Stephen Kerr

22 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the independent review of Creative Scotland will include scrutiny of all funding decisions over the last five years.

Answer · Angus Robertson: I agreed the remit of the Review of Creative Scotland with the independent Chair, Angela Leitch, and it is available on the Scottish Government’s website at the following link: Independent Review of Creative Scotland: remit - gov.scotThe review will inc…

22 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to reduce the number of police officers assigned to non-criminal complaints investigations, in light of reported concerns that police resources are being diverted to investigate “hurt feelings”.

Answer · Angela Constance: The operation of Police Scotland, including the deployment of officers, is for the Chief Constable. The latest official statistics show there were 16,553 FTE police officers in Scotland on 31 March 2025. The Scottish Government supports the Chief Constable in…

20 May 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what new action it will take to support fisheries, in light of the EU-UK agreement.

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the Care Inspectorate’s impartiality, in light of reports of it promoting a charity linked to individuals convicted of child sexual abuse.

Answer · Tom Arthur: As the Care Inspectorate is an independent non-departmental public body, it operates at arm’s length from Government. Therefore, it is for the Care Inspectorate, not the Scottish Government, to decide which organisations they work with.

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has instructed the Care Inspectorate to suspend any guidance referencing LGBT Youth Scotland pending a formal review.

Answer · Tom Arthur: As the Care Inspectorate is an independent non-departmental public body, it operates at arm’s length from Government. The Care Inspectorate therefore issues its own guidance independently from the Scottish Government to maintain its role as an impartial…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards exist to prevent public bodies from associating with charities whose safeguarding records are in question.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has safeguarding guidance on child protection and working with vulnerable adults, etc. Public bodies are expected to ensure any partner organisation aligns with this framework, particularly when working with vulnerable groups.Public bo…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential economic benefits of adopting a Singapore-style long-term development strategy focused on growth, innovation and business competitiveness.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Singapore’s economic performance has been strong and it is always useful to look at international comparisons and learn from others. The analysis which the Scottish Government published in June 2022 as part of the first Building a New Scotland paper sho…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its potential applicability in Scotland, what analysis it has undertaken of Singapore’s low-tax regime, and whether it will consider measures to make Scotland a more competitive destination for business and talent.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland a competitive destination for business and talent. While key tax powers such as Corporation Tax remain reserved to the UK Government, we use our limited devolved powers to deliver a fair, progressive tax…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address the reported productivity gap between Scotland and other economies, such as Singapore, where productivity per worker has reportedly been estimated to be nearly 75% higher.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is committed to working across the economy to maximise the opportunities for economic growth in Scotland. Scotland’s economy is one of the best performing in the United Kingdom with GDP per person growing 10.3% since 2007 compare…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to attract inward investment in high value sectors, such as AI, advanced manufacturing and life sciences, in light of reports of Singapore’s targeted cluster model.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scotland has a strong record in attracting foreign direct investment and our Inward Investment Plan (IIP) plays a central role in supporting this by targeting key sectors including HealthTech, energy transition and advanced manufacturing.Scotland’s IIP …

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the overuse of screens in early years settings is a factor in deteriorating child development.

Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government promotes a play-based, child-centred approach in early years settings, as outlined in Realising the Ambition: Being Me. Digital technology should be used in a balanced and purposeful way that supports, rather than replaces, active lear…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children have died in the past five years as a result of a late diagnosis of cancer.

Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Government does not hold this information.

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many police officers have had claims not accepted by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority in each of the last five years.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I would further refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37841 on 5 June 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whic…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Police Federation, in light of reports that the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority is rejecting applications on the grounds that injury is part of the job.

