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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-21073

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many applications for energy efficiency grants and loans have been received since its schemes were established, and, of those, how many have been successful.

Question reference: S6W-20888

Asked by: David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made regarding a review of councillor pay and remuneration.

Both COSLA and the Scottish Government recognise the need for a review of councillor pay to ensure that terms and conditions truly reflect the responsibilities of a modern-day councillor and, to ensure remuneration does not act as a barrier to encouraging a diverse range of people from standing for elected office.

Councillor pay is currently being reviewed by the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee (SLARC). SLARC is an independent committee appointed by Ministers to review Councillor pay. The Committee started its work in April this year and, has been gathering evidence in preparation to provide its advice to Ministers. Ministers anticipate the Committee’s final report to be submitted later this year.

Question reference: S6W-21289

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many houses are below the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C rating, broken down by local authority.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides estimates of the number of homes which have an EPC rating below band C. For figures at the local authority level the Scottish Government uses a three year pooled data set to ensure sufficient sample sizes.

These figures were recently provided in the answer to PQ S6W-20664 which gave the number and percentage of all homes below EPC C by local authority area for the latest available 3 year period 2017-2019.

The Scottish House Condition Survey provides a snapshot of the Scottish housing stock in each survey year including the construction age and built form of Scottish domestic buildings.

The most recent estimates of houses (specifically covering all Detached, Semi-detached and terraced houses) with an EPC below C at local authority level are for 2017-2019, and are presented in the following table.

	Number of houses by Local Authority and the number and percentage which have an EPC rating below C.
Local Authority		Total number of houses	Of which EPC rated below C	% rated below EPC C	Sample
Aberdeen City		52,000	34,000	65%	129
Aberdeenshire		99,000	70,000	71%	220
Angus		40,000	29,000	73%	198
Argyll and Bute		29,000	24,000	83%	167
Clackmannanshire		18,000	8,000	45%	165
Dumfries and Galloway		62,000	49,000	79%	242
Dundee City		36,000	25,000	69%	140
East Ayrshire		43,000	24,000	56%	197
East Dunbartonshire		37,000	23,000	63%	206
East Lothian		35,000	23,000	67%	186
East Renfrewshire		31,000	21,000	67%	189
Edinburgh, City of		81,000	51,000	63%	233
Na h-Eileanan Siar		12,000	11,000	93%	263
Falkirk		52,000	25,000	48%	185
Fife		125,000	77,000	62%	336
Glasgow City		78,000	40,000	52%	187
Highland		98,000	78,000	79%	238
Inverclyde		17,000	10,000	56%	106
Midlothian		30,000	17,000	55%	215
Moray		37,000	28,000	75%	181
North Ayrshire		48,000	29,000	61%	171
North Lanarkshire		99,000	49,000	50%	221
Orkney Islands		10,000	9,000	85%	255
Perth and Kinross		55,000	38,000	70%	215
Renfrewshire		48,000	22,000	47%	110
Scottish Borders		41,000	27,000	66%	164
Shetland Islands		10,000	9,000	93%	257
South Ayrshire		38,000	27,000	72%	176
South Lanarkshire		113,000	69,000	62%	259
Stirling		30,000	19,000	63%	190
West Dunbartonshire		22,000	12,000	55%	120
West Lothian		60,000	26,000	44%	208
Scotland		1,584,000	1,005,000	63%	6329
Notes 1. Source Scottish House Condition Survey 2017-19. 2. EPC figures are based on SAPv9.92 3. The SHCS is a sample survey and therefore all figures are estimates which lie at the midpoint of a confidence interval which depends primarily on sample size. A statistical tool for calculating 95% confidence intervals around these estimates can be found at Scottish House Condition Survey: Local Authority Analysis 2017-2019 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

As set out in the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 Key Findings Report, (available at Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 ) there will be no Local Authority publication relating to the 2019 to 2021 three year period as the 2020 SHCS was suspended due to Covid-19 and the 2021 SHCS was undertaken using a different methodology that is not consistent to previous years.

Question reference: S6W-21320

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps and assistance it can offer frontline services to better prevent and deal with a reported rise in sexual extortion, particularly such crimes committed online and towards or amongst young people.

