Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37156

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review future grant funding for any activist groups found to have been spreading misinformation and hostility in relation to the expression of gender-critical views.

Question reference: S6W-36971

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to the Care Inspectorate in relation to children in care and the protection of biological sex-based rights.

Question reference: S6W-37757

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that £865,000 of bonuses were paid out to Scottish National Investment Bank staff, what its position is on whether this represents value for money.

Question reference: S6W-37630

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether it is acceptable for different parts of the public sector to apply different policies regarding access to single-sex facilities.

Question reference: S6W-37030

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what due diligence or feasibility assessments it has conducted on the (a) costs, (b) risks and (c) implications of nationalising the Grangemouth oil refinery.

Question reference: S6W-36970

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Care Inspectorate's Guidance for children and young people’s services on the inclusion of transgender including non-binary young people is compatible with the value of free speech.

Question reference: S6W-37161

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Glasgow City Council's reported view that the current level of asylum support funding is unsustainable.

Asylum is reserved, including provision of asylum accommodation and support provided to people seeking asylum who would otherwise be destitute while awaiting a decision on their asylum application from the Home Office.

In 2022 the Home Office introduced funding for local authorities for the first time, to recognise the contribution of local authorities like Glasgow who supported significant numbers of people seeking asylum and to encourage participation by new local authorities. This funding has only been confirmed annually and the level of funding provided does not adequately reflect local authority costs for service provision.

Funding for local authorities has been a positive step, but we support calls for a long- term commitment to enable better support for people seeking asylum as well as local communities.

Question reference: S6W-37162

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the potential introduction of a statutory mechanism to ensure that all local authorities contribute to the asylum dispersal programme on an equitable basis.

Question reference: S6W-37160

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on which Scottish local authorities are (a) currently and (b) not currently participating in the UK Government’s asylum dispersal programme.

UK Government announced full asylum dispersal policy in April 2022. Under the policy Home Office contractors can presume that asylum dispersal properties can be procured in any local authority area across the UK.

The Scottish Government is aware that over half of Scotland’s local authorities now have asylum dispersal accommodation in their area.

The Home Office regularly publishes statistical data relating to immigration and asylum including data relating to people seeking asylum in receipt of Home Office support by local authority. Latest data publication is available online: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

Question reference: S6W-37080

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 20 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that female-only sports, changing rooms and hospital wards are for biological women only, in light of the Supreme Court ruling regarding For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government are not responsible for monitoring or enforcing compliance with the Equality Act 2010. That is the statutory role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Scottish public authorities must comply with the law, including the 2010 Act, and regulations made under that Act when carrying out their functions, shaping their policies and practices and in relation to their employees.

The Scottish Government will continue our work to review relevant policies, guidance and legislation impacted by the judgment to position us towards a state of readiness to take all necessary steps when the EHRC’s Code of Practice and updated guidance are published in the Summer.

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