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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: S5W-12883

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timeline for the launch of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme for Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-12930

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by Anne Pinkman, the Convenor of the Scottish Working Group on Women’s Offending, in Scottish Justice Matters that "funding for services, even when they can evidence positive outcomes is a real issue".

The new funding distribution methodology for Criminal Justice Social Work funding, introduced in April 2017 and agreed with COSLA, delivers a more transparent and fairer system for distributing funding across Scotland. It allows statutory community justice partners and third sector to work collaboratively to tackle the underlying causes of offending. Every local authority has the flexibility to target resources to meet local priorities, which includes funding for women's services and programmes.

Decisions on the allocation of grant funding from Scottish Government in 2018-19 in respect of community justice services will be made in due course, in response to the outcome of the current Spending Review.

Question reference: S5O-01601

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it is taking to support the economies of Orkney and Shetland.

Question reference: S5W-12929

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comment by Neil Ratley of Venture Trust in The Herald on 20 November 2017 that “without a new source of funding for the Next Steps programme, hundreds of Scottish women won’t have access to a successful programme breaking the cycle of reoffending and helping them into employment.”

Question reference: S5W-12928

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the Venture Trust’s Next Steps programme, and what action it is taking in response to reports that the programme might close when its current ifunding comes to an end.

The Scottish Government does not fund Venture Trust's 'Next Steps' programme and has never done so.

In the current year, the Scottish Government has allocated around £100 million to local authorities to help deliver community sentences, support the rehabilitation of men and women sentenced by the courts and reduce reoffending. In addition, the Scottish Government provides around £4.5 million every year specifically for women's services.

The funding for Criminal Justice Social Work Services, which includes provision for women's services, transferred to local authorities on 1 April 2017 under the new model for Community Justice, following the disestablishment of Community Justice Authorities. The new funding distribution methodology delivers a more transparent and fairer system for distributing funding across Scotland. It allows statutory community justice partners and the third sector to work collaboratively to tackle the underlying causes of offending. Every local authority now has the flexibility to target resources to meet local priorities, which includes funding women's services and programmes.

Question reference: S5W-12953

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in the 2016 SNP manifesto to deliver a warm homes bill "to support our work to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency", whether it will set out what specific measures it will introduce to combat fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency.

On 9 November this year we launched a consultation on developing a new fuel poverty strategy, including proposals for a revised definition of fuel poverty and a new statutory target. Responses to the consultation will inform the Warm Homes Bill that we will introduce to Parliament in 2018

We have designated energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority, the cornerstone of which will be Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP), which will support delivery of our ambitions in this area. We are already delivering on our 2016 Programme for Government commitment to make half a billion pounds available over 4 years through SEEP and, by the end of 2021, we will have allocated over £1 billion pounds since 2009 on tackling fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency.

Next year we will publish a SEEP Route Map that will set out our long-term aims for the programme and further detail on how these will be achieved.

Question reference: S5W-12958

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 5 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set a date to achieve its commitment in the fuel poverty strategy consultation of eradicating fuel poverty in the long term.

In the public consultation on a new draft Fuel Poverty Strategy we propose and invite views on an overall target for the eradication of fuel poverty by 2040. The consultation also puts forward a proposed set of non-statutory sub-targets to accompany this ambition. Responses to the consultation will inform the Warm Homes Bill, which we will introduce in 2018 and which is intended to set a new statutory fuel poverty target.

The consultation also proposes an independent review of progress against the target by 2031, which will recommend any further necessary action to meet the 2040 eradication target and associated sub-targets.

Question reference: S5W-12956

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 29 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) bill will contain (a) proposals for an independent body to oversee the delivery of SEEP and (b) targets and milestones for the delivery of each proposal.

As set out in the Programme for Government, we will take forward legislation within this Parliament where this is needed to deliver the aims of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme. We will publish a Route Map for the programme next year setting out our long-term ambitions for the programme and further detail on how this will be achieved, including how this should be delivered and overseen. In addition, we are currently seeking views on the establishment of a national delivery mechanism to support local authorities in delivering Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies and district heating, which could support delivery and governance of SEEP more widely. (https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/lhees-and-dhr2/)

Question reference: S5W-12957

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 29 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its plan for all homes to be given a minimum energy performance rating by 2040, whether it will confirm (a) what the minimum rating will be and (b) how the energy performance will be measured.

The Scottish Government is committed to removing poor energy performance as a driver of fuel poverty. We are currently seeking views on sub-targets that underpin our ambition to eradicate fuel poverty, including a target of ensuring all homes reach a minimum energy performance rating by 2040. The Fuel Poverty Strategy Consultation is open until 1 February 2018 and can be accessed via: https://consult.gov.scot/better-homes-division/fuel-poverty/. Responses to this consultation will inform the development a Warm Homes Bill to be laid in Parliament in June 2018 and will feed into the development of a Route Map for Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme, which we will publish next year, setting out our long-term ambitions for the programme and further detail on how this will be achieved.

Question reference: S5W-12705

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in establishing the victim surcharge fund, and when it will lodge the subordinate legislation setting out the details of how the fund will operate.