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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-23631

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on developing the National Digital Platform for Scotland since 2018, broken down by financial year.

The Scottish Government commissioned NHS Education Scotland (NES) to develop and run the National Digital Platform. The following table details spend incurred by NES by financial year on the design, development, and support for the National Digital Platform (NDP) since the initial commission in 2018.

Financial Year	NDP spend £m
2018-19	0.6
2019-20	1.7
2020-21	1.7
2021-22	2.8
2022-23	2.9
Total	9.7

NES accounts for spend during 2023/24 financial year have yet to be finalised and so associated costs for the NDP in this financial year cannot be provided as part of the answer.

Question reference: S6W-23480

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement of flat rate grants to households and businesses impacted by Storm Babet, how this package of support can be accessed and when this will be communicated to the public.

We recognise the significant impact on people, businesses and communities in areas affected by storm Babet. The Scottish Government is committed to playing its part in helping them through this horrible experience which has destroyed so many people’s property and belongings and established the Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce to co-ordinate its support for local recovery efforts.

The package of support Scottish Government is providing includes Flood Recovery Grants to assist people whose homes and businesses have been flooded; initiating the Bellwin Scheme to help all Councils cover eligible expenditure for urgent repairs; grants for farmers affected by severe flooding in parts of Scotland to help repair man-made flood banks; and an additional £100,000 for Angus Council’s homelessness prevention efforts to help those families who have lost everything to resettle and rebuild their lives.

Letters offering additional funding have been supplied to each Storm Babet local authority within the red warning area for rain. Residents and businesses impacted can claim grants of £1,500 for damage to their homes and property, businesses can claim £3,000, and should contact their Local Authority for advice.

Details on the Flood Recovery Grants were posted on social media and published on the Scottish Government website on 30 November 2023. The grants and information on how to apply were also publicised on Local Authority websites.

Question reference: S6W-23549

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many fixed speed cameras are currently (a) operational and (b) not operational, broken down by local authority area.

Across Scotland, safety cameras are deployed through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme primarily at locations where they have the greatest potential to reduce injury collisions, and where there is evidence of both collisions and speeding.

National management of the Programme is shared between Transport Scotland and Police Scotland. Operational delivery of the Programme is the responsibility of Police Scotland and is managed through three regional Safety Camera Units, North, East and West. The following data is based on information submitted by Police Scotland to Transport Scotland.

	East Unit		North Unit		West Unit		National
	Operation-al	Non-operational	Operation-al	Non-operational	Operation-al	Non-operational	Operation-al	Non-operational
Fixed enforcement locations	55	11	5	9	58	13	118	33
Fixed enforcement camera equipment	18	0	5	2	22	8	45	10

The locations of all safety cameras deployed through the Scottish Safety Camera Programme can be viewed at: www.safetycameras.gov.scot/cameras/safety-camera-locations/ .

Question reference: S6W-23540

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with a representative of Falkirk Council to discuss the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-23354

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any meetings over the last 12 months during which the next Draft Climate Change Plan was discussed, including a list of the attendees at each meeting.

The Scottish Government has discussions regarding the draft Climate Change Plan regularly and when required. Cabinet meets weekly and discusses climate change and net zero matters on a regular basis; for example it discussed the draft Climate Change Plan on 7 November 2023. The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Emergency discussed the draft Climate Change Plan on 6 December 2022, 31 January 2023, 14 March 2023 and on 20 June 2023. The cross-party and stakeholder Climate Change Plan Advisory Group which centres on the development of the Climate Change Plan met on 23 February 2023, 23 March 2023, 18 May 2023, 29 June 2023, 31 August 2023 and 5 October 2023. The draft Climate Change Plan has also been discussed between the Deputy First Minister and with members of the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group at their liaison meetings on 2 February 2023, 19 July 2023, 28 September 2023 and 23 November 2023.

Question reference: S6W-23375

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to prevent the practice of "multiple contract working" among the civil service workforce.

The Scottish Government requires its staff to register any outside occupation or activity where there is the potential for a conflict of interest to arise. Senior Civil Servants are required to register all relevant outside occupations and activities. Those who are not civil servants but are undertaking work for the Scottish Government are also required to register all relevant outside occupations and activities. Outside occupations and activities in other organisations which require attendance during official working hours must not be accepted unless part of official duties.

Question reference: S6W-23409

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its recently announced proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill, how many (a) rental properties and (b) privately-owned homes it estimates would have to be retrofitted by 2033 to comply with its proposed measures.

Our consultations on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill and a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard are designed to reduce emissions and improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s buildings – helping to deliver a just transition that protects those living in fuel poverty by reducing their energy bills.

We are asking for views on a minimum energy efficiency standard for privately-owned homes and rental properties. This standard would not need to be met by owner occupied homes that have ended their use of polluting heating by 2033.

For those that do need to meet the standard, they could do so by installing a list of straightforward measures (such as loft insulation and draught-proofing) or, alternatively, based on the result of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessment.

The list of measures would prioritise those that could have most impact on reducing a home’s energy demand and therefore energy bills, with the lowest amount of cost and disruption.

According to the most recent representative data from the Scottish House Condition Survey conducted in 2019, the number of dwellings that do not meet the current EPC C or better are:

Owner occupied: 910,000
Private rented: 187,000
Social rented: 281,000

We estimate that a majority of homes would need to take no or very limited action to meet the proposed standard because they will have either already installed as many of the proposed list of measures as are appropriate or possible for their property type, or already meet the minimum level of fabric efficiency. We are undertaking further analysis to quantify the total number of properties across all tenures that will need to take action.

Some homes will have specific characteristics which might affect their ability to meet the standard. For example, traditional properties, which make up a significant proportion of Scotland’s homes and buildings, may have different requirements based on their construction type, location or status (e.g. listed buildings). We are working with partners, including Historic Environment Scotland, to find the best solutions for these buildings while being sympathetic to their character and features.

Question reference: S6O-02921

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with Scottish Mountain Rescue teams regarding mountain safety this winter.

Question reference: S6O-02925

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scotgold Resources Ltd regarding any support that can be provided to employees who may lose their jobs at its Cononish Gold Mine near Tyndrum, in light of the reported announcement that the company has gone into administration.

Question reference: S6O-02918

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the small business minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding an assessment of the total number of self-catering properties in Scotland since the introduction of its short-term let licensing scheme.