £51 million to support the first phase of activity to deliver that commitment, with further funding available in future years.

Question reference: S5O-00471

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what information it provides to employers regarding apprenticeship accreditation.

Question reference: S5W-04575

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be of the new UK Government benefit cap on people in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has serious concerns about the significant increase in the number of households affected by the benefit cap, a six fold increase on numbers affected by the previous cap. This is yet another cut from the UK Government which will impact hardest on low income families with children. The recent Chartered Institute of Housing report estimated that 6,700 households containing 20,000 children would be affected by the new cap. The cumulative impact of changes to benefits and tax credits over the last few years is a considerable burden on those least able to afford it and continues to push more and more people into poverty at the very time we want to lift people out of poverty.

Question reference: S5O-00375

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what training opportunities are available for people over the age of 25.

Question reference: S5O-00205

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding tackling hate crime.

Question reference: S5O-00076

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that people with mental health issues are treated with the same dignity and respect as physically disabled people.

For the 15% of total UK social security spending which will be devolved, we are absolutely determined that dignity and respect for people will guide everything we do in the Scottish social security system we will set up. We are working with organisations representing those with mental health issues and the users of benefits, to shape our consideration of how we will implement new powers on disability benefits in a way that adequately recognises mental health conditions, fluctuating conditions and other non-physical disabilities. We will set up a disability benefits commission to help shape guidance on assessments and ensuring we meet the needs of those with mental health issues will be part of that.

Question reference: S5W-00576

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employs, and how this compares with September 2006.

Question reference: S5O-00053

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2016
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce legislation regarding responsible parking on footways.

Question reference: S4O-05654

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Marco Biagi on 10 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what effect its proposed local tax reform will have on local authority finances.

Question reference: S4W-29365

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes Scotland’s festivals internationally.

The Scottish Government works closely with key delivery partners including Creative Scotland, VisitScotland, British Council Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh alongside individual festivals and cultural organisations to promote a collective international profile on Scottish festivals. Our in-country offices in China, the Americas and Brussels regularly promote festivals and the cultural strengths of Scotland.

Scotland’s wide range of festivals are promoted via social media. This includes the Scottish Government’s Scotland.org consumer-facing website which is curated by the Scottish Government to inform and engage a global audience of Scotland’s strengths and impact on the world. Festival content, covering everything from Celtic Connections to Hogmanay, consistently performs well, attracting 91,700 site visits to festival pages in 2015. This content is proactively shared through the Scottish Government's international social media channels "Scotland’s festivals" to nearly 200,000 followers and diaspora around the world.

Most recently, Scottish Government collaborated with VisitScotland and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay to host five Chinese bloggers to sample Scotland’s winter festivals – their blog outputs attracted 19 million views to Scotland.org’s associated Weibo page in China.

Imagery of Scotland’s festivals continues to lend a plethora of colour to creative work produced, including the "Welcome to Scotland" visuals in Scotland’s airports, calendars and events brochures. Festivals are regularly promoted through staff communications to government and public body employees, through international publications and websites such as Arts International, the International Society of the Performing Arts (ISPA) programme.

Some of the larger festivals take part in international ‘road-shows’ to collectively promote Scotland’s festivals to a global audience. Other festivals, such as Celtic Connections, Sounds, St Magnus, East Neuk, etc. work in partnership with national bodies to promote and attract international visitors

Creative Scotland provide funding, in partnership with British Council Scotland, to support festival directors from Scotland to visit festivals around the world. For example, Bloody Scotland recently visited India to make connections and share practice with a number of Indian literature festivals. They also support the directors from a wide range of festivals from around Scotland to network with their colleagues from festivals around the world who come to Edinburgh as a part of the international arts visitor’s programme ‘Momentum’.

A cultural delegation went to New York in January 2016 to promote Scotland’s culture and festivals through: a delegate presence at the ISPA congress; delegate presence at the annual meeting of American Performing Arts Presenters; and, a networking event hosted by the Scottish Government’s Washington office.