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-26239

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much North Ayrshire Council has paid in unitary charges for its public-private partnership (PPP) for schools project in each year since 1 March 2006, and how much it estimates it will pay in future years.

The latest published data shows that North Ayrshire Council have paid a total of £187.2 million in unitary charge payments since 2007-08 for its North Ayrshire Schools PFI contract and that the total projected payments from 2023-24 onwards until contract expiry are estimated at £253.6 million.

It also shows that North Ayrshire Council have paid a total of £20.5 million in unitary charge payments since 2017-18 for its Largs Campus contract, which formed part of the NPD/hub Programme and the total projected payments from 2023-24 onwards until contract expiry are estimated at £91.5 million.

Question reference: S6W-26084

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how women’s aid organisations that are not affiliated with Scottish Women’s Aid are funded, and what criteria are used for any such funding.

Women’s Aid groups that are not affiliated with Scottish Women’s Aid are funded in the same ways and with the same criteria as affiliated groups.

The main source of funding between 2021 and 2025 is the Delivering Equally Safe (DES) fund, the objectives for which are:

Women and children affected by violence are identified (early)
Women and children’s safety needs are met
Women and children’s wider wellbeing needs are met
Fewer people adhere to gender stereotypes
People have increased understanding of all forms of VAWG (causes, consequences, and appropriate responses)
Power, decision-making and material resources are distributed more equally between men and women.
Tolerance of VAWG is reduced and people are more likely to recognise and challenge it
Perpetrators are identified early
Perpetrators are supported to change their behaviour
Perpetrators are sanctioned / held to account
Violence against women and girls is reduced / eradicated
Negative impacts on women and children who have been affected by violence are reduced / eradicated.

In July 2021 all Women’s Aid groups received funding through the 100 Days (COVID emergency) funding. The objectives of the 100 days (COVID emergency) funding were:

To fund additional staff to respond to an increase in demand from victims of abuse for support services;
To fund improvements to organisations’ IT and digital resource; and
To fund additional training to allow services to be augmented so that people could quickly and easily access help.

An additional grant is being provided from April 2024 to all Women’s Aid groups.

A non-affiliated Women’s Aid group (in Fife) is included in the £500,000 Fund to Leave pilot which was launched in October 2023. This will help to reduce the financial burden of leaving an abusive partner by providing up to £1,000 to help to pay for the essentials women and children need, including rent and clothing. Fife, along with Glasgow, South Lanarkshire, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire were chosen for the pilot as the local authority areas where there are highest number of presentations to local authorities for homelessness assistance by women due to domestic abuse. The fund is being administered by Scottish Women’s Aid for the 4 affiliated groups with the grant being paid direct to Fife Women’s Aid.

Question reference: S6O-03245

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-25501

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will allocate from its capital budget for the redevelopment of Ardrossan Harbour in (a) 2024-25 and (b) subsequent financial years.

Question reference: S6F-02887

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2024

To ask the First Minister what impact the Spring Statement will have on Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03160

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on its financial planning process of the UK Government having Autumn and Spring statements, in light of reported calls for a multi-year budget approach.

Question reference: S6W-25285

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to improve the accessibility of GP appointments.

In November Scottish Government published The General Practice Access Principles. This report, which sets out a clear framework for the core principles of how GP services should be delivered – equitably, sensitively, reasonably and appropriately, making the most effective use of resources and systems currently available.

The main principles are:

1. Access to General Practice is inclusive and equitable for people, based on the principles of Realistic Medicine and Value Based Health & Care. Care will be person-centred and based on what matters to the individual.

2. People should have a reasonable choice about how they access services.

3. Services should be approachable, sensitive, compassionate, and considerate to need.

4. General Practices should help people to get the right care from the best and most appropriate person or team to care for them (Right Care, Right Place, Right Time).

We continue to work together with all relevant partners to effectively implement these principles, including through our commitment to the ongoing recruitment of primary care multi-disciplinary teams as well as Phase Two of the GMS Contract.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Primary Care Access Programme has already worked with over 100 general practices to improve access arrangements and continues to run with excellent uptake.

Question reference: S6T-01818

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure optimum ferry capacity to and from Arran, in light of reports that repairs to the MV Caledonian Isles are not expected to conclude before mid-June.

Question reference: S6O-03100

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to GP practices to help them transition to a telephone appointment queuing system.

Question reference: S6W-24350

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what value of NHS equipment loaned to patients has been written off in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by NHS board.