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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-12267

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments by the chief executive of the Refugee Council in The Guardian on 27 October 2017 that asylum seekers arriving in the UK faced living in “squalid, unsafe, slum housing conditions”; what discussions it has had or plans with the Refugee Council about the conditions faced by asylum seekers and refugees in Scotland; what action it is taking to ensure that they are provided with safe accommodation that meets their needs, and how it is measuring the effectiveness of its approach.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Government. This includes the delivery and management of asylum accommodation.

The Scottish Government has not had discussions on this issue with the Refugee Council, which is based in London and focuses on support for refugees and asylum seekers in England. The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the Scottish Refugee Council on a range of issues, including asylum accommodation.

Question reference: S5W-11963

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency measures it has in place should the 2018 National Care Home Contract negotiations are unsuccessful.

Question reference: S5W-12170

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the survey by the Federation of Small Businesses, which reported that 88% of 275 island firms said that they faced challenges that mainland businesses do not, what actions it will take to support such businesses.

In addition to the existing business support available to all rural island businesses Scottish Government is investing millions of pounds over and above core local authority funding to ensure the needs of our island communities and businesses are enabled.

The Scottish Government has invested over £1 billion in our ferry services since 2007 and we are committed to continuing the Air Discount Scheme at the current 50% discount rate to bring more affordable air fares to our remotest communities and businesses.

The Islands Bill and our commitment to a National Islands Plan will also set out the strategic direction for supporting island communities. The £6 million Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund across Scotland and £30 million Rural and Islands Fund to support affordable housing are other examples of the action taken by this government to support inclusive growth that will benefit Island based businesses.

Question reference: S5W-12351

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 8 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments by the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs in The Scotsman on 28 October 2017 that the Office of the Public Guardian had seen a "40 per cent increase in submissions for registration over the last two years", what analysis has been undertaken of the causes of this increase, and what steps it is taking to tackle the additional workload.

Question reference: S5W-12350

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 8 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to register a power of attorney to the Office of the Public Guardian have been made in each of the last 24 months, and for each month what the (a) average and (b) longest length of time for a response was.

Question reference: S5W-11965

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to proposals in the RAC Foundation report, Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure – What Can Be Done, and what steps it is taking to implement them, including raising the report with the UK Government and relevant stakeholders.

The RAC Foundation’s report, Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure – What Can Be Done was published in September 2017, reflects many of the recommendations that already form part of our Switched on Scotland Action Plan. The RAC report refers to the need for infrastructure. With Investment of £15m since 2012 we have already delivered one of the most comprehensive networks in Europe. The recent Programme for Government announcement will further support this by leading the way on electric vehicles and expanding the electric charging infrastructure between now and 2022.

Question reference: S5W-11969

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11582 by Derek Mackay on 5 October 2017, how many vehicles are allocated to Transport Scotland's officials, broken down by how many are electric.

Question reference: S5W-11971

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many times Transport Scotland's (a) electric and (b) petrol vehicles have been used by officials in each of the last six months.

Transport Scotland currently have five vehicles allocated to their car fleet. Two electric: a Renault Fluence ZE Dynamique and a Nissan Leaf Teknaand three diesel: a Mitsubishi Outlander 2.2 DI-D , Skoda Superb SE Greenline and Skoda Fabia Greenline Estate. Details of the number of times each of the vehicles has been used by officials (individual journey – signed out from base location & returned) in the last six months are provided in the following table:

Month	Renault Fluence	Nissan Leaf	Mitsubishi Outlander	Skoda Superb	Skoda Fabia
April-17	0	8	9	11	10
May-17	3	5	5	6	8
June-17	2	7	18	9	9
July-17	1	3	5	12	12
Aug-17	18	4	12	6	11
Sept-17	3	5	5	9	10
Total	27	32	54	53	60

Question reference: S5W-12065

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to make buildings more energy efficient since it was announced that this would be designated as a national infrastructure priority.

Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) will be the cornerstone of delivering the national infrastructure priority. We are developing Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme. During the initial phases of the Programme we are focusing on delivering existing programmes more effectively and developing new pilot schemes to test delivery mechanisms for domestic and non-domestic buildings. to, our residential, services and industrial sectors. We will publish a routemap on the future direction of the programme next year

We are delivering the 2016 PfG commitment to make half a billion pounds available over the next 4 years. The Scottish House Condition Survey is used to track improvements to the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes. The 2015 survey showed that around two-fifths of homes now has an EPC Rating of Band C or above. The 2016 survey will be published in December 2017.

Question reference: S5W-12063

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response to the 2016-17 winter mortality statistics, which recorded an excess of 2,720 deaths compared with the warmer months and, in light of these figures, (a) what immediate action it is taking to address (i) the health of older people and (ii) fuel poverty, (b) whether it considers that there is a need to improve the housing stock in terms of central heating and thermal insulation and (c) what plans it has to revise the policies and proposals regarding domestic energy efficiency in the draft Climate Change Plan.

The causes of winter excess mortality are varied and complex. The Scottish Government remains committed to improving health and to reducing health inequalities.

We have made an additional £5 million available to NHS Boards to support winter resilience across Health and Social Care. This funding is to support winter planning and enhance resilience across the services, making sure patients are seen quickly, efficiently and without delay. We are also committed to ensuring people can receive the right care and support, at the right time and in the right setting. Free personal care for people aged 65 and over in Scotland currently benefits approximately 77,000 older, vulnerable adults and we have committed to extending the policy of free personal care to all adults who require it by April 2019.

This Government has always prioritised tackling fuel poverty and we remain committed to improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes. We are delivering our 2016 Programme for Government commitment to make half a billion pounds available over the next 4 years. This means that by the end of 2021, we will have allocated over £1 billion since 2009 on tackling fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency. In addition to this, we will consult on a new fuel poverty strategy and target shortly and take these forward in a Warm Homes Bill to be introduced to Parliament in 2018.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes and buildings. Work is on-going to develop Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP) and we are committed to publishing a route map in 2018 that sets out the aim, objectives and clear milestones of SEEP. Alongside this, good progress is already being made and the share of the most energy efficient dwellings (rated EPC Band C and above) has increased by 74% since 2010. As set out in this year’s Programme for Government, we will confirm the introduction of new energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector to ensure tenants are able to enjoy homes that warmer and more affordable to heat, and we will consult owner-occupiers on improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

We are currently finalising our own Climate Change Plan which will set out the actions we will take in Scotland to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We will publish the final Climate Change Plan in early 2018.