- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government regarding the resettlement scheme for Afghan refugees who may be resettled in Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 11 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the changing situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, what additional support it will make available to mitigate any financial hardship faced by taxi drivers in (a) Dundee and (b) Scotland as a result of the pandemic's impact on their ability to earn a living, and what assurances it can provide that any support will be made available to taxis drivers in a timely manner.
Answer
We recognise the pandemic’s impact on the economy and businesses across a wide range of sectors. So far, the Scottish Government has provided £79.3 million directly to taxi and private hire drivers and operators in response to the pandemic. Further support of up to £28 million was announced on 5 January 2022 from within the £375 million package of funding announced on 21 December 2021, bringing total support for the sector to over £107 million. The Scottish Government is also calling on the UK Government to re-introduce schemes such as the Self-Employment Income Support Grant in order to make further support available. We work closely with delivery partners to make payments to eligible businesses at the earliest opportunity, which is of course our established approach.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement in full the recommendations in the report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and, if so, what steps it will take to do so.
Answer
The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows the very real threat and heightened risk the climate emergency poses to the planet - but it also makes it clear that with immediate, concerted international action to reduce emissions, global temperature rise can still be limited to 1.5°C in the longer term.
Scotland is leading the way. We will end our contribution to climate change by 2045 at the latest, reducing emissions by 75% by 2030 along the way – a world-leading target. In December 2020 we updated our Climate Change Plan which sets out how we will deliver on this ambition and published Scotland’s indicative Nationally Determined Contribution in July 2021 outlining the actions we are taking to help meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The global evidence provided by IPCC reports, as well as the independent expert scientific advice provided by the Climate Change Committee on what this evidence means for Scotland, will be part of the evidence base that informs development of Scotland’s next Climate Change Plan and Climate Change Adaptation Programme.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote (a) public ownership, (b) integration and (c) the use of renewable energy in the public transport system.
Answer
We are pressing ahead to put in place arrangements to mobilise a wholly owned company of the Scottish Government to provide ScotRail services within the public sector under Scottish Government control. The revised arrangements will start when the current franchise expires as expected on 31 March 2022.
For bus services, the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides viable options for partnership working, franchising and wider powers for local transport authorities to run their own buses (and which sit alongside their existing ability to subsidise services). We have allocated £1 million in the draft Scottish Budget for development of the Community Bus Fund in 2022-23. This will support local transport authorities to improve local bus services and to explore the full range of options set out in the 2019 Act. In administering the fund, we and local transport authorities will need to observe competition, procurement and subsidy control rules.
The development of an integrated transport network is being guided by our National Transport Strategy, and the Strategic Transport Projects Review process is identifying investment priorities which will support this and help to deliver our commitment to create an inclusive and net zero emissions economy.
As the amount of renewable energy being produced in Scotland increases, so does the amount available to the public transport system. Already 75% of rail journeys are being undertaken via electrical traction, and we have given significant funding to zero emission buses, introducing diesel-electric hybrid vehicle carrying ferries, and promoting electric vehicles. We believe Scotland’s approach to transport decarbonisation – which focuses not only the transition to clean technology but also on reducing demand and encouraging behaviour shift – is an example of world-leading best practice and is central to our green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the provision of GP services in the north east.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2022
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the average size of a land holding in Scotland is, and what percentage of land holdings are estimated to be above a threshold of (a) 5,000 and (b) 10,000 acres, broken down by (i) tenanted crofts, (ii) owner occupied crofts, (iii) tenanted farms and (iv) owner occupied farms.
