Chamber and committees

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-12762

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence there is that a cap on fishing activity in inshore waters, up to three nautical miles, limiting activity to current levels, as per the Bute House Agreement, will bring economic or ecological benefits.

As is reflected in the response to question S6W-12758 on 13 December 2022, The Scottish Government will consult on our proposals to apply an activity cap on fishing activity in inshore waters, in due course.

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-12746

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce trials for a four-day working week in the public sector.

Question reference: S6W-12781

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 14 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of its Private Sector Rent Statistics Scotland, 2010 to 2022, what steps it is taking to reduce private sector rents, in light of average rents having increased in 17 of the 18 regions of Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a national system of rent controls by the end of 2025, and to do so in a way which is robust and provides lasting benefit to tenants.

We consulted widely earlier in 2022 on our New Deal for Tenants draft strategy which sets out a whole range of reforms, including the vision and principles for a future model of national rent controls with an appropriate mechanism to allow local authorities to introduce local measures. We published an independent analysis of all of the consultation responses in August.

In the meantime, the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act which came into force on 28 October 2022 introduced a rent cap to protect tenants from high rent increases.

We have also made support available to tenants in the private rented sector who are struggling with high housing costs.

This includes £68.1m to mitigate the bedroom tax, helping over 91,000 households to sustain their tenancy, and up to £13.5m which has been made available to mitigate against the impact of other UK Government welfare cuts.

We will extend the eligibility criteria of our £10m Tenant Grant Fund so local authorities can use any remaining funds to support people who are struggling with arrears resulting from the rising cost of living, and will be investing up to a further £5m in Discretionary Housing and giving local authorities more flexibility in their prioritisation of households for Discretionary Housing Payments.

The introduction of longer-term rent controls is being carefully considered alongside our emergency response for the rented sector to the costs crisis, and the operation of the temporary rent cap will inform our plans to implement an effective and long term model of rent control.

The consultation responses to the New Deal for Tenants, and our ongoing engagement with stakeholders, will inform our work to develop the approach to long term rent control in Scotland and we will publish further details on our planned approach in due course.

Question reference: S6W-12758

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates a cap on fishing activity in inshore waters, up to three nautical miles, limiting activity to current levels, as per the Bute House Agreement, to impact the level of discards, in light of the relevant proposals in the Future Catching Policy.

The Scottish Government anticipates that the proposed cap on fishing activity (up to three nautical miles) will contribute to our efforts to deliver a step change in marine protection. We will consult on our proposals to apply an activity cap in due course.

Earlier this year the Scottish Government published a draft future catching policy for consultation. The policy is intended to address long-running operational issues with the landing obligation, which bans the discarding of fish. The policy seeks to improve upon current rules, whilst staying true to the principles of the landing obligation, to support fishers to reduce waste and delivering sustainable and responsible fisheries management. We received 244 responses to the consultation, covering the full range of policy proposals, and are now undertaking analysis and evaluation.

Question reference: S6W-12761

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Bute House Agreement, whether it plans to update inshore spatial management for Scotland's inshore fisheries prior to the agreement of regional marine plans or the next National Marine Plan, and outwith the marine planning process.

The Scottish Government deploys a range of spatial and technical measures to manage Scotland’s fisheries. In addition, we have delivered a number of projects over the past four years to improve spatial management of inshore fisheries. These have included the Mull Crab Box and the Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Pilot, which have been delivered as part of a co-management approach with our Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups. Fisheries management measures are not a regional marine planning matter.

Under the Bute House Agreement we will also soon consult on measures that will improve spatial management of our inshore waters, namely proposals to cap (to current levels) fishing activity within the three nautical mile area. The Agreement outlines further protections for our marine environment by introducing Highly Protected Marine Areas covering at least 10% of our waters by 2026, and delivering management measures for existing Marine Protected Areas where these are not already in place, as well as for Priority Marine Features at risk from bottom towed fishing gear out with these sites by 2024.

Question reference: S6O-01684

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will incorporate the costed package of tax increases recommended in the Scottish Trades Union Congress-commissioned report, Options for increasing taxes in Scotland to fund investment in public services, into its 2023-24 budget.

Question reference: S6W-11195

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is regarding the impact in Scotland of reports that the Scottish Assessors Association is considering the valuation of ATM sites and that it is likely that such sites will be deleted from the valuation roll, and, in the case of any such sites being removed from the valuation roll, what its position is on whether any rates paid would be backdated to when they were originally added to the valuation roll.

The valuation of all non-domestic property, including the sites of ATMs, is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of local and Scottish Government.

We are aware that Assessors were considering the valuation of ATM sites and they concluded that in most retail premises it is likely that such sites will be deleted from the Valuation Roll. Assessors are in the process of carrying out this exercise.

Where a property is removed from the Valuation Roll, the ratepayer will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid rates back to the effective date of deletion.

Question reference: S6W-12045

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report of the Short Life Working Group on Facilitating Peaceful Assemblies, what steps it is taking to ensure that the proposed human rights-based approach to peaceful assemblies does not lead to financial charges being placed on the organisers of such assemblies for logistical reasons, including road closures.

The right to peaceful assembly and protest is a right that we all have and the Scottish Government wants to encourage the exercise of that right wherever possible. While it is not an absolute right - and conditions and prohibitions can be imposed where required and in the interests of a democratic society - the Scottish Government is clear that it should not be dependent on the ability to pay.

For each march or parade, local authorities and their partners, including Police Scotland and Transport Scotland (where the event is to take place on a trunk road), will consider traffic management issues and the various powers available to the agencies involved to regulate traffic, including Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTROs).

In their report, published on 2 November 2022, the Independent Short-Life Working Group on Facilitating Peaceful Assembly in Scotland has made a range of recommendations including on traffic management issues as they relate to assembly. The Scottish Government will work with partners to consider these recommendations, including those on costs, in due course.

Question reference: S6W-12025

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards the establishment of a Peace Institute by the end of 2022, as set out in the Programme for Government 2021-22.

The Scottish Government is committed to Scotland being an active and responsible global citizen and we are actively considering the options received in the report commissioned earlier to advise on a Scottish Peace Institute. Our priority is to ensure our offer is appropriate, responsible and complimentary to existing activity both in Scotland and internationally. I look forward to updating Parliament with our plans in due course.

Question reference: S6W-12024

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the report of the independent review group regarding the establishment of a Peace Institute will be published, and, if it is already published, when it will respond to its findings.