Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-03999

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04000

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04008

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of the reported issues arising from proposed rural nursery closures or mothballing, including the potential impact on the sustainability of rural communities and the operation of primary schools, whether the Scottish Government will review the relevant legislation and the guidance on criteria for protecting rural primary schools from closure.

Question reference: S6W-36197

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it anticipates will be made available from the Learning Disability Support Fund to the Scottish Assembly over the next three years.

Question reference: S6W-36229

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what sub-contracting opportunities are contained in the Small Vessel Replacement Programme, as defined by section 24 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Sub-contracting arrangements within the Small Vessel Replacement Programme Phase One vessel contracts are ultimately determined by the main contractor and may reflect existing supply chain relationships. The wider programme of works to support the new vessel deployment and operation includes around £40 million of shore power upgrades, power connections and port improvement works. These works will be progressed across the network over the coming years to enable delivery from around summer 2027 and may present further sub-contracting opportunities.

Question reference: S6W-36205

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the teaching of Latin in state schools.

Question reference: S6W-36224

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the average cost of childcare provision of increasing childcare staff-to-child ratios.

Adult to child staff ratios are set by the Care Inspectorate as the regulatory body for the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) sector and as experts in assessing high quality, safe and nurturing ELC provision.

The Care Inspectorate has no plans to update the current guidance, published 2018. Therefore, the Scottish Government has made no assessment of the potential impact on the average cost of childcare provision relating to ratios.

Question reference: S6W-36245

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish in full the report of the review of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme; if (a) so, when and (b) not, whether it plans to publish the review’s conclusions, and, if so, when.

Question reference: S6W-36248

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when the out-turn report for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme between 2022 and 2024 will be published.

The Out-turn report for the 2022-23 Affordable Housing Supply Programme was published on 17 January 2025.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-supply-programme-out-turn-report/

As stated in the answer to question S6W-32145 on 18 December 2024, the 2023-24 out-turn report is still in progress and we do not, at present, have an identified publication date . 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/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-36037

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the composition is of the single-use coffee cups and lunch boxes used in the Parliament, and where the location is of the facility for composting such single-use packaging.

Takeaway meal containers (lunch boxes) and single use coffee cups in the Garden Level Restaurant are fully compostable, made from a fibrous by product of sugar cane. Single use coffee cups at the coffee bar are made from paper, paperboard and recyclable materials and are designed for industrial composting.

Compostable items are placed in the food waste bins located throughout the building and are taken by a commercial food waste recycling company to the Anaerobic Digestion Plant at Millerhill just outside Edinburgh.

19 tonnes of food and compostable packaging were taken to the Anaerobic Digestion Plant at Millerhill in 2024/25. This represents 26% of our operational waste stream.

For the period of April 2024-March 2025, 36% of hot beverages sold were served in single use cups. And for the same period, 31% of sales made in the Garden Level Restaurant were in single use lunch boxes.

In partnership with our catering supplier we are implementing many measures to reduce the consumption of single use disposable items such as;

continuation of the disposable hot drink cup charge to encourage colleagues to use their reuseable cups.
Removal of disposable cutlery and placing collection caddies at each tea point to return metal cutlery back to the kitchen for cleaning
Introduction of reusable take away food containers and various campaigns to encourage uptake.
Actively exploring further options to support reusables and educating users on environmental benefits
Holding a stock of reuseable hot drink cups for customers on a return basis

More information about our Sustainability Plan including waste minimisation is available on our website Sustainability | Scottish Parliament Website.

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