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: S6W-10568

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to primary schools and nurseries in low-income areas to allow them to participate in the Theatre in Schools Scotland upcoming productions.

Theatre in Schools Scotland is an initiative managed by Imaginate and National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) to develop the provision of theatre and dance performances available for nursery and primary schools to host for their pupils.

In the first three years, fourteen productions toured over six hundred performances to schools and nurseries in every local authority across Scotland. Information on the reach of TISS is available in the following table:

	Number of pupils that watched a TISS performance		% of Scottish local authorities that benefited from a Tiss shows
	In-Person	Online
17-18	16,103	-	69%
18-19	19,756	-	84%
19-20	13,318	-	63%
20-21	-	30,822	59%
21-22	2,063	28,112	72%

Through subsidy from NTS and Imaginate tickets cost approximated £2 per child. Schools in low-income areas can use their Pupil Equity Funding to pay for access to pay for the TISS programme. The Pupil Equity Funding is allocated directly to schools and targeted at closing the poverty related attainment gap.

In addition, NTS has approached different local trust and foundations to enable free or very low cost performances in economically deprived areas.

Question reference: S6W-10571

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are taken to incorporate theatrical performances and other cultural activities in prisons and young offender institutions, in light of reported research highlighting the positive impact of arts interventions for people in custody.

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

Theatrical performances and cultural activities are embedded within each local establishment regime. However, the level of engagement is shaped by location, staffing resource, third sector participation and prisoner profile within each locus.

The steps taken to incorporate them are similar across the estate, where the operational needs, logistics and outcomes associated with each activity are considered within an event-planning forum and in partnership with the organisation delivering the activity.

With formal governance in place through Annual Learning Plans (ALP’s) in all establishments, the quantitative and qualitative outcomes associated with each performance or cultural activity can be considered alongside each establishments own delivery plans.

Question reference: S6W-10570

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards meeting the recommendations in the 2011 report, Inspiring Change.

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

The six recommendations of the 2011 report, ‘Inspiring change’ were embedded in the SPS transformational review ‘Unlocking Potential – Transforming Lives’ document published during 2013 and the Learning & Skills Strategy which was renewed in 2016.

SPS continue to monitor performance against agreed criterion with their Learning Provider Fife College.

Question reference: S6W-10423

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09692 by Angus Robertson on 26 July 2022, whether it will address the issue raised in the question on how much it has budgeted for regarding the cost associated with the referral to the Supreme Court of whether the question for a referendum on Scottish independence contained in the proposed referendum Bill relates to reserved matters.

Question reference: S6W-10572

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards the realisation of National Towns of Culture.

Question reference: S6W-10573

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many towns will be designated as National Towns of Culture.

I refer the member to answer S6W-10572 on 6 September 2022 which sets out what progress is being made towards the realisation of National Towns of Culture. Any decisions taken, including those related to the number of towns designated as National Towns of Culture, will be consulted on with the cultural and creative sectors, and community groups, as we progress.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6O-01335

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is providing to third sector organisations in the Lothians that are supporting refugees from Ukraine.

Question reference: S6W-09970

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07530 by Humza Yousaf on 11 April 2022, whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made on replacing the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh.

NHS Boards are required to provide regular updates to the Scottish Government on the status and progress of National Treatment Centre projects. NHS Lothian is currently refreshing the Outline Business Case for the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion replacement project and will subsequently submit a Full Business Case to Scottish Government. Recent progress includes work to develop a Briefing Pack and Exemplar Design which will incorporate requirements to meet the NHS Assure process; Net Zero Carbon legislation; site location; learnings from the Covid-19 pandemic and impact on Clinical Pathways and outputs of the ‘NHS Lothian: Strategic Review of Ophthalmology Services’ completed in 2021. NHS Lothian has also appointed a Health Planner to further develop the Clinical Brief and associated Schedule of Accommodation, based on the outline clinical strategy produced in 2021.

Question reference: S6W-09969

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Lothian has submitted a full business case for the new eye pavilion in Edinburgh, and, if so, on what date it was submitted, and by what date the Scottish Government will respond.

Question reference: S6W-09692

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has budgeted for regarding the cost associated with the referral to the Supreme Court of whether the question for a referendum on Scottish independence contained in the proposed referendum Bill relates to reserved matters.