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: S6F-03538

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that its spending on private consultants has almost doubled in the space of five years.

Question reference: S6F-03534

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding reports from BBC Panorama that smart meters in Scotland are experiencing a disproportionate number of operational issues compared with elsewhere in the UK, due to differences in connection type used to send data to energy providers.

Question reference: S6F-03527

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported concerns that its proposed formula for calculating rent controls in the Housing (Scotland) Bill will require above-inflation rent rises for hundreds of thousands of renters, thus not tackling unaffordable rents.

Question reference: S6F-03519

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03526

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-03520

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-30983

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its timeline for developing a framework to support shared ownership of renewables, as proposed within the onshore wind sector deal, and whether there will be opportunities for the community sector to meaningfully engage with this process.

We are committed to working with the community sector and other stakeholders to ensure the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland. This includes shared ownership, which has a vital role to play in a just transition by giving communities the chance to make an investment in a commercially owned renewable energy project.

Through our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) we provide online guidance, resources, and support to access funding and contractors to enable communities to engage with shared ownership opportunities. Building on the progress we have made to date, the Scottish Government is progressing work on the commitment in the Onshore Wind Sector Deal to develop a framework of practical approaches to support and encourage community shared ownership models, to assist communities, and developers and funders to engage in shared ownership opportunities. There will be opportunities for the community sector to engage with this process as work progresses.

Question reference: S6W-30981

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 11 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what new measures it plans to take to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy that is fully community-owned, as part of meeting its ambition to reach 2GW of community- and locally-owned energy by 2030.

The Scottish Government is more than halfway towards achieving our ambition for 2GW of community and locally owned energy by 2030, with an estimated 1,028 MW of community and local renewable energy capacity operational in Scotland at the end of December 2023. We are taking action to continue to help ensure people and communities benefit from the energy transition, including support for community and locally owned energy.

In 2024-5, the Scottish Government’s Community Energy Generation Growth Fund awarded up to £1.5 million in grants to community groups across Scotland to develop their own renewable energy projects. We are also taking action to increase ownership opportunities. Through our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) we provide online guidance, resources, and support to access funding and contractors to enable communities to engage with shared ownership opportunities.

Question reference: S6W-30973

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which community radio stations it has asked to run public information adverts in each of the last five years, broken down by the amount received by each community radio station from the Scottish Government.

Below is a list of the community radio stations that the Scottish Government has run public information advertisements on over the last five years, alongside the total annual spend for each year. Spend per individual community station is classed as commercially sensitive and as such we are unable to provide this level of detail.

April 2020 - March 2021 - Total spend: £214,731

Argyll Radio
Awaz FM
Caithness FM
Cuillin FM/Skye
Heartland FM
Isles FM
K107FM
Lochbroom/ Two Lochs
Nevis Radio
Oban FM
Panjab Radio
Pulse 98.4
Radio Ramadan
Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company
Waves Radio 101.2FM

April 2021 - March 2022 – Total spend: £405,912

Alive FM
Argyll Radio
Awaz FM
Caithness FM
Cuillin FM/Skye
Heartland FM
Isles FM
K107FM
Lochbroom/ Two Lochs
Mearns FM
Nevis Radio
Oban FM
Panjab Radio
Pulse 98.4
Radio Ramadan
Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company
Waves Radio 101.2FM

April 2022- March 2023 – Total spend: £74,008

Argyll Radio
Awaz FM
Caithness FM
Cuillin FM/Skye
Heartland FM
Isles FM
Jambo Radio
Lochbroom/ Two Lochs
Nevis Radio
Oban FM
Panjab Radio
Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company
Waves Radio 101.2FM

April 2023 - March 2024 – Total spend: £69,029

Argyll Radio
Awaz FM
Caithness FM
Cuillin FM/Skye
Heartland FM
Isles FM
Jambo Radio
K107FM
Lochbroom/ Two Lochs
Nevis Radio
Oban FM
Panjab Radio
Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company

April 2024 – October 2024 spend to date Total spend: £14,438

Argyll Radio
Awaz FM
Caithness FM
Cuillin FM/Skye
Heartland FM
Isles FM
Jambo Radio
Lochbroom/ Two Lochs
Nevis Radio
Oban FM
Panjab Radio
Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company

Question reference: S6W-30969

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 11 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that bodies delivering public services are protecting employees from violence.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of reducing violence against employees of bodies delivering public services. In addition to work undertaken by public bodies themselves, we are currently working on a range of targeted initiatives including:

Invested over £4 million in the delivery and implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework, including supporting the Mentors in Violence Prevention school-based programme.
Published a joint action plan with COSLA to tackle violence towards staff in educational establishments.
Co-chairing Your Safety Matters (YSM) External Partners Group (EPG).
Promoting the Equally Safe at Work (ESAW) employer accreditation programme.