Stephen Kerr

12 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any evaluation of the effectiveness of its current £16 million school counselling programme in reducing mental health-related absences and referrals.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is a top priority for the Scottish Government.We continue to provide £16 million per year to enable local authorities to support access to school counselling services for pupils aged 10 and ov…

12 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any link between its policy of mainstreaming pupils with additional support needs and the reported 580% increase in mental health problems among school pupils.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government recognises the growth in the number of pupils with an additional support need since the pandemic.Local authorities have the statutory responsibility for delivering education and for ensuring that those pupils identified with an additio…

12 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many additional school places local authorities may need to provide as a result of pupils transferring from the independent to the state sector, and what the cost will be.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: A small number of local authorities have provided indicative figures for the number of pupils enrolling in state schools from independent schools.However, the annual fluctuation of pupil rolls in those local authorities is typically significantly larger than …

12 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the additional £29 million announced for additional support needs provision will go towards hiring new specialist teachers and classroom assistants.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: In 2025/26, an additional £28m will be invested in additional support for learning, to support the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce at a local level, to help enhance professional learning on inclusion for all teachers at all stages of thei…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment was made of any potential risk to public safety from the early release of any inmates who had breached prison rules.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer to the question S6O-04553 on 23 April 2025. All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available o…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to fund the £191 million cost of the proposed NHS pay offer without diverting resources from frontline services or other key health priorities.

Answer · Neil Gray: We recognise that staff are NHS Scotland’s greatest asset. We cannot provide the services that people need and deserve, and put in place improvements in performance without highly qualified, skilled and motivated healthcare staff. This pay offer represe…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any analysis, or cost-benefit study, into the viability of taking Grangemouth refinery into public ownership.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has considered the Grangemouth Refinery’s historical financial performance and, from the information available, has concluded that the asset is loss-making with significant capital investment required to retain operations.Noting …

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what economic modelling was undertaken before it decided to promote a four-day working week pilot, as outlined in its Programme for Government.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The aim of the four-day working week (4DWW) public sector pilot is to enhance collective understanding of the benefits and costs of implementing a 4DWW in the public sector.Prior to the beginning of the pilot, there was a review of economic literature related…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what fiscal, economic or industrial measures it is currently undertaking to support Scottish industry, beyond any calls it may have made for the UK Government to take action.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Over the course of this Parliament, the Scottish Government has invested almost £1.7bn in our Enterprise Agencies. In 2023-24, the three agencies were able to help companies unlock over £2 billion of capital investment.As part of our Green Industr…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has engaged with the UK Government to explore joint ownership of Grangemouth refinery, and whether it has received any indication of support for such a proposal.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Ministers, including the First Minister, have urged UK Ministers on numerous occasions to take tangible and decisive action to secure the site’s long term and sustainable future. We have continued to assert that the Scottish Government stands r…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held any discussions with Petroineos regarding public ownership of Grangemouth refinery, and if so, whether it will publish the minutes of those discussions.

Answer · Gillian Martin: To date, we have never received a request from the business for such an intervention therefore no discussions have taken place.

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full cost-benefit analysis of the four-day working week pilot carried out at (a) the South of Scotland Enterprise and (b) NHS Scotland through its Agenda for Change initiative.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The aim of the four-day working week public sector pilot is to assess the environmental, health and wellbeing benefits, and efficiency gains, that a four-day working week could bring.The pilot will conclude with a report on findings from the pilots in South o…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason inmates who reportedly breached prison rules were included in the early release scheme to alleviate overcrowding.

Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer to the question S6O-04553 on 23 April 2025. All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available o…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any potential risk to taxpayers from any future liability that could arise from owning or operating the Grangemouth refinery.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Further to my answer to S6W-36894 on 13 May 2025, we understand that significant financial investment would be required to retain refinery operations at Grangemouth. Given the expansive fiscal levers at its disposal, the UK Government must utilise all routes …

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted regarding any attainment benefits of external tutoring programmes, such as the STEM SMART initiative, for state school pupils in Scotland.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: More than £1bn will be provided through the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF) to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap during this parliamentary term. This funding can be used to provide additional tutoring support, if headteachers and education author…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a pilot programme offering subject specialist tutoring in STEM subjects to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: More than £1bn will be provided through the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF) to tackle the poverty-related attainment gap during this parliamentary term. Headteachers and education authorities are free to decide to use this funding to provide additional t…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has issued any guidance or support to higher education institutions on maintaining academic standards, in light of the increasing use of AI.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has statutory responsibility for quality assurance of provision by colleges and universities, including in relation to academic standards. With the support of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), the SFC is continuing to work…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with universities regarding the enforcement of academic integrity policies, in light of the increased use of generative AI tools.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own academic misconduct policies, including in relation to students’ use of generative Artificial Intelligence tools.The Scottish Government has engaged with key sector stakeholders,…

11 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting universities in accessing and deploying technology capable of detecting AI-assisted plagiarism and misconduct.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own academic misconduct policies. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has statutory responsibility for quality assurance of provision by colleges and universities. With the support of the Q…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that farmers in Scotland are not disadvantaged, compared with those in England and other parts of the UK, where gene-edited crops are already permitted.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 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…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to engage with the farming and scientific community in determining the future of gene-edited food systems in Scotland.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 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…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there was an evidence base for its reported opposition to gene-edited crops.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: No decisions on the future regulation of gene edited crops have been taken at this stage, and we will ensure that any future position is both informed by the evidence base and is in Scotland’s national interests.We are both closely monitoring developmen…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether gene-editing could enhance food security and increase productivity in the agricultural sector.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: Recent and ongoing global events show the fragility of food security, and we are taking action to improve Scotland’s food resilience and strengthen our supply chains. The Scottish Government has created a Food Security Unit, to monitor risks or threats …

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult stakeholders on gene-edited crops and, if this is the case, what scientific and economic evidence it is using to inform this process.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: Ministers met with stakeholders from the agricultural, food and drink, research and eNGO sectors on 27 March to discuss their views on the use of gene edited crops and products in Scotland. Stakeholders were invited to give their views on the potential impact…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether gene-edited crops offer a more sustainable and resilient approach to food production, in light of reported climate and disease pressures.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 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…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed any reputational risk to Scottish produce of the continuation of a ban on gene-edited crops, in light of such crops being permitted in other parts of the UK and the EU.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 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…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ask the Scottish Funding Council to revise its teaching grant methodology, in light of reports that the current methodology does not adequately reflect institutional financial needs.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 establishes an important separation of roles between the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Government, whereby the statutory responsibility for decisions on funding to individual institutions sits with …

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce any delays in care package approvals, in light of reported warnings that 90% of care homes have seen reductions in local authority-funded packages.

Answer · Maree Todd: Under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships have a duty to assess the social care support needs of people and decide, in light of that assessment, arrange suitable services, if required.We understand the…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of what the potential economic impact on families and communities would be if up to half of all care homes were to close.

Answer · Neil Gray: We do not want to see the closure of good quality care homes and we understand the concern this causes for residents and their families, as well as for the wider community. Of course, when a home closes this can have a knock-on impact to the local economy, th…

10 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency planning it has undertaken to mitigate the impact of any reduced international student recruitment on university finances.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has a statutory duty set out in the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005 to secure the coherent provision by the post-16 education bodies (as a whole) of a high quality of fundable further education and fundable …