Daniel Johnson

3 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21642 by Shona Robison on 3 October 2023, whether it can provide the figures that are not "inclusive of payments made via the government electronic procurement card".

Answer · Shona Robison: An expansion to S6W-21642 requesting % of payments made within 5 working days, which are not inclusive of electronic procurement card. As noted in the response to S6W-21642, top level figures on payments made within 5 days is only held from 2014 onwards. Fin…

3 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21634 by Gillian Martin on 29 September 2023, in which it stated that it has allocated over £22 million to date from its Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), to which it committed £34 million in September 2020, whether it plan…

Answer · Gillian Martin: By the end of 2023, we intend to confirm the future scope of SIETF applications, taking into account the needs of Scotland's industrial base and the remaining allocated funding at that time. The decision will be informed by liaison with the UK Government rega…

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Heat in Buildings Workforce Assessment Project outlined in its Heat in Buildings Strategy.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: In partnership with Scottish Renewables, we commissioned Climate Exchange to conduct a research project with the aim of assessing the ‘clean heat’ and energy efficiency workforce and the potential required workforce that would be needed to meet the targets se…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work has been done on the aviation strategy since the consultation closed in January 2022, and whether it will provide an update on when it plans to publish the strategy.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: On 6 April 2022 we published an independent analysis of the responses to our consultation on developing an aviation strategy. Amongst other topics, the consultation invited views on the transition to low and zero emission aviation and the role that the Scotti…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will monitor the impact of Investment Zones in Scotland, including any potential displacement effects.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish and UK Governments will seek to agree a rigorous monitoring and evaluation framework for Scotland’s Investment Zones, working closely with Regional Economic Partners and drawing on external expertise to agree reporting arrangements. Through this …

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the proportion of undisputed invoices to each (a) of its directorates, (b) of its agencies and (c) non-departmental public body that was paid within five days, in each year since 2011.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to paying its contractors promptly, and has a commitment to pay all valid invoices within 10 days of receipt, going beyond the contractual responsibility to pay within 30 days. Systems and processes are in place to monitor…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the total budget has been for Scotland Innovates in each year since its introduction.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: FY 2022-23 - £150k was spent on internal development costs for the website. In the FY 2022-23 - £15k for hosting and support, we anticipate 2023-24 this will be £25k. Costs of c£5k was paid for misc. services such as legal advice, security certificates and pr…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many submissions to Scotland Innovates have started the development process, but were not taken forward, in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In total 63 submissions have been closed – 36 were closed during the 2022-23 FY and 27 have been closed during the 2023-24 FY so far. Of those, 45 have been deemed “unsuccessful”; 27 in the 2022-23 FY and 18 in the 2023-24 FY so far. For the purposes of Scot…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many submissions to Scotland Innovates have been successfully brought to market in each year since its introduction, and what any such submissions were for.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In total 63 submissions have been closed – 36 were closed during the 2022-23 FY and 27 have been closed during the 2023-24 FY so far. Of those closed, 18 have been deemed “successful”; 9 in the 2022-23 FY and 9 in the 2023-24 FY so far. For the purposes of S…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been spent on developing submissions to Scotland Innovates in each year since its introduction.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: To date no Scotland Innovates funds have been spent to develop submissions received via the service. We do not hold data on monies spent by other parts of the public sector who have assessed submissions. Supplementary note “The vast majority of Scotland Inno…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many submissions have been made to Scotland Innovates in each year since its introduction.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There have been a total of 95 submissions received by the Scotland Innovates service. 66 were received during the 2022-23 FY and 29 have been received so far during the 2023-24 FY.  

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much of the Scottish Industry Emerging Energy Technologies Fund has been allocated, and for what purpose.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Emerging Energy Technologies Fund (EETF) is a £180m package of funding up to 2025/26 that will provide capital support to accelerate low-carbon infrastructure projects and unlock private sector co-investment that will be essential to deliver net zero. Th…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much of the Scottish Industry Energy Transition Fund has been allocated, and for what purpose.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Through the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), to date, we have allocated over £22 million to co-invest with a diverse range of Scottish manufacturers to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions through increased energy efficiency and dee…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much of the Scottish Industry Energy Transformation Fund has been allocated, and for what purpose.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Through the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), to date, we have allocated over £22 million to co-invest with a diverse range of Scottish manufacturers to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions through increased energy efficiency and dee…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the recommendations of its Investor Panel will be published.

