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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-17968

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's proposed "immediate justice" approach to antisocial behaviour, which will reportedly require people who vandalise public spaces to repair the damage within 48 hours of being given an order, whether it is considering introducing similar measures in Scotland.

The Scottish Government condemns all acts of antisocial behaviour, including vandalism, and we believe that our focus should be on preventing these crimes from occurring in the first place.

There are currently a number of provisions contained in the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 and Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 that specifically deal with the offence of vandalism and these include on the spot fixed penalties that the police can issue to those suspected of low-level statutory vandalism offences. Local agencies, such as Police Scotland and local authorities, are best placed to deal with these offences and it also open to them to undertake early intervention and diversionary work to prevent antisocial behaviour in their areas . We currently have no plans to replicate the UK Government’s proposals, but will monitor the development of this approach.

Question reference: S6W-17993

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17458 by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2023, what its position is on whether the extension of the current operating hours of the Glasgow Subway is an opportunity to improve public transport services in the city, and whether it is a consideration in the planning of the wider Clyde Metro by Transport Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-17934

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of human trafficking have (a) been reported and (b) led to a prosecution, in each financial year since 2007-08.

This information has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre under BiB No 64215.

There is no single crime of human trafficking and it may be recoded and prosecuted under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015, Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003, Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004.

Table 1 shows crimes related to 'human trafficking' recorded by the police, 2007-08 to 2021-22; Table 2 shows the number of people prosecuted where the main crime/charge was related to human trafficking, 2007-08 to 2020-21.

Please note: Care should be taken when comparing different data sources relating to the criminal justice system. A crime can only be recorded if it is reported to the police and can only then be prosecuted in court if the crime is reported to the procurator fiscal and a decision taken that court proceedings are the most appropriate course of action. In addition, recorded crime statistics count crimes and offences at the time that they came to the attention of Police Scotland, while criminal proceedings statistics report on cases once they have concluded in court. This means that a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year. In addition, a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime, or a set of crimes with more than one victim, in a proceeding, but only a single conviction for the ‘main charge’ (the one receiving the most severe sentence) would be counted in the court proceedings statistics. There is also the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings.

Data for 2020-21 are affected by the pandemic and subsequent court closures and may not be reflective of long term trend.

Question reference: S6W-17966

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to decoupling the provisions related to Anne’s Law from the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill to allow them to progress on a faster timescale.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering Anne’s Law and the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill will further support the rights of people living in adult care homes to connect with their loved ones.

The National care service will have a responsibility for planning services and setting standards, with Scottish Ministers being responsible for social care and support. The design and delivery of the National Care Service will have human rights embedded throughout, that everyone should have access to consistently high-quality care and support and it’s right that Anne’s Law is a part of that. We are not considering decoupling the Anne’s Law provisions.

However, we are also committed to doing what we can now to implement the aims of Anne’s law using existing powers. For example the Health and Social Care standards were updated in April 2022 along with the associated inspection framework for care homes. Public Health Scotland’s visiting guidance has also been updated to broaden the scope for visits even during an outbreak situation. Taken together, these measures have resulted in 99% of care homes in Scotland reporting that they are supporting indoor visiting. The Scottish Government, in anticipation of the Scottish Parliament passing the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill, will work with all interested parties to maintain this figure and will also work to address any isolated issues should they emerge.

Question reference: S6W-17978

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many ATM sites have benefitted from 100% rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Table 1 shows the number of ATM sites in receipt of 100% rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme since 2018.

Table 1: ATM sites in receipt of 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme relief

Year	Number of ATM sites
2018	45
2019	61
2020	65
2021	53
2022	35

Source: Billing Snapshot 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The Billing Snapshot dates were 1 June 2018, 31 May 2019, 1 July 2020, 1 June 2021, and 1 July 2022.

In rural areas, the sites of ATMs are exempt from rating, including buildings in which the ATM is situated if the building is used only for the purpose of the ATM.

Question reference: S6W-17736

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date its More Homes Division next plans to publish an updated Affordable Housing Supply Programme: process and procedures guidance note, and for what reasons it did not do so at the beginning of the current financial year.

Question reference: S6W-18575

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-17971

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s latest Report on Jobs, which was published on 10 May 2023.

The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Report on Jobs is one of several sources of evidence that the Scottish Government monitors, in the context of wider developments in the labour market. The Report draws on a monthly survey of recruitment agencies, and offers insights into broad trends and developments around recruitment.

The latest edition of the Report indicates reductions in staff placements, along with reduced staff availability and increased demand for permanent staff. The latest labour market data for Scotland from ONS indicates that Scotland’s employment rate remains high, while unemployment rates are at close to record lows.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation sets out our approach to ensuring that employers have a pipeline of skilled workers and makes clear that employers must invest in the skilled employees they need to grow their businesses. We are taking forward a range of measures, including working with business organisations to promote Fair Work; providing a range of employability support to help people to enter the labour market; and developing our Talent Attraction programme and Migration Service to attract workers with the skills that Scotland needs.

Question reference: S6W-17974

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will help to ensure a future for the red squirrel by resourcing the continued delivery of landscape-wide invasive grey squirrel control following the end of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Transition Project in March 2024.

As outlined in response to question S6W-14224 on 24 January 2023 it remains a priority for the Scottish Government to ensure the important work undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels continues. NatureScot, Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland are currently providing core funding for the roles of the Grey Squirrel Officers (GSOs) as part of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels partnership project.

The Scottish Government and partners will continue to be involved in discussions on taking forward the work currently being undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels.

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

Question reference: S6W-17939

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14072 by Jenny Gilruth on 31 January 2023, whether it will provide an update on how many young people have now received a free bus pass through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, broken down by local authority area, based on the latest information available.

As of Sunday 30 April 2023, there were 619,900 cardholders under the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel Scheme. The following table shows the number of cardholders broken down to local authority level.

Total	619,900
Aberdeen City	26,659
Aberdeenshire	30,871
Angus Council	12,566
Argyll & Bute	7,211
City of Edinburgh	74,217
Clackmannanshire	3,901
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	1,958
Dumfries and Galloway	10,513
Dundee City	20,668
East Ayrshire	15,893
East Dunbartonshire	11,084
East Lothian	14,083
East Renfrewshire	12,491
Falkirk	12,189
Fife	50,825
Glasgow City	66,539
Highland	18,243
Inverclyde	11,302
Midlothian	11,486
Moray	9,047
North Ayrshire	18,962
North Lanarkshire	41,658
Orkney Islands	1,756
Perth & Kinross	15,313
Renfrewshire	20,384
Scottish Borders	10,445
Shetland Islands	2,754
South Ayrshire	10,069
South Lanarkshire	36,492
Stirling	9,020
West Dunbartonshire	11,795
West Lothian	19,506

Cardholder data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO supports the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. The figure includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile app.