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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-23042

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which cabinet secretary or minister signed off on the guidance on mobile message apps as part of its record management policy, and when.

Question reference: S6W-22917

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22874 by Shona Robison on 8 November 2023, whether it will confirm on what date(s) the First Minister's WhatsApp messages were provided to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Question reference: S6W-23012

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22527 by Gillian Martin on 9 November 2023, what the energy output would be of the current live applications, broken down by local authority area.

With reference to the answer supplied to question reference S6W-22527, the 311 organisations being supported by CARES with an ‘Active’ project status are in varying stages of development. Some are undertaking early scoping and feasibility exercises, while others have grant funding committed. Local Energy Scotland (LES) measures new energy generation by installed capacity in kilowatts (kW) based on the maximum rated output of each project, as opposed to Energy Output which refers to energy generated over time in kilowatt hours (kWh).

The installed capacities of projects are provided in the following table. Note that these figures relate only to active projects where CARES funding has been offered, as the capacities of projects before this stage can change as a result of revisions in design, budget or supplier availability.

All Projects	All projects
Local Authority	No.	total kW
Aberdeen City	10	252
Aberdeenshire	18	2673
Angus	3	61
Argyll and Bute	25	30132
Clackmannanshire	2	41
Dumfries & Galloway	18	581
Dundee City	8	4134
East Ayrshire	14	297
East Dunbartonshire	1	20
East Lothian	5	8082
East Renfrewshire	2	41
Edinburgh City	14	272
Falkirk	3	89
Fife	15	7855
Glasgow City	13	245
Highland	43	33523
Inverclyde	1	20
Midlothian	3	61
Moray	14	16215
North Ayrshire	9	8922
North Lanarkshire	6	122
Orkney Islands	11	248
Perth & Kinross	10	203
Renfrewshire	2	38
Scottish Borders	18	44635
Shetland Islands	9	169
South Ayrshire	7	87
South Lanarkshire	9	188
Stirling	6	102
West Dunbartonshire	1	20
West Lothian	3	61
Western Isles	8	71057
Total	311	230448

Question reference: S6W-23034

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20632 by Shona Robison on 11 September 2023, whether the (a) stage 1 desktop and (b) stage 2 visual inspection of the Scottish Government Estate has been competed, and, if so, what the outcome of each of these inspections was.

Question reference: S6W-22916

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the First Minister reportedly found an old mobile phone that he had been using during the COVID-19 pandemic for government business.

Question reference: S6W-22943

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many temporary accommodation facilities have been in breach of the standards and outcomes that social landlords should aim to achieve when performing housing activities, as set out in the Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework, which was published in April 2023.

As compliance with the Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework is not yet mandatory, no formal data collection has been established to gather information on breaches.

The Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework was published in April 2023 and replaced the advisory standards [1] published in the Homelessness Code of Guidance in 2019. The new standards for temporary accommodation were produced by a short term working group, which also considered how the standards could be regulated and legally enforced.

Although the framework has been agreed, the route of legal enforcement remains under consideration. Before the standards can be legally enforceable, they will first have to be formally consulted on.

In the meantime, before the framework becomes legally enforceable, local authorities and social landlords are expected to work towards meeting the standards. Social landlords are already voluntarily complying by making improvements to their temporary accommodation supply, providing the necessary training for their staff and ensuring new processes are implemented in line with the revised standards

[1] The advisory standards were based on the Guidance on Standards for Temporary Accommodation published in 2011 by the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland and Shelter Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22247

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has been allocated by the UK Government for the upgrade of the A75.

At present no funding has been allocated by the UK Government for the upgrade of the A75. A detailed business case for the development of improvements to the A75 was submitted by the Scottish Government to the UK Government in April 2023.

The UK Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Mr Richard Holden MP has since confirmed in writing in October 2023, following my discussions with him in September, that funding of £8 million is available, subject to final approvals. My officials continue to engage proactively with their counterparts, and we await confirmation from UK Government, including when funding will be received.

Question reference: S6W-22940

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what audit of public land has been undertaken to identify potential sites that are currently available for affordable housing development.

There has been no audit carried out of public land to identify sites to deliver affordable homes. The Scottish Public Finance Manual and the NHS Scotland Property Transactions Handbook provide guidance on the procedures and safeguards required when handling the disposal of surplus land, buildings and other rights in property. Prior to advertising on the open market, bodies must notify the Scottish Government in order that the surplus asset can be advertised internally via the trawl process. While most surplus assets advertised through the trawl are not deemed suitable for affordable housing, some have been purchased for this purpose.

Question reference: S6W-22892

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether work has begun on its Innovation Funding Review, in light of its National Innovation Strategy stating that this will be completed by the end of 2023.

Yes, work on the Innovation Funding review, announced in the National Innovation Strategy, is already underway with our enterprise agencies. We are working with stakeholders to announce a consolidated innovation investment programme for 2024-2025.

It is our ambition that through renewing our approach to innovation investment and support, that over the next ten years we become a world leader in our priority areas, that we create jobs and opportunities throughout the country, contributing to our vision of making Scotland one of the most innovative small nations in the world.

Question reference: S6W-22918

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of the First Minister finding an old mobile phone with WhatsApp messages on it, whether it is the case that the First Minister had reported a mobile phone as missing, and, if it is the case, what steps were taken to address any potential security issues arising from a phone that had been used for government business being unaccounted for.