Answer · Angela Constance: This issue has not been raised with relevant Ministers or officials by the Chief Constable, Scottish Police Federation or the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents. I would further refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37841 on 5 June 2025. …

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its commitment to end long-term institutional care for adults with learning disabilities and complex care needs by March 2024 has not been met.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is continuing to take action to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs through our Coming Home programme.New Dynamic Support Registers …

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with autism who are currently detained in hospital have been for over 10 years, and whether it plans to review any such cases.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Dynamic Support Register (DSR) provides a mechanism for national data collection relating to people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. However, the DSR does not include data broken down by specific conditions or diagnoses, including autism…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of local authorities have completed a cyber risk audit within the past 12 months.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not collect this information. The local councils are independent corporate bodies, separate from the Scottish Government, and it is up to each council how it manages its risks. Under the Strategic Framework for a Cyber Resilient S…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the emergency procurement of private sector dental capacity to ease any paediatric dental waiting lists.

Answer · Neil Gray: While we work with NHS Health Boards through planning to make best use of existing NHS resources and capacity, we will continue to consider use of the private sector in a structured and prioritised manner. However, it is for local NHS health boards to determi…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s reported view that the treatment of autistic people resembles that of a “bygone era”.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is firmly committed to building a country that ensures equality of opportunity for all by embedding equality, inclusion and human rights into everything that we do. That includes ensuring that the rights of all neurodivergent people, i…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of waiting times reportedly exceeding 447 days, how it is tackling any backlogs in children's dental extractions.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government wants all children and young people to attain the highest standard of health and wellbeing possible, but we know some patients are waiting too long and we’re determined to do more and our Budget will provide a record £21.7 …

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding reported delays in Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority pay-outs for Police Scotland officers injured in the line of duty.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme outlines the basis on which victims of violent crime will be compensated. For those who are direct victims of violent crime the scheme is open to police officers as it is to everyone. The scheme also compensates those…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the University of Edinburgh regarding reports that the university plans to reduce jobs by up to 1,750.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has met recently with the Principal of Edinburgh University to discuss its cost-saving programme and potential impact on staff.Staffing and operational matters are the responsibility of individual universities as…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals with (a) autism and (b) learning disabilities remain detained in hospital settings despite being clinically fit for discharge.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Dynamic Support Register (DSR) provides a mechanism for national data collection on people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. However, data collected through the DSR is not broken down by how many individuals with autism and learning disab…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether all (a) NHS boards and (b) local authorities have fully tested and resourced (i) disaster recovery and (ii) IT resilience plans.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Network and Information Systems (NIS) regulatory requirements for the NHS require that each Health Board provides evidence on their improvements to resilience and capabilities through the Scottish Health Competent Authority regulatory audits, which are ag…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students who entered Scottish universities with teacher assessed grades have since withdrawn.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The information requested is not held centrally.Information on university retention rates is published by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) in the statistics publication Report on Widening Access. There is no breakdown by those with teacher assessed grades.T…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding action to address the impact on consumers in Scotland from reported rising renewable energy costs.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government on all aspects of energy policy, including the transition to renewable energy and the need to bring down bills.It is essential that the UK Government puts customers at the heart of all polic…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the consumer cost-benefit analysis of its commitment to achieve net zero by 2045.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has committed to publishing a full set of cost benefit assessments for the forthcoming climate change plan. The upcoming CCP will cover the period from 2026-2040 and will give the best view of the policies required to support our pathw…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of daily water production is lost due to leakage, and how this compares with the rest of the UK.

Answer · Gillian Martin: As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:Annual leakage levels are published in Scottish Water’s annual report and accounts w…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish updated statutory guidance on single-sex facilities.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: It is the statutory role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to monitor and enforce compliance with the Equality Act 2010. The EHRC have launched a public consultation seeking views on updates to their statutory Code of Practice for services, p…

20 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the NHS pay deal will affect NHS board budgets in each of the next two financial years.

Answer · Neil Gray: The pay deal recognises the vital role of NHS staff in the delivery of the health service as well as fully considering affordability and value for money.NHS Boards have been provided with a 3% budget uplift for 2025-26 which will help support implementation o…