The Scottish Government is committed to making sure that robust measures are in place across Scotland to ensure our partners can identify and support victims of sexual extortion.

The National Child Protection Guidance was updated in August 2023 and supports frontline workers by defining and clarifying the roles and responsibilities for everyone working with children and young people, setting out the foundation for protective action to keep young people safe from harms including sexual exploitation.

The Scottish Government works closely with national and UK service partners including Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland to tackle cyber-crime and online sexual extortion scams. We are also members of Police Scotland’s Multi-Agency Group on Preventing Online Sexual Abuse which helps us to recognise and respond effectively to new and emerging trends in online child sexual abuse and exploitation, such as the financially motivated sexual extortion of our young people.

I chair the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce which convenes key partners involved in tackling organised crime, disrupting the activities of organised crime groups and reducing the harm it causes our communities. In June of this year we published guidance for practitioners on criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults on behalf of the Taskforce.

The Scottish Government’s “Our Delivering Equally Safe” fund has awarded over £110,000 to the South West Grid for Learning to deliver advice to victims of intimate image abuse and to improve awareness of sexual exploitation – or ‘Revenge Porn’ across Scotland. The Safer Scotland website was updated earlier this year to provide information, links to support and advice for victims on reporting intimate image abuse. The Scottish Government’s Parent Club website also offers advice for parents on how to protect their children from online harms. We are currently reviewing the content of the Hub to include advice for parents and carers on sexual extortion as well as other emerging risks for children online.

Question reference: S6W-21295

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20647 by Jenni Minto on 12 September 2023, how much of the budget for the Young Patients Family Fund, and its predecessor, the Neonatal Expenses Fund, has been underspent in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-21184

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the long-term rent controls proposed in its Programme for Government 2023-24 will apply to all housing sectors, or to specified sectors only.

Question reference: S6W-20885

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce secondary legislation regarding police scrutiny that is not currently provided for by the Police (Ethics, Conduct, and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill, but is conditional on the passage of the Bill.

The non-legislative changes delivered to date and as a result of Dame Elish Angiolini’s review are bringing greater transparency, fairness and accessibility to systems, policies and processes that underpin the police complaints and misconduct processes. These improvements are helping to make the police complaints system easier to navigate for members of the public, as well as increasing consistency, efficiency and swifter resolution for all those involved in complaints, investigations or misconduct procedures. They provide a firm foundation on which to deliver legislative improvements and enhance scrutiny by giving more powers to the PIRC.

The Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill continues that process for improvement. It provides the framework for, and helps focus attention on, the cultural and behavioural changes that are necessary at all levels of policing. Recommendations 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57 and 58, relating to Police Conduct regulations and enhancing the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner’s scrutiny role, are able to be delivered in Secondary legislation from powers already held by Scottish Ministers under the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 and the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.

Recommendations requiring secondary legislation in the Bill are detailed in the Delegated Powers Memorandum , and will be developed in conjunction with policing partners, dependent on the expected parliamentary passage of the Bill.

Question reference: S6W-21296

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Anti-Racism Observatory will investigate any anti-English rhetoric within Scottish society.

The Scottish Government unequivocally condemns any form of racism, hatred or prejudice. We must all play our part in challenging such behaviour and attitudes.

We are currently developing detailed proposals for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland (AROS). A formal remit will be drawn up (and published) in due course.

The work of the Observatory will align closely with our obligations under the Equality Act (2010) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and will inform and support implementation of the Convention in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21076

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much has been allocated to owner-occupiers as part of its renewable systems loans and cashback schemes, since the schemes were established.

The Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme was launched in December 2022 as an update to the Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback scheme.

Across these schemes, since May 2017 to August 2023, a total of £135,595,244.31 has been allocated in funding for renewable measures.

Prior to the launch of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Loan in May 2021, PRS landlords could access funding through the HES Loan and Cashback scheme. This means that the total funding allocated may include funding for PRS landlords as well as owner-occupiers.

Question reference: S6W-21192

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken so far to rejoin the (a) Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and (b) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), as committed to in its Programme for Government 2023-24.