Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37827

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much public money has been spent on bonuses for Scottish Water executives in the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-37825

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the current average waiting times for hearing aid replacements, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-37824

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what urgent steps it is taking to reduce the waiting time for NHS hearing aid replacements, to bring it in line with the national 18-week treatment target.

Question reference: S6W-37621

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that any future phase of City and Regional Growth Deals is not hampered by what have reportedly been described by some MSPs on the Economy and Fair Work Committee as “slow and overly bureaucratic processes."

Question reference: S6W-37622

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reform governance arrangements for growth deals to ensure greater transparency and accountability to local communities.

We have put a number of measures in place to ensure transparency and accountability in the Growth Deals.

The activities supported by Regional Growth Deals are designed by Local Authorities in consultation with the communities they serve. The decision-making structures supporting the Deals include elected members chosen by communities to serve their areas.

Information on Deal delivery is provided through published annual reports and regular updates on specific projects and programmes, all made available on each individual Growth Deal’s website.

Question reference: S6W-37623

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has conducted of the economic outcomes achieved through the first round of City and Regional Growth Deals.

Each Deal is required to produce a Benefits Realisation Plan setting both quantitative and qualitative objectives and measures for the programme. Each Deal produces an annual report detailing progress made on the delivery of agreed projects and programmes and on their intended outputs and outcomes. We monitor progress on outcomes on a regular basis via Annual Conversations which involve senior staff from both governments and local authority partners to review the past year’s activity and look ahead to future milestones. Annual reports for all deals are made publicly available on each deal’s website enabling visibility of what is being achieved.

Question reference: S6W-37625

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of funding it expects to commit to growth deals in the next financial year, and how this funding will be distributed regionally.

Question reference: S6W-37626

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any formal requests from the UK Government for collaboration on a second phase of Scottish City and Regional Growth Deals.

Question reference: S6W-37624

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ensuring that the small business sector is given a formal role in the design and delivery of any future growth deals.

Question reference: S6W-37032

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the First Minister's reported endorsement of calls to nationalise the Grangemouth oil refinery and his reported view that the Scottish Government did not have adequate resources to nationalise the refinery itself, what its position is on what impact such comments may have on public and business confidence in its policies on this matter.

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