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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-35688

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its (a) ministers and (b) officials have met with the advertising website, Vivastreet, in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-35690

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its (a) ministers and (b) officials have met with the advertising website, Escort Scotland, in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-35357

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 25 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26881 by Jim Fairlie on 5 June 2024, what engagement took place with (a) communities and (b) land managers to test the appetite for nature finance and to design the potential investment; what the results of this engagement were; whether a report on the engagement will be published, and, regarding the Wild Heart Expansion Project, when it will be announced; how many private finance partners will be involved; what the value is of that private investment, and what the total amount is of public funding.

Question reference: S6W-35362

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any potential contingent liability implications against future budgets is estimated at the time of entering any arrangements that may subsequently trigger that liability requiring to be met, and in what year any payment of a contingent liability counted for budget and public spending monitoring purposes.

Question reference: S6W-35363

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any assessment of the costs of undertaking peatland restoration, and whether any such costs are (a) static, (b) falling and (c) rising; what the current (i) average cost is and (ii) range of costs are per hectare, and what the main factors affecting the range of costs are.

The Scottish Government has commissioned research through ClimateXChange (CxC) to better understand peatland restoration costs. This results of this research will be published shortly.

Previous research assessing the costs of peatland restoration can be found here: The costs of peatland restoration – data & initial analysis 2020 | SEFARI, The costs of peatland restoration – data & analysis update 2021 | SEFARI

Question reference: S6W-35487

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on specialists in dealing with domestic abuse being embedded in 999 control rooms with the aim of providing better support for victims, similar to the proposed pilot in England and Wales, known as Raneem’s Law, which is reportedly expected to be launched by the end of 2025.

The management of Police Scotland’s call handling capabilities is an issue for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland’s three year business plan seeks to ensure that victims are fully heard and supported through a service that is tailored to their needs, and that the service works with partners to ensure vulnerable people can access appropriate care at the right time.

The Scottish Government is aware of the launch of Raneem’s Law in England and Wales, whereby domestic abuse specialists will be embedded within 999 control rooms across five police forces. Police Scotland’s Public Protection Development Programme (PPDP) includes work to develop an improved initial response model, to ensure all victims receive a real-time trauma informed response, including safeguarding and signposting to the most appropriate support service at the earliest opportunity.

Question reference: S6W-35490

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to ensure that 999 control rooms are more responsive and survivor-centred to domestic abuse cases.

All calls received by Police Scotland receive an initial assessment based on the THRIVE model (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigative Opportunity, Vulnerability and Engagement) to enable informed decision making on prioritisation. Given the unpredictable and often violent nature of domestic abuse, incidents are assessed with consideration given to the safety of the victim and family, background history for the victim and suspect, severity of the allegation and evidential opportunities.

Police Scotland have advised that an incident will be graded appropriately and fast tracked where necessary with the police response will be victim led as much as possible.

Police Scotland’s three year business plan also seeks to ensure that victims are fully heard and supported through a service that is tailored to their needs, and that the service works with partners to ensure vulnerable people can access appropriate care at the right time.

Question reference: S6O-04504

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to upgrade older housing stock to make it suitable for modern day heating systems.

Question reference: S6W-35361

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 19 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has advised the Scottish Fiscal Commission of any potential contingent liability implications in relation to future budgets, as a consequence of pursuing a policy of encouraging private finance investment.

We will comply with all aspects of the reporting and authorisation requirements detailed in the Scottish Public Finance Manual, which includes notification to the Finance and Public Administration Committee. Scottish Government does not intend to advise the Scottish Fiscal Commission on this question separately. All contingent liabilities are disclosed in the Scottish Government's annual report and accounts.

Question reference: S6W-35359

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what budget provision it has made within the draft Budget for 2025-26 and any subsequent year to (a) underwrite private investment and (b) pilot blended finance models in nature recovery; what its position is on whether the allocation of any such funds has been at the expense of existing grants for peatland restoration or forestry, and whether there are any potential contingent liability implications that will be incurred by any contract arrangements entered into in any pilot arrangements with private finance, and over how many years.

a) Scottish Government has not made any budget provision in this or future years to underwrite private investment in nature restoration.

b) No capital allocation has been made in the 2025-26 budget to pilot blended finance models in nature recovery. Any payments associated with it will not finalised until the pilot progresses. Resource to take forward the pilot will be from within existing staff time.

There may be contingent liability implications to the agreements entered into as a part piloting blended finance models for nature restoration and these will be managed in line with the Scottish Public Finance Manual.