Part of Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 22 May 2024.
Tom Arthur
Scottish National Party
Thanks to the investment by the Scottish Government and our agencies, Scotland now has an extensive manufacturing support infrastructure to help companies to diversify and grow. Just last week, we announced £4 million of funding from the Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to support the establishment of the manufacturing innovation centre for Moray.
Our advancing manufacturing challenge fund has supported the establishment of 12 projects Scotland-wide, providing free support for SMEs. The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and our innovation centre support firms in established sectors to achieve greater efficiency and provide technological support to a range of projects in low-carbon emerging markets.
Our enterprise agencies’ strategic plans also highlight their focus on growing and strengthening Scotland’s supply chain companies’ capacity to enter such markets.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
