Parliamentary questions
Willie Rennie
1,353 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the number of any attacks that have taken place in Scotland on former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland by members of the Chinese Communist Party.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for anyone who may have been targeted and harassed by individuals connected to a branch of the Chinese police service that is reportedly operating in Glasgow.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland following reports of the existence of a branch of the Chinese police service in Glasgow.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the number of any former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland and may have been targeted by the Chinese police service, which is reportedly operating in Glasgow.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the Chinese Consulate regarding the reported existence of a branch of the Chinese police service in Glasgow.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the role of Confucius Institutes in Scottish higher education.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Our universities are autonomous institutions and the alliances they forge across global academic networks are a matter for them and their governing bodies. However, we expect all universities to understand and manage the reputational, ethical and security ri…
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a policing assessment has been made of any threat to former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland from individuals acting in the interests of the Chinese state.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of any threat to former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Scotland from the Chinese police service that is reportedly operating in Glasgow.
Answer · Keith Brown: As the First Minister acknowledged in Parliament on 27 October, the allegations of the existence of such establishments are concerning and she made clear any foreign country that operates in Scotland must abide by Scottish law. In your questions, you rightly…
9 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that former Hong Kong residents who have resettled in Glasgow feel safe and protected, in light of the reported existence of a branch of the Chinese police service in the city.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12089 on? 21 November 2022 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
7 Nov 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to re-categorise mid-market rental properties owned by registered social landlords as social housing for the purposes of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 in the next financial year.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: Mid-Market homes are let under private tenancy arrangements, mostly Private Residential Tenancies. There are therefore no plans to re-categorise mid-market rental properties owned by registered social landlords as social housing, and no decision has been take…
26 Oct 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of (a) how many households have installed interlinked fire alarms since being required to, (b) the total number of households which now have interlinked fire alarms, and how much it has spent on financial support for the installation of interlinked fire alarms s…
Answer · Shona Robison: An estimate of the number of households with legislation compliant alarms will only be available when the results of the 2022 Scottish House Condition Survey are published. This is expected to be by early 2024. For social housing, the Scottish Housing Regulat…
12 Oct 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many P1 children it expects will undertake a Scottish National Standardised Assessment by the end of the 2022-23 school year.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The national standardised assessments are designed to be age and stage appropriate, and as inclusive as possible: there is no time limit for their completion; learners can undertake the assessments in more than one session; the system is compatible with a ran…
12 Oct 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to halt the Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSAs) for P1 children, in light of Parliament agreeing motion S5M-13945 on 19 September 2018, and Toni Giugliano, SNP Policy Convenor, reportedly describing assessing four and five-year-olds as "compounding pressur…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There are no plans to discontinue national standardised assessments for P1 learners. The Scottish Government commissioned David Reedy to conduct an independent review of the assessments for P1 children in response to motion S5M-13945. The Reedy review (2019) …
12 Oct 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring forward legislation to (a) raise the school starting age to six and (b) implement a universal play-based kindergarten stage for children aged three to six, by the end of this parliamentary session.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Since 2014 we have undertaken one of the most significant reforms to public services in a generation by almost doubling the entitlement to high quality, funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 to 1140 hours per year, for all eligible children. The…
3 Oct 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Headteacher Recruitment and Retention Working Group last met.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The recently re-established Headteacher Recruitment and Retention Working Group works jointly with education stakeholders to develop, agree and take forward actions to help improve the recruitment and retention of headteachers in Scotland. The group has been …
20 Sep 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what effects the designation of an area as a Green Freeport will have on planning, protected areas or other regulations designed to protect the environment.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government expects communities to gain from green ports. The joint bidding prospectus , delivered in partnership by the Scottish Government and the UK government, provides details on Planning requirements and advises on place-based tools to inf…
20 Sep 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will consult with communities local to proposed Freeports as part of the bid assessment, and what the timescale is for any such consultation.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government wants green ports to promote regeneration in local economies and communities by driving inclusive and sustainable growth locally, regionally and nationally, unlocking the potential of our regions for the benefit of the national economy…
20 Sep 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will consider the mitigation hierarchy as part of its assessment of Freeport bids, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Green ports have great potential to contribute towards the Scottish government’s decarbonisation agenda and net zero ambition. Applicants were required to outline how their proposals will ensure compliance with all applicable environmental regulations and st…
20 Sep 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10012 by Ivan McKee on 16 September 2022, what the outcome was of his officials raising the matter with the UK Government.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The UK Government advise that current measures in place against Russian products should prevent any such steel entering the UK from Russia. They further advise that they have not been made aware of any issues on this matter.
