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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-37780

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what options are available to private landlords in circumstances where a tenant is the liable person for council tax but they are not making payments to ensure that the bills are covered and any situation of arrears can be addressed.

In Scotland, typically the responsibility for Council Tax liability falls to the occupier of the property, not the owner. The exceptions to this general position may apply in specific circumstances, such as where a property is exempt, or let as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) where the owner has the responsibility to pay Council Tax.

Generally, landlords are not expected to take responsibility for ensuring that tenants pay Council Tax, and would not be aware of the payments arrangements between the council and the occupant for Council Tax purposes.

The collection and enforcement of Council Tax is governed by legislation and administered by local authorities. Collection rates for Council Tax are consistently high compared to other forms of taxation, averaging around 97% in recent years.

Question reference: S6W-37778

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 10 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average timescale is for an application that is submitted by a private landlord to evict a tenant to be heard at the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber).

Question reference: S6W-37779

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 5 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what options are available to private landlords who are considering issuing a tenant with a notice to leave on the grounds of abandonment because they are no longer believed to be living at a property, but mail is occasionally collected from the building.

In Scotland, if a private residential tenant abandons a property, the landlord must follow a specific legal procedure to regain possession. They must serve a formal notice to leave, which sets out the ground for eviction (the reason why they are asking the tenant to leave), and provide them with the correct legal notice period.

The ground “Not occupying let property” is intended to cover cases where the tenant has abandoned the property.

When issuing the notice to end a tenancy, the landlord should use the communication method agreed set out in the Tenancy Agreement. They should keep records of all attempts to contact the tenant. Where post is being collected and rent continues to be paid, this may indicate a tenant continues to occupy the let property.

Once the notice period has ended, the landlord can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland an Order granting permission to repossess the property.

Question reference: S6W-36031

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will legislate to ensure that all local authorities observe a "10-minute parking grace period" in their car parks, similar to that implemented in England.

Local authorities in Scotland have the powers to issue Penalty Charge Notices if the vehicle has been left beyond the period of parking which has been paid for, as per the Road Traffic Act 1991. Legislation to allow an additional 10 minutes grace period has not been considered in Scotland as there has not been sufficient interest from members of the public or local authorities to do so, however all local authorities can use their own discretion whether to apply a grace period or not.

Question reference: S6W-35594

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to allow people who received Zostavax when they became eligible for a shingles vaccination in recent years, before it was replaced by Shingrix, to receive a further inoculation with Shingrix, in light of reports that it provides a greater level of protection and for a longer duration.

There are no plans to revaccinate individuals who have had a previous Zostavax vaccination. The need for booster doses following previous vaccination has not yet been determined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

A statement on the shingles vaccination programme was published on 13 November 2024, advising that the offer of Shingrix vaccination should be expanded to include older adult cohorts aged 80 years and over.

JCVI recognise that some of these individuals will have already received a Zostavax vaccination. However there is a clear cost-effective benefit from offering a single dose of Shingrix to this age group as this would help prevent severe illness and other serious complications from shingles, which can cause illness or hospitalisation.

The Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards will work together to consider these recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-36033

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the approach of local authorities to issuing parking fines, and what its position is on whether any local authority has introduced policies in relation to penalty charge notices specifically to make a profit and not to respond to illegal or inappropriate parking.

A public consultation was undertaken in 2021, which looked at levels of Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Following this, on 1 April 2023, the maximum PCN amount was raised to £100. Local authorities must ensure that they issue PCNs only when it is lawful to do so. It is important to note that PCNs are a penalty for illegal parking and are not to be used specifically to generate income, though any profit from PCNs is ring-fenced and must only be used by the local authority for transport related purposes. Local authorities also report the income and expenditure annually and these reports are published on the Transport Scotland website.

Question reference: S6W-36032

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what instructions it expects local authorities to provide to parking attendants regarding the issuing of penalty charge notices in situations where a car is not displaying a ticket but the driver states that they were collecting a prepaid voucher from a machine and that this is the only reason why it was not affixed to the vehicle.

It is the responsibility of each local authority, who operates Decriminalised Parking Enforcement, to provide guidance to ensure their parking attendants are issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) lawfully and the level of discretion that can be applied in individual situations. It is not for the Scottish Government to specify when discretion should be applied. Stringent appeals processes are also in place to assist those who feel they may have been issued a PCN unfairly.

Question reference: S6W-36034

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it offers to local authorities to ensure that disabled, older and infirmed people are supported, when required, to park their vehicles in local authority car parks without incurring a penalty charge notice, and when any such guidance was last reviewed.

It is the responsibility of each local authority, who operates Decriminalised Parking Enforcement to ensure their parking attendants are issuing Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) lawfully and the level of discretion that can be applied in individual situations. It is not for the Scottish Government to specify when discretion should be applied. Stringent appeals processes are also in place to assist those who feel they may have been issued a PCN unfairly.

Question reference: S6F-03762

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

To ask the First Minister whether he will join HM The King and other world leaders in commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz extermination camp and offer his reflections on the theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day, "For a Better Future".

Question reference: S6W-33253

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what clinical basis the decision was reached to not include people aged 50 to 64, unless they are included in a defined risk group, in the 2024-25 seasonal flu immunisation programme.

The Scottish Government’s decision-making for the flu vaccination programmes is guided by the expert clinical advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI typically advises flu vaccination for all those aged 65 years and over, and all those aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical at risk group.

Scotland expanded its flu programme as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to help reduce pressure on the NHS in unprecedented times. In winter 2020-21 we expanded it to those aged 55 years and over and then to those aged 50 years and over in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

As we move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, from winter 2024-25 we have reverted to the standard JCVI-advised groups and those aged 50-64 years are no longer included in the national flu programme. This is in line with the approach taken by other UK nations. The only nation currently offering the flu vaccine to the 50-64 years group is Northern Ireland, who announced their decision to expand their programme on 15 January 2025. They took the same approach in January 2024. The position for winter 2024-25 in England and Wales is currently the same as in Scotland.

I wrote to MSPs on 12 September 2024 to outline the changes to eligibility for flu and COVID-19 vaccination this winter, and the reason for those changes.

We have not received data or clinical advice to support any expansion of the programme to those aged 50-64 years, or other groups. Over the festive period, flu cases and hospital admissions due to flu peaked above typical levels for wintertime. These are now showing notable signs of decline in the latest two weeks ending 5 and 12 January 2025. Flu-related hospital admissions in Scotland decreased by 46.6% from 1,077 in week ending 5 January to 575 in week ending 12 January. Laboratory-confirmed flu case numbers have declined for a second week, by 40.6% from 1,906 in week ending 5 January to 1,133 in week ending 12 January. PHS surveillance stats can be found here - PHS Vaccination Surveillance.