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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-19540

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for processing SME Loan Scheme applications, broken down by application type in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

The following table shows the average amount of time it has taken from a loan application being received to either a loan offer or rejection being sent. Applications processed are not dependent on measure types and there is a single application form for the SME Loan covering all technologies that are funded.

Financial Year	Average processing time
2022-23	38 working days
2023-24	27 working days

Individual processing times vary around this average and can be subject to businesses replying to the administration teams queries promptly. Such queries can range from the application form not being fully completed, quotes not meeting the scheme criteria or having to request financial accounts for review.

Question reference: S6W-19535

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils with additional support needs disappeared from the education system during the 2022-23 academic year, in light of recent reports that thousands of school pupils were unaccounted for by local authorities elsewhere in the UK.

Question reference: S6W-19539

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the SME Loan Scheme for new solar PV applications have been rejected for the reason that the scheme is no longer open for such applications.

Question reference: S6W-19500

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on delivering on the action points identified in its suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters.

The National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) has made very strong progress in delivering the suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters . NSPLG’s final annual report published in October 2022 and can be found here . Delivery has been maintained since October, including focussed work on improving responses for people in suicidal crisis, using the principles of Time, Space and Compassion.

The delivery of Every Life Matters has created an excellent platform to drive forward Creating Hope Together - our ambitious new strategy and action plan , which the Scottish Government published with COSLA in September 2022. The evidence and support for Every Life Matters actions means we are continuing to deliver on those actions as part of our ongoing work.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published our suicide prevention delivery priorities for 2023-24 on 28 June 2023. These were shaped through stakeholder discussions and a range of evidence, including views from people with lived experience of suicide.

Question reference: S6W-19730

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with Scotia Arts since May 2021, and what the agreed outcomes were of any such meetings.

Question reference: S6W-19666

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it (a) has had and (b) plans to have with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service regarding waiting times for amendments to power of attorney and other matters under the purview of the Office of the Public Guardian.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is part of the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). SCTS is an independent body corporate and does not answer directly to the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government typically meets OPG once every 3 - 6 months to discuss ongoing business matters, including registration of powers of attorney. The most recent meeting was in May 2023, where the introduction of a new IT system at OPG was discussed, which is expected to reduce processing times for power of attorney applications.

We will meet again over the course of the year to discuss what progress has been made with regard to power of attorney processing times.

Question reference: S6W-19610

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been made to the (a) Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan and (b) Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan scheme for solar PV and/or energy storage systems, since the scheme was created, and how many applications have been successful.

The requested application figures for solar PV and/or energy storage systems for the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme and Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme are set out in the following tables:

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme
Applications Received	2987
Applications Successful	2425
Applications Rejected	64
Applications Being Processed	498
Figures are from scheme launch in December 2022 to 03 July 2023.

Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme
Applications Received	9
Applications Successful	7
Applications Rejected	2
Applications Being Processed	0
Figures are from scheme launch in April 2020 to 03 July 2023.

Note - the figures for “Applications Being Processed” includes applications which are awaiting applicants to supply additional information required to progress to the next stage of the process.

Question reference: S6W-19416

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to legislation controlling the use of flammable cladding following the Grenfell tragedy, in what ways does the legislation in Scotland differ from that which applies to the rest of the UK.

Building Regulations in the UK are the responsibility of the UK Government in England, the Welsh Assembly in Wales, the Northern Ireland Executive in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Government in Scotland. Whilst all regulations are similar throughout the UK the key differences in relation to flammable cladding are:

the ban of flammable cladding in Scotland applies at a lower height of 11m compared with 18m in the rest of the UK; and
the legislation in England was amended to extend the ban of flammable cladding to hotels, hostels and boarding houses from 1 December 2022.

The next review of fire safety regulations in Scotland is due to commence later this year where we will consider these matters and other relevant developments further.

Question reference: S6W-18558

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its planned consultation on the Scottish Ministers' proposed target for the amount of heat to be supplied by heat networks by 2035, which it is required to set by October 2023 under the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021, and when it expects to report on any such consultation.

The consultation responses have been analysed and the Scottish Government published a consultation analysis and government response to the consultation prior to the draft SSI being laid before parliament, which will occur by 1 October 2023.

The consultation analysis can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210758

The government response can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210925

Question reference: S6W-19367

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to issue Primary Care Improvement Fund allocation letters to Health and Social Care Partnerships by the end of June 2023.