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 618 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-08467

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether its review of school food nutrition will examine how much food is locally-sourced and other ways of reducing the carbon footprint of transporting the produce.

The current school food regulations contain a set of nutrient standards designed to ensure that a school lunch provides a third of a pupils daily recommended nutrient intake and a set of food and drink standards which apply to all other parts of the day (breakfast clubs, after school clubs, tuckshops) and includes, for example, limitations on sugar content. The review will look at potentially revising these minimum standards to move them closer to the revised Scottish Dietary Goals.

The legislation applies to nutritional content of school food and drink. It does not apply to issues like local sourcing and carbon footprint reduction. However, the ‘Better Eating, Better Learning – a new context for school food’, guidance is designed to support schools and local authorities as they drive further improvements to school food provision and food education and it includes a section dedicated to ‘Sustainability through Food’ which does offer advice on issues like local sourcing and consideration of carbon footprint.

Significant progress has been made in recent years with almost half of our public sector food and drink contracts now awarded to Scottish businesses. Whilst sourcing ingredients for school meals is a procurement matter for local authorities and caterers, the Scottish Government recognises that school food expenditure has a powerful contribution to make in maintaining a secure and resilient supply chain of healthy food in Scotland. In support of this we have produced a range of support and guidance for SMEs and Public Bodies on food procurement, and the emphasis on sustainable procurement is a path that many public bodies have taken up well.

Question reference: S5W-08120

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04419 by Shona Robison on 15 November 2016, what progress it has made setting up a feasibility study into extending free personal and nursing care to people under the age of 65 with a diagnosis of dementia (Frank's Law), and what the reasons are for any delay with this.

The feasibility study, which is being conducted by Scottish Government officials, working with analysts and economists to produce a reliable estimate of the costs involved in extending free personal care to all adults, is underway and will be completed in summer 2017 as planned.

The feasibility study will also look at:

The interaction with the wider policy environment, including the relationship with social security;
Financial benefits and constraints;
The administration costs of charging for social care; and
Will seek to clarify or enhance data provided by Councils through the Local Financial Returns.

Question reference: S5O-00841

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Fraser of Allander Economic Commentary, which warns that indicators of Scottish consumer confidence are more negative than for the UK as whole.

Question reference: S5O-00770

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to ensure that physical activity and sport are available to all, irrespective of background or personal circumstance.

Question reference: S5W-07144

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that specialist healthcare advice is available for people with Huntington's disease in (a) Moray, (b) the Scottish Borders, (c) Dumfries and Galloway and (d) other areas of Scotland where it considers there is a lack of this advice.

NHS Boards are responsible for planning and delivering healthcare services, including specialist services, to meet the assessed needs of their resident populations, taking into account strategic frameworks and guidance, within the allocations provided.

Additionally, Scottish Huntington’s Association were awarded £120,000 in Scottish Government funding to develop a National Care Framework for people with Huntington’s Disease. The framework aims to help ensure families affected by the condition are given the best possible care, information and support - regardless of where they live in Scotland. This work is still under development and we look forward to the publication of the framework, and next phase of this work, later this year.

Question reference: S5F-00955

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2017

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that sports funding is set for a 20% reduction over the next three years, which has been described by sportscotland as "heartbreaking".

Question reference: S5W-07079

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what provision there is in the attainment fund for outdoor learning, particularly for schools in inner city areas, in light of reports that school trips to National Parks and outdoor areas are becoming less frequent and increasingly only accessible by children from a middle-class background.

The Scottish Government wants to see all children and young people have positive outdoor learning experiences in a variety of settings.

A number of schools and local authorities are already using Attainment Scotland Funding for outdoor learning to help close the poverty related attainment gap for young people - including those within inner city areas. Pupil Equity Funding will provide £120m in 2017-18 to 95% of all schools in Scotland and gives headteachers flexibility to target resources at interventions they know will help close the attainment gap, including outdoor learning activities.

Question reference: S5O-00679

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the safe restoration of opencast coal mine sites in East Ayrshire and the south of Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-06418

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 2 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers sport an important tool in tackling health inequality, and how it will ensure that sport is accessible to all irrespective of background or personal circumstance.

Sport and physical activity are key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and so contribute to tackling health inequality. The Scottish Government is committed to increasing rates of physical activity. The Active Scotland Outcomes Framework sets out our ambitions for a more active Scotland, and is underpinned by a commitment to equality, so that people of all ages and from all communities across Scotland have the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity.

Reducing health inequalities is one of the biggest challenges we face. To tackle this we recognise that the root of health inequalities can be found in income inequalities – inequalities which are exacerbated by the UK Government’s policies of austerity and welfare reform.

Question reference: S5O-00612

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that charities and third sector organisations that support communities are appropriately resourced.