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-15588

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average response time was to phone calls to the Citizens Advice Scotland Helpline, and how many calls were (a) received and (b) discontinued in each year since 2019.

Question reference: S6W-15587

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) volunteers and (b) paid staff currently work at Citizens Advice Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-15803

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Education Scotland report, Approaches to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools, published in February 2023.

The report shows that staff across schools are committed to promoting positive relationships within an inclusive environment and seek to prevent and address bullying.

We take the findings of the report very seriously and have put in place a range of actions immediately to respond. We have begun a review of our national anti-bullying guidance, Respect for All, and have established a working group of key stakeholders to support us in this.

HM Inspectors will undertake a second phase of the thematic inspection which will look at good practice in how schools are responding to bullying. Education Scotland will publish this report later this year. The findings will inform our future work.

We are engaging with the Teachers Panel and with teaching unions to discuss their experiences and how we could better support schools and pupils. The fifth wave of our Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research started in February and will provide a robust national picture of current relationships and behaviour. We will use this research and engagement with stakeholders, including the Scottish Advisory Group for Relationships and Behaviour in Schools, to inform the development of further future policy, guidance and support for schools and school staff.

Question reference: S6W-15825

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15443 by John Swinney on 8 March 2023, whether it will name the law firms that have received a share of the £100,244, broken down by how much each firm received.

Since the response to question S6W-15443 on 8 March 20232, further legal fee claims have been paid. As of 15 March 2023, £124,650 has been paid to 10 firms.

It is not appropriate to name the firms as to do so could be interpreted as guiding applicants to particular firms. Applicants are directed to the for support in finding a solicitor. In addition, as some firms have a claim in respect of only one application there is a small risk of applicant identification if the full list is provided.

Table 1 : Breakdown of Legal Fees paid up to 15 March 2023

Firm	Fees Paid (up to 15 March 2023)	Number of associated applications
A	£2,400	1
B	£2,400	1
C	£76,440	33
D	£19,200	8
E	£5,340	3
F	£540	1
G	£2400	1
H	£13,080	7
I	£2,400	1
J	£450	1
Total Paid	£124,650	57

While applications can be made without the need for a solicitor, applicants are strongly encouraged to take up the offer of funded legal advice, particularly before signing a waiver and accepting a redress payment.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-15768

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also known as drones, have been available for use by Police Scotland officers in each year since 2019, and how many officers have received RPAS training.

Question reference: S6W-15609

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 20 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the February 2023 Cranfield Trust report, Demand, Survival, Change: The challenges facing charity management in Scotland.

The third sector is hugely diverse and works alongside the public and private sectors across all services and industries, often providing lifeline services in our most vulnerable communities. It faces many pressures but we know that there are particular challenges given fixed grants and falling donations.

We recognise that the third sector needs stability of funding and the opportunity for longer term planning and development. We are committed to delivering a Fairer Funding approach for the third sector, the cornerstone of which is multi-year funding, and we are now beginning the roll out of this commitment. We hope this will provide a much needed stable platform to enable the sector to work to its full potential.

Question reference: S6O-02027

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce violence in schools.

Violence towards anyone is unacceptable and the safety of our children, young people and staff at school is paramount.

We have produced guidance for local authorities and schools to promote positive relationships and manage behaviour, including de-escalation of violent behaviour. There are a number of programmes that they use to do this.

Last week I met the Teachers Panel to discuss their experiences and how we could better support schools and pupils. The fifth wave of our Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research started last month and will provide a robust national picture of current relationships and behaviour. We will use this research and engagement with stakeholders, including the Scottish Advisory Group for Relationships and Behaviour in Schools, to inform the development of further future policy, guidance and support for schools and school staff.

Question reference: S6W-15149

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) counterfeit cigarettes and (b) kilograms of illegal tobacco have been seized by Police Scotland in each year since 2013.

Question reference: S6W-15289

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of railway stations are currently equipped with defibrillators.

Question reference: S6W-15147

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals have been reported to Police Scotland for selling vapes and e-cigarettes to children and young people under 18, and how many of these sellers have been (a) charged and (b) convicted, in each year since 2019.