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-22559

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 14 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to respond to any (a) challenges for and (b) impacts on (i) asylum seekers, (ii) public bodies supporting asylum seekers and (iii) third sector groups supporting asylum seekers in Scotland as a consequence of the UK Illegal Migration Act 2023.

The Scottish Government is opposed to the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and recognises that the Act as drafted would restrict the right to seek asylum in the UK, putting people in need of protection at risk and undermining the UK’s international obligations to recognise refugees in the UK.

Scottish Ministers are currently engaged with officials to assess and identify any mitigations available, informed by engagement with stakeholders, including through a summit held in June 2023.

Limited information has been made available by the UK Government about planned implementation of the Act. This makes it challenging for the Scottish Government and our partners to consider what action it may be possible to take.

As asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Government cannot lift or amend measures introduced by the Illegal Migration Act in relation to access to asylum in the UK. The Scottish Government also cannot amend restrictions placed on people seeking asylum while they await a decision, including long standing UK Government policies to restrict the right to work and access to public funds.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with our partners to support people seeking asylum through the New Scots refugee integration strategy. We are undertaking engagement designed in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council and COSLA to inform the refresh of the New Scots refugee integration strategy.

Question reference: S6W-22722

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the next paper in the Building a New Scotland series will be published.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver on its commitment to build the case for an independent Scotland within the EU, through the development of a prospectus to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future, and I’m pleased to confirm that today we are publishing Migration to Scotland after independence.

This is the sixth paper in the Building a New Scotland series. It sets out proposals for how an independent Scotland with control of its migration policy could devise a humane, dignified and principled migration system to help grow our population. Through population growth, we can strengthen and grow our economy, address skills shortages within key sectors, deliver positive outcomes for our communities and public services, and enrich Scotland culturally.

I can also confirm that we intend to bring the matters raised in this publication forward for a debate in the Chamber in the coming weeks.

The Scottish Government is continuing to prepare further papers in the Building a New Scotland series and these will be published shortly.

Building a New Scotland: Migration to Scotland after independence is available to view on the Scottish Government website from today at www.gov.scot/newscotland

Question reference: S6O-02697

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports older people living in poverty to maximise their income.

Question reference: S6O-02660

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed Electoral Reform Bill will seek to improve voter participation within the electoral process.

Question reference: S6O-02596

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work is ongoing to support the development of new treatments for those living with epidermolysis bullosa, commonly known as EB.

Question reference: S6W-21286

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Parental Transition Fund.

As set out in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan: Progress Report 2022-23 , the Scottish Government has reviewed existing evidence and engaged with stakeholders in order to understand the challenges to be addressed through a Parental Transition Fund.

This has informed exploration of what support it is possible to deliver using powers available to the Scottish Government, however as a result of the devolved settlement and the Scottish Government’s powers, along with the interaction with reserved tax and benefits, it is not possible to deliver the Parental Transition Fund as originally envisaged.

The Scottish Government remain fully committed to delivering on the ambition of the Parental Transition Fund and to tackling the financial insecurity faced by families when parents and carers enter employment. Working together with partners, we will continue to take action to improve uptake of existing supports and to further strengthen the help available through devolved employability services. Through these actions we will leverage existing investment to tackle child poverty by supporting more parents and carers into sustainable fair work.

Question reference: S6O-02478

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how its action to achieve net zero will be supported by the recently agreed partnership between Skills Development Scotland and Built Environment – Smarter Transformation.

Question reference: S6O-02314

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of those previously accommodated on the MS Ambition are now in settled or permanent accommodation.

Question reference: S6O-02117

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports low-income families in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-15836

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether its new strategy for palliative and end of life care will specifically include bereavement support needs to reflect the entire experience of dying and death.

Scottish Government’s Palliative and End of Life Strategy is being developed with an overarching aim that everyone in Scotland receives well-coordinated, timely and high-quality palliative care, care around death and bereavement support based on their needs and preferences including support for families and carers.

We will develop a strategy that reflects what matters to people experiencing serious illness, dying and bereavement. We are reviewing the information and evidence we have about people’s experiences of palliative and end of life care, and bereavement, in order to inform our strategy going forward.