Parliamentary questions
Ash Regan
428 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27927 by Graeme Dey on 13 June 2024, what specific risks were identified at the meeting held on 29 May, and what contingencies are in place in the event that any university in Scotland faces bankruptcy.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Ensuring universities are on a sustainable trajectory is at the heart of our considerations to reform the post-school system, so that the significant investment we are making delivers the best outcomes for learners, the economy and society. I met with offici…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27936 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 June 2024, whether the report will be made publicly available once it has been received by the Scottish Ministers.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Yes, the Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group's report will be published in due course.
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27931 by Graeme Dey on 14 June 2024, whether it has considered revising the eligibility criteria for Education Maintenance Allowance in recent years.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27931 on 14 June 2024. 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-committees…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27931 by Graeme Dey on 14 June 2024, what recent discussions its (a) ministers and (b) officials have had with the (i) UK Government and (ii) other devolved governments regarding Education Maintenance Allowance.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The UK Government abolished EMA in 2011 and therefore there have been no discussions with them regarding EMA in recent years. In January 2024, EMA officials met with the Welsh Government to provide an overview of the current EMA programme in Scotland. The pu…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27931 by Graeme Dey on 14 June 2024, what assessment it has made of the Education Maintenance Allowance, and what its position is on whether any extension to the scheme would support its ambition to raise attainment.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Education Maintenance Allowance already contributes to the raising attainment agenda. It seeks to remove financial inequality and give every young person the same opportunity to remain and progress in learning, no matter their financial circumstances. EMA is…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27931 by Graeme Dey on 14 June 2024, when the last review of the Education Maintenance Allowance was carried out, and what the findings were.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Research on the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) programme was carried out in 2007. The aim of the research was to gather evidence of young people's awareness and experience of EMA, to assess the impact on young people's choices and pathways, and to asse…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27996 by Ivan McKee on 17 June 2024, when it expects to publish (a) the responses received and (b) its response to the consultation.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Investing in Planning consultation closed on 31 May 2024. We will publish the responses received, our analysis of them, and the steps we intend to take to improve the capacity of the planning system by September.
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27997 by Ivan McKee on 17 June 2024, whether it will consider any benefits and drawbacks of the establishment of a new non-departmental public body, similar to Homes England, in advance of the Programme for Government, to speed up housebuilding in l…
Answer · Ivan McKee: We are not actively considering the establishment of a non-departmental public body and there are no plans to consider this prior to publishing the Programme for Government. The Minister for Housing made a statement to Parliament on 20 June setting out the ac…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28018 by Ivan McKee on 18 June 2024, whether it will outline the non-consolidated performance payments awarded to chief executives since 2016, including the (a) amount and (b) reason for award.
Answer · Shona Robison: Non-consolidated performance payments for chief executives continue to be suspended. There is a presumption against provision for non-consolidated performance payments in all new Chief Executive contracts or following a review. There are 71 public bodies cove…
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27929 by Angela Constance on 18 June 2024, whether it has yet to engage with (a) the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association, (b) legal firms and (c) judicial officeholders; if so, for what reason it has not yet done so, and whether it plans to do so in…
Answer · Angela Constance: Further to our previous response Ministers and officials will engage with a range of stakeholders ahead of Stage 2.
21 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28019 by Ivan McKee on 18 June 2024, whether it plans to publish the report alongside the new Chief Executive Framework.
Answer · Shona Robison: The internal review is focused on the procedures and policies set out in the Chief Executive Framework section of the Public Sector Pay Policy Technical Guide for public bodies and government officials. The report is being finalised and Ministers have still t…
12 Jun 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that homeless women are not safe in hostels.
4 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to (a) address the ongoing industrial disputes over pay and funding in the further education sector, in light of the repeated industrial actions taken by staff, and (b) ensure the provision of quality education.
Answer · Graeme Dey: As I set out in my statement to Parliament on 30 May 2024, the Scottish Government has no locus to intervene in the current dispute; it is for college management and trade unions to negotiate pay and terms and conditions. We continue to urge the employers and…
31 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27514 by Ivan McKee on 30 May 2024, whether it will outline the savings made from the 10% reduction made to chief executive pay, and which posts these savings were achieved from.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Over the last 5 years (from 2019 to date) there have been 26 new Chief Executive appointments in public bodies directly covered by the public sector pay policy. To date, 20 posts have been filled and 6 are currently pending. The policy expectation to apply a …
31 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27514 by Ivan McKee on 30 May 2024, whether it plans to publish the findings of the internal review and the report provided to ministers, and when it expects ministers to respond.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Government officials have reviewed the Chief Executive Framework and the report is being finalised. This report will be provided to Ministers for consideration in the summer. The outcomes of the review will be shared with relevant stakeholders and a …
31 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27514 by Ivan McKee on 30 May 2024, when it plans to update the Parliament on the Public Service Reform programme, including whether the current landscape remains (a) appropriate, (b) value for money and (c) effective.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The objective of the Public Service Reform programme is to ensure our public services remain sustainable that the future system must ensure the public service landscape is the right size and composition. Our commitment to reform balances responding to short-t…
31 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27511 by Ivan McKee on 30 May 2024, whether it will release the correspondence from its (a) ministers and (b) officials with the (i) chairs and (ii) chief executives mentioned.