Answer · Neil Gray: I will update Parliament in November and the Investor Panel recommendations will be published on the Scottish Government website by the end of 2023.

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to pay the real Living Wage or provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21629 on 2 October 2023. 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-committe…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21629 on 2 October 2023. 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-committe…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 without requiring recipients to pay the real Living Wage, broken down by the value of each grant.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21629 on 2 October 2023. 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-committe…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants have been awarded since 1 July 2023 that require recipients to both pay the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective worker voice, broken down by the value of each grant.

Answer · Neil Gray: As Mr Johnson notes, the new requirement on grants has been in place since July this year. We are currently focussed on supporting all government portfolios and public bodies across Scotland to implement the new conditions. Monitoring compliance with Fair Wo…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a detailed remit of the Small Business Unit that was announced in the Programme for Government 2023-24.

Answer · Neil Gray: The new Small Business Unit, including the team’s remit, will be scoped out as part of the new Business and Better Regulation Directorate that was formed on the 18th September.  

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to invest £100 million in green hydrogen projects over the course of the current parliamentary session, including a list of all projects and amounts of funding each has received to date.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is fully committed to helping the Scottish hydrogen sector develop. The Hydrogen Action Plan, published in December 2022, confirmed that the Scottish Government will support the emerging hydrogen sector through a programme of capital …

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the business case for including Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief as part of its Green Freeports initiative.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government agreed to include targeted Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief and Non-Domestic Rates relief, alongside UK Government reserved tax reliefs and seed capital funding, to ensure that the offer to Green Freeports in Scotland was comp…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations of the Pathways: A New Approach for Women in Entrepreneurship report, including, as stated in its response to the report, progress on the (a) allocation of "funding to support the report's key recommendations"…

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Pathways report. In this financial year we have:Continued to provide funding to Women’s Enterprise Scotland, Investing Women and Business Women Scotland to allow existing program…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) its "comprehensive plan to establish the Scottish higher education system as a world-class hotbed of startup creation and scaling" and (b) the £100 million Scottish Innovation Fund, as outlined in its National Innovation Strategy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government’s National Innovation Strategy included an action to publish a "comprehensive plan to establish the Scottish higher education system as a world-class hotbed of startup creation and scaling". This plan, the Entrepreneurial Campus, was p…

19 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce (a) a National Productivity Programme, (b) a Research Commercialisation Programme and (c) an Innovation Scorecard, as part of its Innovation Strategy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: In June 2023 the Scottish Government published the National Innovation Strategy which sets out our ten year vision for Scotland to once again become one of the most innovative small nations in the world. The Strategy sets out a number of programmes to enable…

5 Sep 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the recommendation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to "develop statutory guidance on the use of restraint on children to ensure that it is used only as a measure of last resort and exclusively to prevent harm to the child or others a…

31 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations applied to develop pilots for the launch of the Culture & Business Scotland Marketplace in May 2023; how many organisations were awarded places beginning in May 2023; how many organisations had, in addition to the pilots, or the launch of the Marketplace, developed…

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Culture & Business Scotland (C&BS) received 39 applications for the Marketplace pilot programmes. 24 of these were successful and awarded places in the Marketplace pilot. Three of the successful applicants to participate in Marketplace had developed one of th…

30 Aug 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the change in public sector full-time equivalent headcount has been in the last 12 months across all devolved areas.

17 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many applicants there were for every apprenticeship offered by individual employers in the last financial year.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has a dedicated website, Apprenticeships | Apprenticeships.scot: Work, Learn & Earn , where Training Providers and/or employers can advertise their Apprenticeship opportunities. SDS holds data on the vacancies posted there …

1 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the support offered by Business Gateway, since 2018-19, by (a) sector, (b) business size and (c) whether the business is a start-up or existing business.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Business Gateway is an external support delivery body funded by Local Authorities and is not directly supported by Scottish Government. The Business Gateway 21-22 annual report was published in March 2023 and can be found here: BG_Annual-Report_March23_V6_BC…