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

Testing questions body text for accordion

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 560 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-31949

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the decline in formal volunteer participation in Scotland since 2019.

Scotland’s volunteers make a fantastic contribution to people’s lives and our communities.

The Scottish Government provide direct funding to national and local intermediaries to support the national and local volunteering infrastructure. This includes funding for Volunteer Scotland to implement Scotland’s Volunteering Action Plan. This long-term plan seeks to increase participation and reduce barriers to volunteering for all. The Scottish Government also funds the local Third Sector Interface network who support volunteering across all 32 local authorities as well as funding youth volunteering and the Volunteering Support Fund.

Volunteer Scotland has strategic leadership of volunteering, including provision of a national advice centre and delivery of research. We very much welcome the launch, in September, of a national volunteering recruitment campaign, led by Volunteer Scotland, to address volunteer shortages. This will provide volunteer involving organisations with practical guidance and promotion materials to help attract and retain volunteers.

Question reference: S6W-31950

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Household Survey 2023 findings, which show a further decline in respondents' formal volunteer participation, will be considered when finalising the decision regarding the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) fee proposals for volunteers in qualifying voluntary organisations.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Long and short term trends in formal volunteering, including information gathered in the Scottish Household Survey 2023, have informed the development of policy options on the future of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme fee waiver for volunteers in qualifying organisations. The Scottish Government will take this into account when finalising decisions.

Question reference: S6W-31530

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to repeat the Health and Wellbeing Census; if so, what the earliest date is by which this may be implemented; which local authorities have confirmed so far that they (a) will and (b) will not participate; whether children's identity numbers will be gathered again, and what consultation has been undertaken with (i) parents and (ii) groups representing parents regarding (A) methodology and (B) question choice.

Question reference: S6O-04118

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to enhance regional transport partnerships over the coming year.

Question reference: S6W-31487

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to (a) the Marie Curie report, Dying in Poverty in Scotland 2024, and (b) its finding that one in five people will be in fuel poverty at the end of life.

The Scottish Government supports the delivery of the highest standards of palliative care, and we will give this report and its recommendations careful consideration. Our palliative care strategy, currently out for public consultation, aims to ensure that people can access well-coordinated, timely and high-quality palliative care, care around dying, and bereavement support based on what matters to them.

High energy prices are the single most important driver of fuel poverty. Within our devolved powers we continue to support vulnerable households through our winter heating benefits, provision of free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice and energy efficiency schemes. However the powers to make a real difference remain reserved to Westminster. That is why the UK Government must introduce a social tariff mechanism as a means of targeted support for those who need it most, including terminally ill people who are struggling with their energy bills. The Scottish Government is making progress on co-designing such a mechanism with industry and has agreed to report to the UK Government on this work as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6O-04035

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consultations it has held with businesses in advance of its 2025-26 Budget.

Question reference: S6F-03283

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister test

Question reference: S6O-04090

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it is doing to encourage the employment of more people with learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence (LDAN) in the Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-30664

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has developed the Cycle Two process for guiding and determining flood protection schemes under the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009, and, if so, when this will be published.

A joint COSLA/ Scottish Government Flood Risk Management Funding Working Group has been set up to discuss funding and governance of flood resilience actions in Scotland and make recommendations to Cosla and Scottish Ministers on cycle 1 and cycle 2 flood protection schemes. The group includes representatives from COSLA, SEPA, local authority Directors of Finance and flood officers, and Scottish Government officials.

The work of this group continues with some recommendations already agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders whilst further recommendations are being developed.

Question reference: S6W-30671

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 1 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the presentation of a flood protection scheme in a publicly-available notification must be sufficiently clear so that the deemed planning authority-granted elements of the scheme are clearly and unambiguously identifiable from any elements that require planning permission under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

Section 57(2B) of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 provides that once a flood protection scheme is confirmed (whether by the local authority or the Scottish Ministers), the Scottish Ministers are to direct that planning permission for the development is deemed to be granted, subject to any planning conditions which Ministers may specify.

The implementation of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 is primarily a matter for local planning authorities.

Tell us your views

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Filter your results Hide all filters

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer