Parliamentary questions
Stephen Kerr
2,595 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the flexible working arrangements of the chief executive of the National Social Work Agency who will reportedly be entitled to work remotely for up to 60% of their weekly contracted hours, and what assessment it has made of any impact on leadershi…
Answer · Angela Constance: The establishment of the National Social Work Agency is underway. It will be an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and will be established by Spring 2026. Recruitment for the Chief Executive of the agency is underway to support the transition from th…
1 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what office location(s) are to be designated for the National Social Work Agency, and how many staff are expected to be based at each location.
Answer · Angela Constance: The establishment of the National Social Work Agency is underway. It will be an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and will be established by Spring 2026. Plans and engagement on office locations are underway, in consultation with staff and the union…
1 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what conditions are attached to any grant funding for equalities organisations to help ensure their (a) political neutrality, (b) value for money and (c) measurable outcomes.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Conditions attached to Scottish Government grant funding will vary based on the organisation and project being funded. Some organisations are given core funding to meet general costs while others receive funding strictly associated to a specific project. The …
1 Sep 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided in each year since 2017 to third sector organisations that publicly campaign for gender self-identification, also broken down by organisation.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The information as requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Government funds hundreds of organisations and does not monitor which organisations have campaigned for gender self-identification.
26 Aug 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding solutions to the housing emergency.
25 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38946 by Natalie Don-Innes on 11 July 2025, what further policy development it is carrying out as a result of the meeting between its and UK Government officials to discuss Baroness Casey's audit.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) Strategic Group held an extraordinary meeting on 15 July to consider the Casey Audit. The minutes of the Group’s meetings are published on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/grou…
24 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific devolved regulatory changes are being considered to make the Grangemouth industrial cluster a more attractive location for private sector investment.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government continues to consider, alongside potential investors, regulatory and policy barriers to investment, including those outlined in Project Willow. We are already making tangible progress with the conclusion of an initial study by the Jame…
24 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which of the nine projects identified by Project Willow are currently being actively pursued.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Enterprise continue to make significant progress in identifying credible propositions, including the 9 projects identified by Project Willow, that will secure the long term and sustainable future of the Grangemouth industrial cluster. Scottish Enterp…
24 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of workers made redundant by the closure of the Petroineos refinery who have secured new employment within the Grangemouth industrial cluster.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39732 on 26 August 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…
24 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a breakdown of how the £25 million Grangemouth Just Transition Fund will be spent over the 2025-26 financial year, and which organisations will be recipients of any funding.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Every person, family and business impacted by the closing of the Grangemouth refinery matters and our focus, rightly, is on providing those who are losing their jobs with targeted skills support.The £25m Grangemouth Just Transition Fund will be utilised…
24 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with INEOS regarding the future of its Olefins and Polymers (O&P) plant at Grangemouth.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is committed to doing all it can to secure the future of the business’ operations at Grangemouth. As such, Scottish Ministers engage regularly with the management of INEOS O&P. Most recently, the Deputy First Minister met INE…
24 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development of the Grangemouth Sustainable Manufacturing Campus (GSMC).
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is providing £2 million towards the development of the Grangemouth Sustainable Manufacturing Campus as part of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal. The project is being led by Scottish Enterprise and Falkirk Council, with Sco…
21 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to (a) schools and (b) education authorities regarding practices related to peer massage programmes or other massage in schools programmes.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: No guidance has been issued by the Scottish Government to a) schools and b) education authorities regarding peer massage programmes or other massage in schools programmes.
21 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Massage In Schools Association Scotland in each of the last three years, and for what purposes.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has provided no funding to the Massage in Schools Association Scotland.
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Grangemouth Investor Taskforce to deliver the investment opportunities set out in Project Willow.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Enterprise are continuing to make significant progress to triage and identify credible options to secure investment in Grangemouth’s future. Ministers are receiving regular updates from the Investor Taskforce and the Scottish Government will re…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many workers made redundant by the closure of the Petroineos refinery in Grangemouth have received skills support from Forth Valley College.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is working with Forth Valley College, UK Government, Skills Development Scotland and Petroineos as part of the Refinery Skills Intervention, which is currently ongoing.To date the skills intervention targeted at Petroineos workers has …
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the funding that it provides for the initiative, what the eligibility requirements are for participation in the Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship programme, and what definition of a "woman" is used to judge eligibility.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the total cost of delivering national 24/7 thrombectomy access, and whether there is a funding gap preventing it from providing this service.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has taken a stepwise approach to the expansion of the national thrombectomy service, investing over £51 million to date. The total costs of delivering a national 24/7 thrombectomy service are yet to be established, however Scotti…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recently reported finding by the General Medical Council of an increase in the frequency of care failings in Scotland compared with a reduction in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39938 on 4 September 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what urgent steps it is taking in response to the General Medical Council’s reported finding that 46% of doctors in Scotland witness patient safety failures weekly.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39938 on 4 September 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many consultants have been appointed to NHS Scotland in each year since 2020, and what assessment it has made on whether those figures are sufficient to meet demand and reduce waiting times.
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many consultants have been appointed to NHS Scotland in each year since 2020 can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at:NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence.Since 2020, we hav…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the General Medical Council’s finding that Scotland performed worse than the UK average in 2024 on patient safety, and what it is doing to reverse this trend.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government welcomes the findings from the General Medical Council Report, and we will ensure any concerns raised are fully considered and addressed.The Scottish Government meets regularly with Boards and Healthcare Improvement Scotland to discuss…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly not set a clear timetable for implementing 24/7 access to thrombectomy treatment.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Work is on-going to align the governance and delivery of thrombectomy with similar national programmes. This alignment with wider health service planning aims to support oversight of thrombectomy planning and encourage greater collaboration between NHS Boards…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is acceptable for publicly funded cultural institutions to exclude authors on the basis of their views on women’s sex-based rights.
Answer · Angus Robertson: Programming decisions are the responsibility of individual cultural organisations - the Scottish Government does not and should not have any role. All cultural organisations, whether in receipt of public funding or not, must operate within the wider framework…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a review of public funding to any organisations accused of politically motivated discrimination.
Answer · Angus Robertson: All cultural organisations in receipt of public funding must ensure that funding is not used for party political purposes. They must also operate within the wider framework of the law, including equalities legislation.
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its reported failure to provide 24/7 access to thrombectomy treatment breaches its stated commitment to equitable health access.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing a high quality, clinically safe and equitable thrombectomy service.We have invested over £51 million to date on expanding access to thrombectomy and remain committed to further expanding the serv…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have died or suffered serious harm in the past five years in circumstances linked to delays in emergency or corridor care.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested as Public Health Scotland does not collect this data.
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to the taxpayer has been of police overtime in each of the last five years.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has increased police funding year-on-year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6 billion since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013, and £1.64 billion in 2025-26.Decisions on how these resources are allocated, includin…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is protecting cultural freedom and open debate in any events that receive public funding.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government supports the culture sector to make its own decisions relating to artistic or cultural judgement. How individual cultural organisations engage in public debate is a matter for them, as are their programming decisions. Artists and cultu…
15 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current level of police overtime expenditure indicates a crisis in workforce planning.
Answer · Angela Constance: The deployment of officers and staff are matters for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland has stated that, “The nature of policing is unpredictable, and overtime is a flexible mechanism which can help to ensure we maintain an effective service for all o…