- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has published all minutes of any discussions that relevant ministers have had with (a) officials and (b) local authorities regarding the issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in school buildings.
Answer
The issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete was discussed at the Building and Fire Safety Ministerial Working Group in both January and June of this year. The minutes can be accessed at: Building and Fire Safety: Ministerial Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many schools were in good or satisfactory condition, from 2016-17 to date, (a) in total and (b) broken down by local authority.
Answer
The total number of publicly funded schools reported as in good or satisfactory condition in the School estates annual survey from 2016 to 2022 is shown in the table below. Figures from the 2023 survey are not yet available.
The number of schools by condition rating for each local authority is reported separately for Primary, Secondary and Special schools in Tables 4.2 to 4.4 in the annual school estate statistics supplementary data tables https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-estate-statistics-2022/documents/ .
Table 1: Schools in good or satisfactory condition by local authority and year
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
All authorities | 2,119 | 2,165 | 2,166 | 2,200 | 2,238 | 2,239 | 2,239 |
Aberdeen City | 61 | 63 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 60 | 60 |
Aberdeenshire | 168 | 169 | 169 | 168 | 169 | 169 | 168 |
Angus | 56 | 58 | 59 | 58 | 59 | 59 | 59 |
Argyll and Bute | 91 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 88 |
City of Edinburgh | 109 | 110 | 99 | 98 | 110 | 115 | 116 |
Clackmannanshire | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 22 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 104 | 102 | 101 | 104 | 108 | 106 | 108 |
Dundee City | 32 | 33 | 35 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 36 |
East Ayrshire | 56 | 57 | 55 | 53 | 54 | 53 | 52 |
East Dunbartonshire | 43 | 44 | 44 | 41 | 41 | 41 | 41 |
East Lothian | 39 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 35 |
East Renfrewshire | 25 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Falkirk | 58 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 57 | 57 | 59 |
Fife | 134 | 137 | 143 | 145 | 152 | 152 | 153 |
Glasgow City | 149 | 167 | 172 | 188 | 191 | 191 | 191 |
Highland | 122 | 126 | 118 | 122 | 122 | 125 | 131 |
Inverclyde | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
Midlothian | 31 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 32 |
Moray | 11 | 16 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 30 | 29 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 27 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
North Ayrshire | 63 | 63 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 58 |
North Lanarkshire | 123 | 131 | 131 | 124 | 129 | 122 | 124 |
Orkney Islands | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
Perth and Kinross | 71 | 70 | 72 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
Renfrewshire | 59 | 62 | 61 | 61 | 61 | 56 | 57 |
Scottish Borders | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 50 |
Shetland Islands | 34 | 32 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 | 35 |
South Ayrshire | 29 | 31 | 32 | 37 | 39 | 42 | 42 |
South Lanarkshire | 148 | 148 | 149 | 148 | 149 | 149 | 147 |
Stirling | 48 | 49 | 47 | 47 | 47 | 46 | 46 |
West Dunbartonshire | 28 | 34 | 38 | 37 | 37 | 38 | 39 |
West Lothian | 80 | 83 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 82 |
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19560 by Lorna Slater on 18 July 2023, on what specific date the Scottish Government first informed the UK Government that Circularity Scotland was likely to go into administration.
Answer
Scottish Government officials were in regular discussions with UK Government officials regarding the Internal Market Act (IMA) exclusion process for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Throughout these discussions officials made it clear that not providing a timely and complete exclusion would jeopardise the future of the DRS in Scotland and by extension the viability of Circularity Scotland. Scottish Ministers and officials wrote to UK Ministers a number of times throughout April and May highlighting the risk to the scheme and to Circularity Scotland due to the uncertainty around the IMA exclusion. This included letters from myself on 19 May and from the First Minister on 22 April and 3 May 2023.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19222 by Lorna Slater on 18 July 2023, whether it will specify the mechanisms that it has in place to assess and monitor the "range of risks relating to the delivery of the Deposit Return Scheme".
Answer
We employ methodologies which align to the Scottish Public Finance Manual. These include processes, guidance and techniques for identifying, owning, assessing, reviewing and reporting risks, risk appetite and response.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports that there are now no dental practices registering patients in Dunoon, and that people may need to travel to Glasgow to see an NHS dentist.
Answer
The Scottish Government has put in place a range of incentives in the Highland area to support NHS dental provision. Specifically:
- Scottish Dental Access Initiative. These grants are available to applicants wishing to open a new or expand existing practice provision. Payments of up to £100,000 for the first surgery, and £25,000 for each subsequent surgery are available through this initiative.
- Recruitment and Retention allowance. This allowance is available to dentists joining the dental list for the first time or returning after a period of absence of five years and choosing to practice in a qualifying area, including NHS Highland. New vocational trainees can qualify for payments of up to £37,500 in the first three years under this allowance.
- Remote Areas Allowance. This allowance pays out up to £9,000 to dentists providing NHS dental services in qualifying areas, including may parts of NHS Highland.
The Board is working on a range of mitigations at a local level including leasing of dental clinics and additional recruitment to provide emergency and urgent dental care provision, as well as using Scottish Government incentives to facilitate new, additional and extended practice provision.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-19560 by Lorna Slater on 18 July 2023, on what date it began to assume that Circularity Scotland was likely to go into administration.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20057 on 15 August 2023. 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
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition on 29 June 2023, regarding Highly Protected Marine Areas, what the timescales are for establishing fisheries management measures for "tranche two" of the existing Marine Protected Areas.
Answer
“Tranche two” Marine Protected Areas are included in work currently ongoing to implement fisheries management measures within existing Marine Protected Areas.
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20143 on 15 August 2023 for details of the timescale for this work.
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
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out into indoor air quality in public buildings, and what plans it has to carry out any further such research.
Answer
The Scottish Government COVID-19 Adaptations Expert Group have highlighted that there is a lack of information on ventilation performance and subsequent indoor air quality for existing buildings.
We are considering advice from the expert group to address this gap, including exploring the feasibility of a national ventilation performance survey for public sector buildings.
In Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS) the Scottish Government committed to identifying what, if any, actions might best be undertaken at a Scottish level to address the issues associated with indoor air pollution, by 2026.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on whether any cadmium-plated pipes were fully water tested before the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital opened.
Answer
The Scottish Government do not hold any information on whether cadmium-plated pipes were water tested before the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital opened in 2015.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 August 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence there is to support the use of ultra-high frequency electronic identification (EID) technology as a means of identification for Scottish beef, and whether it has considered other methods of EID.
Answer
Ultra High Frequency (UHF) electronic identification (EID) for cattle has been trialled progressively in Scotland over the past decade through an Industry led Bovine EID ‘pilot’. The findings from this pilot, which has also considered Low Frequency (LF) technology, are expected to be published shortly. Any proposed future changes to regulations concerning cattle identification, will also be subject to a full public consultation.