Answer · Ivan McKee: My recent letter to chairs and chief executives of public bodies can be viewed at www.gov.scot/publications/making-the-most-of-resources-letter-to-public-bodies/ . Contact by Scottish Government officials took the form of routine informal engagement betwee…
31 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27509 by Ivan McKee on 30 May 2024, whether it will release (a) copies of the letters sent by the minister and (b) the responses received from the (i) chairs and (ii) chief executives mentioned.
Answer · Ivan McKee: My recent letter to chairs and chief executives of public bodies can be viewed at www.gov.scot/publications/making-the-most-of-resources-letter-to-public-bodies/ . In my letter, I reminded chairs and chief executives that it is incumbent on each public bod…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27513 by Neil Gray on 28 May 2024, whether it can provide a breakdown of the spend incurred by NHS bodies on PR and consultancy bills over the last five financial years, broken down by (a) NHS board, (b) spend category, (c) the company or organisati…
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27604 by Tom Arthur on 28 May 2024, when its (a) ministers and (b) officials last met with the UK (i) Department for Business and Trade, (ii) Department for Work and Pensions and (iii) Government to discuss Scotland's long-term labour market strateg…
Answer · Kate Forbes: Ministers and officials have regular engagement with the UK Government on labour market matters. Scottish Government officials meet regularly with Department for Work and Pensions officials from Job Centre Plus to discuss a range of operational and strategic…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27604 by Tom Arthur on 28 May 2024, whether it can provide a breakdown of what specific action it has taken to address the labour and skill shortages since 2020.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Working across Government and together with our partners, we continue to take action to address labour and skills shortages, including better aligning the education and skills system with the needs of employers and the economy. We remain committed to support…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27604 by Tom Arthur on 28 May 2024, when it plans to provide an updated long-term labour market strategy, and what involvement (a) businesses, (b) enterprise and (c) industry will have in the establishment of any updated strategy.
Answer · Tom Arthur: In setting out the four key priorities for the Scottish Government, the First Minister has been clear in emphasising the need to focus on action and delivery rather than additional strategies. The National Strategy for Economic Transformation was published i…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27602 by Jenny Gilruth on 28 May 2024, what discussions (a) the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, (b) ministers and (c) officials have had with (i) COSLA, (ii) local authorities, (iii) parents and carers and (iv) young people regarding the…
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Since the Scottish Government first introduced universal free school meals for Primaries 1-3 in 2015, Scottish Ministers and officials have regularly engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as their views and experiences have been essential in developing th…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27602 by Jenny Gilruth on 28 May 2024, whether it plans to set out an indicative timetable to the Parliament for when universal free school meals will be rolled out in 2026.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As we set out in our Programme for Government, we will work with COSLA to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of universal free school meal provision to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils. The next phase of our expansion will be to pupils in Prim…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27601 by Ivan McKee on 29 May 2024, whether its (a) ministers and (b) officials have had any recent discussions with (i) Homes England, (ii) the UK Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, (iii) industry and (iv) developers regarding th…
Answer · Ivan McKee: There have been no recent discussions between Ministers and/or officials and the other bodies mentioned regarding the establishment of a dedicated non-departmental public body for housebuilding in Scotland.
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27601 by Ivan McKee on 29 May 2024, what the costs associated with establishing a new non-departmental public body, similar to Homes England, to do this work would be.
Answer · Ivan McKee: We have not been actively considering the establishment of a non-departmental public body and therefore have made no assessment of the potential costs associated with doing so.
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27601 by Ivan McKee on 29 May 2024, whether it has actively considered the establishment of a non-departmental public body, similar to Homes England, to help alleviate the housing emergency, increase the building of affordable and social housing and…
Answer · Ivan McKee: No plans have been actively considered to establish a non-departmental body for housing.
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27601 by Ivan McKee on 29 May 2024, how the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) is supporting housebuilding, and whether it considers this to have removed any bureaucratic delays from (a) developers and (b) housing organisations and associatio…
Answer · Ivan McKee: National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) supports the delivery of more high quality homes in the right locations to provide choice and meet diverse needs. As a recently adopted part of the development plan, it provides an up-to-date context for decision making th…
30 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27605 by Siobhian Brown on 28 May 2024, whether it has considered alternative approaches to carrying out this research in the event that the re-tendering process is unsuccessful, and whether this has been raised by the (a) Law Society of Scotland, (…
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Alternative approaches to the work have been considered at meetings of the research group, which the Law Society of Scotland, Scottish Solicitors Bar Association, and the Scottish Legal Aid Board are part of, should the tendering process remain unsuccessful. …
28 May 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the current size of Scotland's civil service in terms of full-time equivalent staff count, and whether it expect this number to increase over the next two financial years.
Answer · Shona Robison: At the end of December 2023, the Scottish Government directly employed 8,824 (full time equivalent) civil servants and engaged 1,436 contingent workers. The latest available workforce statistics are at this link: Scottish Government workforce statistics - g…