7 Sep 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much was (a) budgeted for and (b) spent from the Tenant Grant Fund, broken down by each year that the Fund has been in operation.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Tenant Grant Fund was a £10 million fund with each local authority receiving a share. The latest set of full available data, provides an overview of Tenant Grant Fund spend as of 31 December 2021, by local authority area. This was published in March 2022 …
8 Aug 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Scotland Loves Local Fund has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date, on the Scotland Loves Local gift card scheme.
Answer · Tom Arthur: To ask the Scottish Government how much of the Scotland Loves Local Fund has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date, on the Scotland Loves Local gift card scheme.In 2021-22, more than £2m of funding was allocated to the Scotland Loves Local programme includ…
8 Aug 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have applied for a Scotland Loves Local gift card since its launch in summer 2021.
Answer · Tom Arthur: As of 16 August 2022, 16,478 cards have been purchased. In addition, in week commencing 15 August, Glasgow City Council issued 85,000 pre-paid Scotland Loves Local cards to eligible households within the local authority in receipt of Council Tax Reduction as …
8 Aug 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses (a) have signed up to and (b) are eligible for the Scotland Loves Local gift card scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tom Arthur: All businesses with a bricks and mortar presence in their community are eligible to sign up, except for gambling and betting businesses. As of 16 August 2022, 3,839 businesses have signed up to the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card scheme. The table below detail…
28 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06253 by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2022, what each party required from the sale and purchase of the business that could not be achieved without the Scottish Government owning the steelworks for a short period of time.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The three parties to the sale and purchase of the Lanarkshire steelworks on 2016 – Tata Steel, Liberty House and the Scottish Government – were all aligned in agreeing a transaction that secured the earliest realisation of the commercial and wider economic be…
28 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-06253 and S6W-05317 by Ivan McKee on 10 February and 27 January 2022 respectively, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what the precise technical purpose was of it owning the Dalzell steelworks for a short period; what spec…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government’s intervention in March 2016 was designed to ensure that steel communities in Scotland had a future. The benefits of the intervention are manifest in the high-quality steel products that continue to be produced in Lanarkshire, the skil…
28 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the type and level of resources that have been allocated over the last decade to the Police Scotland and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's investigation into the alleged use of Scottish airports by CIA rendition flights.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The police investigation is ongoing and direction of that investigation is provided by lawyers in the Specialist Casework Division in Crown Office. The Crown does not routinely collate the total costs associated with investigating individual cases and thus d…
28 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland (a) has asked for mutual aid from United States police authorities and (b) had access to UK intelligence reports or other relevant political files, as part of its investigation into the alleged use of Scottish airports by CIA rendition flights.
Answer · Dorothy Bain: As Lord Advocate, I am responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all criminal matters which occur in Scotland. Where a matter requires investigation, this is undertaken by COPFS on behalf of the Lord Advocate. The Crown provides advice, support and…
28 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what investigative steps regarding the Police Scotland and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service's investigation into the alleged use of Scottish airports by CIA rendition flights, not including filing a request to the United States Senate for the unredacted report, have been taken …
Answer · Dorothy Bain: The Lord Advocate is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all criminal matters which occur in Scotland. Where a matter requires investigation, this is undertaken by COPFS on behalf of the Lord Advocate. The Crown provides advice, support and d…
26 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not introduced an Armed Forces pupil premium to recognise any disruption faced by the children of service personnel and address any needs for additional mental health and/or pastoral support, in light of such a provision existing since 2011 for service families els…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Education authorities have duties under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act (2004) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. This includes needs arising from the disruption caused by the mobility and dep…
25 Jul 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take any steps to prevent looted steel from Ukraine being used in Scotland.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government is deeply shocked and saddened by what is happening in Ukraine and the impact that this is having on the Ukrainian people. Whilst trade sanctions are a reserved matter we welcome UK Government’s progressive strengthening of the san…