Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-21135

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, how often the Cabinet Sub-Committee for The Promise will meet.

Question reference: S6W-21046

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many public buildings in the Mid Scotland and Fife region have been identified as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

We have previously noted that it is for organisations responsible for buildings to make information on this issue available on affected buildings. For example local authorities have published information on RAAC identified within their school estate.

Survey work is underway across public buildings and is at various stages of discovery in different sectors.

Where the presence of RAAC is confirmed in a public building, we expect the owner to take appropriate measures to assess and manage any risk identified in line with the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers.

We remain in regular contact with organisations across the public sector on this matter, directly and through our cross-sector working group.

Question reference: S6W-21044

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been built in (a) Stirling, (b) Fife, (c) Perth and Kinross and (d) Clackmannanshire in each year since 2019.

A table showing the number of social and affordable completions by local authority area can be accessed using the following link:

The homes provided through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme comprise homes for social rent, for mid-market rent and for low cost home ownership. These homes take various forms including; new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

Question reference: S6W-21047

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many care experienced children have been excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2019.

The Scottish government collects and publishes data on school exclusions every other year. The most recent exclusion statistics for looked after children by setting can be found in the 2020-21 The results from 2019 onwards are provided in the following table.

Stage	Number of pupils looked after within the year excluded - 2018/19	Number of pupils looked after within the year excluded - 2020/21
Primary	165	72
Secondary	616	379
Special	56	32
Scotland	837	483

Question reference: S6W-21134

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the minimum pay of £12 per hour for the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector will be implemented.

In Programme for Government we committed to providing the necessary funding to enable childcare workers delivering funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector to be paid at least £12 per hour from April 2024. That includes childminders.

A communication issued to the sector on 6 September setting out more details on the commitment. This confirmed that the Scottish Government will work with COSLA and local authorities to support the implementation of this commitment and will set out further details in the coming months.

It is anticipated that payment to support delivery of this commitment will be provided through the sustainable rate setting process, as is currently the case for the ELC real Living Wage commitment.

Question reference: S6W-21136

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, what powers the Cabinet Sub-Committee for The Promise will have.

The details of the Cabinet Sub-Committee are currently being determined. As set out in the recent Programme for Government, the Sub-Committee will direct and support the cross-portfolio change required to improve outcomes for Scotland’s care experienced children, young people, adults, and families. The Cabinet Sub-Committee’s early tasks will include exploring the role that both prevention and philanthropy might play in delivering better outcomes.

Question reference: S6W-21103

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when its new delivery plan for mental health and wellbeing will be published.

Question reference: S6W-21130

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the roll-out of free school meals to P6 and P7 pupils will begin.

As announced in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will work with COSLA in the coming year to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of universal free school meal provision to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils. Expansion will take a phased approach, rolling out first to those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, before expanding to all Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils in 2026.

Question reference: S6O-02543

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the national allowance for foster and kinship care.

Question reference: S6W-20677

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 13 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the longest wait for a Baby Box to be delivered has been since they were introduced.

The Scottish Government’s universal Baby Box programme, the only one in the UK, opened for registration on 15 June 2017. Nationwide delivery of Baby Boxes began on 15 August 2017 for all babies born and resident in Scotland.

Where a parent has registered for a Baby Box these are dispatched by our Baby Box Managing Agent APS Group (Scotland) approximately 6 weeks prior to due date. If APS receive a late request, the Baby Box is prioritised by their system and dispatched as urgent, this would usually be the next working day. Where APS are made aware of a hidden pregnancy, premature birth or a parent has not registered, these requests are also treated as urgent and usually dispatched the next working day.

APS do not keep a record of any late issued boxes, which can happen for a number of reasons, but once confirmation of a birth and request for a box is received, a Baby Box will be dispatched the following day.