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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 157 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5O-05104

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to boost the tourism sector in the Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency.

Question reference: S5W-34835

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many families in the Clackmannanshire local authority area received a Baby Box since they were introduced.

Registration opened on 15 June 2017, and delivery of Baby Boxes nationwide began on 15 August 2017 for all babies born and resident in Scotland.

We are unable to give the number of Baby Boxes delivered in the Clackmannanshire local authority area as we only record numbers of Baby Boxes distributed by Health Board area. We can provide the number of boxes delivered in Forth Valley Health Board.

The total number issued in Forth Valley up to 22 January 2021 is 8571 Baby Boxes.

The total breakdown is provided below:

2017(15 August – 31 December)	1132 Baby Boxes
2018	2525 Baby Boxes
2019	2449 Baby Boxes
2020	2311 Baby Boxes
2021(up to 22 January)	154 Baby Boxes

Question reference: S5W-34832

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of (i) households and (ii) business premises have had access to superfast broadband since 2016.

Ofcom has provided the following figures for numbers of properties in Scotland able to access superfast broadband - of 30 Megabits per second (30Mbps) and above - by year.

Unfortunately, the figures provided do not break down between residential and business properties, and, on a directly comparable basis, only go as far back as 2017:

Year	Properties with superfast coverage (30Mbps+)
2020	2,581,836
2019	2,573,289
2018	2,563,554
2017	2,276,309

However, Ofcom’s Connected Nations annual reports for 2019 and 2020 provide information on coverage percentages across residential and commercial properties in Scotland, as set out in the following table:

Year	Superfast coverage in residential properties (%)	Superfast coverage in commercial properties (%)
2020	94	83
2019	92	83

Prior to 2019, these reports outline coverage percentages by non-SME properties and SME properties:

Year	Superfast coverage in non-SME properties (%)	Superfast coverage in SME properties (%)
2018	92	86
2017	87	78
2016	83	72

More information can be found on Ofcom’s website at:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2020 .

The Scottish Government, alongside our partners in the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme has played a key role in extending the reach of fibre broadband. Independent broadband analysis site, thinkbroadband (the same site the UK Government quotes in its own figures), states that 94.6% of premises across Scotland are now able to access superfast broadband speeds of 30Mbps and above – up from just 59.3% in 2014, when DSSB deployment began.

I am pleased to report that 10,655 premises in the constituency of Clackmannanshire and Dunblane now have access to fibre broadband, thanks to the DSSB roll-out, with over 10,398 of those being provided with access to superfast speeds at the UK definition of 24Mbps and above.

Question reference: S5W-34831

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses (a) are eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme and (b) have been exempt from paying non-domestic rates in the financial year 2020-21 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, in the Clackmannanshire local authority area.

Question reference: S5W-34837

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding Clackmannanshire Council has received each year in respect of the (a) Attainment Challenge and (b) Pupil Equity Fund, and how many (i) schools and (ii) pupils have been beneficiaries of this funding.

The Scottish Government has provided funding in the Clackmannanshire Council area through three of the workstreams in the Scottish Attainment Challenge. They are the Challenge Authorities programme, the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund and Pupil Equity Funding.

Overall, a total of £14,987,629 has been allocated to Clackmannanshire Council and schools in Clackmannanshire, with 22 schools supported by this funding through Pupil Equity Funding. The Scottish Government does not hold details on the number of pupils who have benefitted from this funding. The table below illustrates year by year allocations and spending.

	Challenge Authorities	PEF	CECYP Fund [1]	TOTAL ALLOCATION	TOTAL SPEND	SCHOOLS SUPPORTED
15-16 Allocation	£718,000	-	-	£718,000		-
15-16 Spend	£482,208	-	-		£482,208
16-17 Allocation	£1,253,999	-	-	£1,253,999		-
16-17 Spend	£1,242,457	-	-		£1,242,457
17-18 Allocation	£1,548,000	£1,560,000	-	£3,108,000		22
17-18 Spend	£1,548,000	£797,855	-		£2,345,855
18-19 Allocation	£1,576,091	£1,575,120	£114,400	£3,265,211		22
18-19 Spend	£1,576,090	£1,656,979 [2]	£114,400		£3,347,469
19-20 Allocation	£1,576,091	£1,629,240	£177,600	£3,382,931		22
19-20 Spend	£1,565,125	TBC	£177,600		£1,742,725 [3]
20-21 Allocation	£1,571,821	£1,527,827	£159,840	£3,259,488		22
20-21 Spend	TBC	TBC	TBC		TBC
			TOTAL	£14,987,629	£9,160,714	22

[1] The CECYP fund is allocated over the academic year as opposed to financial year

[2] 18-19 PEF spend includes carry over from 17-18

[3] 19-20 PEF spend is still to be confirmed

Question reference: S5W-34839

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many households in the Clackmannanshire local authority area it anticipates will receive the £10 Child Supplement.

Question reference: S5W-34830

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 8 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many Modern Apprenticeship places have been created in the Clackmannanshire local authority area for each year since 2015.

Question reference: S5W-34838

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many families in the Clackmannanshire local authority area have received the (a) Best Start Grant and (b) Best Start Foods.

Social Security Scotland routinely publish information as part of the quarterly Official Statistics release ‘Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods’. This includes information at Local Authority level.

The latest Official Statistics, covering the period from 10 December 2018 to‎ 30 November 2020, show that 1,725 Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods applications were authorised for payment in the Clackmannanshire local authority area.

The value of these payments, by 30 November, was over £429,000 for Best Start Grant, and over £119,000 for Best Start Foods.

Information on Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods was last published on the‎ 26 January 2021 and provided information up to the 30 November 2020. This publication is available from:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/best-start-grant-and-best-start-foods-high-level-statistics-to-30-november-2020/

Question reference: S5W-34836

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in the Clackmannanshire local authority area have received the Carer's Allowance Supplement since it was introduced.

Since Carers's Allowance Supplement was introduced in April 2018 payments have been made to 1,170 carers in the Clackmannanshire local authority area who were eligible on at least one eligibility date from April 2018 to April 2020.

The most recent statistics were published on 11 August 2020 and covered carers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance to the April 2020 eligibility date. This information is available from: https://www.gov.scot/publications/carers-allowance-at-february-2020-and-carers-allowance-supplement-to-april-eligibility-date-2020-statistics/ The next publication of Official Statistics is due to be released on 23 rd February 2021, and will include information to the October 2020 eligibility date.

Question reference: S5W-34833

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pupils left high school with one higher or more in the Clackmannanshire local authority area in each year since 2007.

The percentage of pupils in the Clackmannanshire Council area leaving school having achieved one or more pass in National Qualifications at SCQF Level 6 or better is available on a consistent basis for 2009-10 to 2018-19 in table A2.2 of the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations publication: Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 2: 2020 Edition - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). The figures relate to school leavers from publicly funded schools.

Figures for years prior to this are available in archived publications but were produced using a different methodology and so are not directly comparable to those for 2009-10 onwards.

Percentage of school leavers from publicly funded schools in Clackmannanshire attaining 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better

Year	Percentage of school leavers with 1 pass or more at SCQF Level 6 or better
2018-19	54.4
2017-18	49.7
2016-17	53.5
2015-16	51.7
2014-15	49.4
2013-14	52.6
2012-13	50.0
2011-12	48.8
2010-11	45.5
2009-10	48.4
-------	-----------------------------
2008-09	40.8
2007-08	36.7
2006-07	40.3

Clackmannanshire Local Authority Area	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20
Number of MA Starts	297	289	346	319	327	309