Answer
Table 1: Number and area of land holdings in Scotland, June 2021 |
| | All | Percentage of holdings above 5,000 acres | Percentage of holdings above 10,000 acres |
Number of Holdings | Total Area (acres) | Mean Average area (acres) | Median Average area (acres) | Holdings | Area (acres) | Holdings | Area (acres) |
All Holdings | 49,325 | 14,119,367 | 286 | 22 | 0.9% | 42% | 0.4% | 30% |
Holdings with a croft : mainly owner-occupied | 4,074 | 504,145 | 124 | 17 | 0.2% | 25% | 0.1% | 21% |
Holdings with a croft : mainly tenanted | 8,647 | 363,984 | 42 | 9 | 0.0% | 6% | 0.0% | 0% |
Holdings without a croft : Mainly owner-occupied | 4,537 | 2,683,014 | 591 | 149 | 1.8% | 34% | 0.6% | 20% |
Holdings without a croft : Mainly tenanted | 32,067 | 10,568,224 | 330 | 28 | 1.1% | 45% | 0.5% | 34% |
Source: June Agricultural Census 2021, Crofting Commission |
Table contains holdings with a registered croft. Not all crofts have an associated holding and therefore are not included. |
A small number of large holdings include a registered croft on the holding. As these figures relate to the land area of the holding and not the croft these areas will have a large impact on reported area of crofts. |
Due to the nature of the distribution of farm holdings, both mean and median averages are provided. |
A single holding may comprise both rented and owned land. These categories are based on majority area for the holding. |
Further details specifically on crofts can be found reported in the Crofting Commission’s Annual Report & Accounts 2020-21 |
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether Scottish Enterprise attaches conditions to public funding provided to defence companies with a view to ensuring that such funding is not used towards the production of arms and other defence equipment or the supply of arms and other defence equipment to countries engaged in human rights violations.
Answer
That Scottish Government does not support the manufacture of munitions and Scottish Enterprise does not provide funding for the manufacture of munitions. The support provided is mainly focused on helping firms to diversify and develop civilian applications for their technology and ensure Scotland continues to benefit from the thousands of jobs in the defence, aerospace and shipbuilding sectors.
The licensing of arms exports is a reserved matter over which the Scottish Government has no control. We have impressed upon the UK Government our expectation to act responsibly as regards export licensing.
I refer the member to the answer given in S6W-00182 on 27 October 2021 with regard to how Scottish Enterprise undertake Due Diligence assessments when assessing business support. I understand that Scottish Enterprise have also reached out to the member with an offer to discuss how they support businesses operating in the defence sector and I would recommend that the member accepts that offer.
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
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that tenants’ unions will be represented on the proposed tenant participation panel.
Answer
Initial work is underway to support the establishment of a PRS tenant participation panel. The first phase of this work is focusing on hearing from PRS tenants in developing our draft Rented Sector Strategy consultation document. As part of this, we are working in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and through the Tenants Information Service and the Tenant Participation Advisory Service exploring tenants’ priorities for change.
This initial work, alongside engagement with tenant organisations, including tenants’ unions, such as Living Rent who the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights met with in September, will help to inform the longer term establishment of the panel and recruit participants.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that home efficiency targets are delivered in the (a) private rented sector and (b) social rented sector, without tenants having to take financial responsibility for the targets being met.
Answer
We have committed to invest at least £1.8 billion over the course of this parliament to support growth in zero emissions heat and energy efficiency measures, and to support those least able to pay.
(a) Home Energy Scotland provides up to £15,000 interest-free loans for energy efficiency measures and up to £17,500 for renewables measures. Registered private landlords owning five or fewer properties are eligible for interest free loans, and owners of six or more properties are subject to interest at a rate of 3.5% APR.
We are working with the private rented sector to introduce regulations in 2025 which will require all private rented properties to reach a minimum standard, with a backstop date of 2028. We have also committed to introduce an all-tenure zero emissions heat standard to be phased in for off-gas grid areas from 2025 and on-gas grid areas from 2030, with all buildings meeting this standard no later than 2045. We are establishing a Green Heat Finance Taskforce and will take account of its recommendations ahead of the introduction of regulations, so there is a clear and identified range of financial mechanisms available to support building owners to meet proposed regulatory obligations.
(b) We will review the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH2), and are currently considering the Zero Emissions Social Housing Taskforce’s recommendation that this review happen before 2023. We have committed £200 million to the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund over the course of this parliament, investing in a sector that is already leading the way in energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 24 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Police Authority, regarding the policing of protests during COP26.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04361 on
24 November 2021. 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
