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-30957

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have registered with the Scottish Digital Academy in each year since it was launched in January 2018.

Question reference: S6W-30958

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost has been of delivering the Scottish Digital Academy in each year since it was launched in January 2018.

The total cost of the Scottish Digital Academy since its commencement in January 2018 to September 2024 is £4,320,722. This includes staff and programme delivery costs.

2018 to 2019 (£288,564)

2019 to 2020 (£513,548)

2020 to 2021 (£765,440)

2021 to 2022 (£784,262)

2022 to 2023 (£749,674)*

2023 to 2024 (£810,495)

2024 to September 2024 (£408,739)

*To note that the Scottish Digital Academy team merged with the Digital, Data and Profession Team in 2023 and now includes profession support and management within its portfolio.

Question reference: S6W-30953

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations currently use the payments platform, ScotPayments.

ScotPayments is currently in the private Beta phase of delivery, with the first Beta partner fully transitioned onto the platform (including a new fund launched in June 2024). Feasibility assessments with three additional public bodies responsible for large volume and value outbound payments concluded in May 2024. A new Beta partner is planned to onboard to the service in January 2025 before the programme moves into public Beta phase in late 2025. Currently two public bodies and three internal Scottish Government departments use the ScotPayments Confirmation of Payee feature.

Question reference: S6W-30955

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many ScotAccounts are currently active.

Question reference: S6W-30959

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) online and (b) in-person courses have been completed by Scottish Government employees through the Scottish Digital Academy since it was launched in January 2018.

Question reference: S6W-30956

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many online courses have been completed through the Scottish Digital Academy since it was launched in January 2018.

Question reference: S6W-30954

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have signed up to ScotAccount since it was launched in February 2023.

Question reference: S6W-30381

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of foreign direct investments over the last five years can be classified as greenfield.

Question reference: S6W-30380

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many foreign direct investment recipients there have been in the last five years, broken down by sector.

Data on supported inward investment projects secured and created in Scotland is tracked by Scottish Development International.

Supported inward investment projects (Foreign Direct Investment and Inward Investment from the Rest of the UK) over the last five years is as follows

Sector Number of Projects
2019-20 to 2023-24

Technology & Advanced Engineering 149
Energy 73
Financial & Business Services 59
Life Sciences 46
Food & Drink 39
Tourism 39
Aerospace Defence & Marine 26
Chemical Services 14
Other (e.g Textiles, Creative Industries, 47
Constructions, Education

Question reference: S6T-02160

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Young Enterprise Scotland faces closure due to it withdrawing its support.