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-23379

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture raised any concerns in relation to human rights during his recent visit to China.

I visited China between 22 – 29 November. The programme concentrated on the three pillars of the Scottish Government’s focus with China: tackling climate change and biodiversity loss; encouraging people-to-people links in areas such as education, culture and tourism; and promoting trade and investment links where mutually beneficial and in keeping with our values and national security interests.

As part of the visit, I met with senior government representatives, where I discussed the importance of human rights, emphasising the Scottish Government’s values and the importance of applying them to what we do, including in our relationship with China.

A constructive relationship with China is mutually beneficial, where consistent with our values and overall national security. This includes raising human rights, where appropriate, as I did during my visit.

Question reference: S6W-23344

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to Freedom of Information request FOI/202300374485, how many of its officials attended the Structural Safety Group meeting that took place in May 2020.

Question reference: S6W-23351

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date by which it expects reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) to be removed from all NHS buildings, and whether it has a comparable target to that set in England to eradicate RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035.

NHSScotland is following the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) who do not recommend that all sites with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) should be vacated simply because RAAC is present. They do however recommend that if RAAC planks are present, their structural condition will need to be determined by a Chartered or Incorporated Structural Engineer to determine the risks and whether any remedial work is required. This is the approach that NHSScotland is taking. Where RAAC has been found in the NHSScotland Estate there has been no immediate disruption or concern although additional monitoring and management of is required in all cases. NHS Boards will consider their buildings with RAAC on an ongoing risk based approach to the management of those assets.

Question reference: S6W-23195

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it can do to ensure that the Scottish Parliament building is safe from any outside interference, in light of the reported allegations of Chinese state spies in the UK Parliament.

The SPCB is aware of the serious risk of possible outside interference to the Scottish Parliament. We have a range of measures in place to mitigate the risk as far as possible. As these measures impact on the security of the Scottish Parliament, it would not be appropriate to publish the details of these measures.

The Member may wish to be aware that the SPCB approved a series of CPD briefing sessions in early November for Members and their staff, with representatives from our security partners, to raise awareness of outside interference. The briefing sessions focused on what Members and their staff can do to help with managing the risk from outside interference.

Question reference: S6W-22032

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much money from Chinese companies has been invested into Scottish universities in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-23315

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to support local authorities in locating and addressing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete outside of schools and housing.

The Scottish Government is working with all public sector partners to understand the extent of, and risks associated with, RAAC across all public bodies. In respect of issues concerning RAAC outside of schools and housing, Scottish Government officials are working closely with the Scottish Heads of Property Services (SHOPS) which is co-ordinating an information gathering exercise on our behalf in respect of the prevalence of RAAC in the non school/non housing estate. Information is also sought on planned actions and mitigations. Scottish Government officials will continue to attend SHOPS meetings to support information sharing, help facilitate wider engagement with other sectors and ensure awareness of best industry practice in mitigating RAAC impacts.

Question reference: S6W-23125

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings (a) ministers and (b) officials have had in relation to the four-day working week public sector pilot since April 2023, and whether it will publish the agendas and minutes of any such meetings.

There has been one meeting on 5 October 2023 between myself and Maggie Chapman (Scottish Green Party MSP) on the four-day working week public sector pilot. There have been no further formal meetings with Ministers on the pilot since April 2023.

Officials have held a number of planning meetings with prospective interested public sector organisations, the expert partner organisation, and other interested stakeholders.

There are no immediate plans to publish the agendas and minutes of these meetings as it not an established practice for regular policy development.

Question reference: S6W-22031

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it can do to ensure that Scottish Government buildings are safe from any outside interference, in light of the reported allegations of Chinese state spies in the UK Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-23127

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its four-day working week public sector pilot, how much money has been (a) allocated to support this and (b) spent to date, and whether it will provide a breakdown of these costs.

Question reference: S6W-23120

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date its four-day working week public sector pilot will (a) begin and (b) conclude.

The Scottish Government will commence work on the 4 Day Working Week public sector pilot by the end of the calendar year. The pilot will take place over a 12 month period.

A number of public bodies expressed an interest in the 4DWW public sector pilot. Pilot participants are still being finalised, as are details of when participants will join the 4DWW pilot and initiate changes to their working week. Further details will be provided in due course.