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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: S6O-04250

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is undertaking to reopen historic sites that are managed by Historic Environment Scotland over the coming months.

Question reference: S6W-33265

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to upscale seed sourcing of native species of trees, in light of reports that existing nursery grants do not extend beyond nursery infrastructure.

Question reference: S6W-33263

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported link between increases in plant imports and the rise of tree diseases such as ash dieback, what steps it is taking to support the tree nursery sector to grow all native species of trees and shrubs to deliver on commitments to expand native woodlands.

Scottish Forestry has worked closely with forest nursery sector representatives to identify solutions to improve the sector’s resilience. The Forestry Grant scheme was expanded in 2017 to cover forest nurseries which they have used to invest in their equipment to increase production. This increase in productive capacity supports both native and non-native species. The Scottish Government undertakes plant health inspections of forest nurseries which are conducted by Horticulture and Marketing Unit (SASA). There is also a system of plant passports that allows the internal movement within GB of regulated plants and plant products to be traced.

Question reference: S6W-33264

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported link between increases in plant imports and the rise of tree diseases such as ash dieback, what steps it is taking to support the tree nursery sector to increase the quantity that it produces of species of northern and western provenances, and mountain woodland species.

Scottish Forestry is working with partners to develop a project that will provide the small scale nurseries that specialise in native species of northern and western provenances with more resilience. The aim of the project is to share best practice, provide training and share resources where possible. The outcome is to ensure that the supply of harder to source tree stock is increased and more robust.

Question reference: S6W-32993

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will include low-emission heating systems, such as fuel cells, hybrid heat pumps and hydrogen ready boilers, in future Scottish House Condition Survey data.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides a snapshot of the domestic housing stock in each survey year, including the construction age, built form and primary and secondary heating system and fuel.

The SHCS currently records the following heat systems: Boiler, Community Heating, Storage Heaters, Room heaters, Warm Air Systems, Heat Pumps (with and without and MCS certificate), and Room Heater Back Boiler: no Radiators (these are systems which have a solid fuel fire with a back boiler where the back boiler is used only for heating water, and is not connected to radiators for heating the house). As these are the most common types of heating systems in Scotland.

The SHCS does not currently record heating systems, such as fuel cells, hybrid heat pumps and hydrogen ready boilers. However, we review the survey questions annually and these forms of heating will be considered for inclusion in future surveys when they become more prevalent in the Scottish dwelling stock.

Question reference: S6W-32992

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its proposed Heat in Buildings Bill.

Question reference: S6W-33267

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported link between increases in plant imports and the rise of tree diseases, whether it and its agencies will consider adopting the UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown Standard (UKISG) to improve biosecurity of planting stock and support the nursery sector, for example by committing to an uplift in grant rates for creation schemes that use UKISG trees.

The Scottish government recognises the importance of a UK wide partnership approach to plant health. The establishment of the UK Plant Health Alliance, in collaboration with industry, and publication of a best practice biosecurity standard, the Plant Health Management Standard and associated assurance schemes was an important step to strengthen biosecure procurement. The UKISG is just one of a number of assurance schemes that are in place to help promote responsible sourcing in the plant supply chain.

Under the Scottish Plant Health Strategy 2024 -29 there is a commitment to explore opportunities for biosecure procurement. If and how this can be integrated into Scottish government grant options for woodland creation, including assurance schemes, will be considered as part of work on future grant support for forestry.

Question reference: S6W-32996

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a response to its energy performance certificate (EPC) reform consultation.

The Scottish Government published the Government response to the EPC Reform consultation on 21 January 2025 [1]. This confirms that we will lay revised EPC regulations in Parliament during 2025, to come into force in 2026. These regulations will introduce an improved EPC rating system to give consumers better information on the fabric energy efficiency of their building and on the emissions and efficiency of their heating system, as well as on potential improvements they could make to both. We will also retain the rating on modelled energy costs which consumer testing tells us is so important to them at this time of sustained high energy prices. That user testing has, in addition, allowed consumers to tell us how to make the design and accessibility of EPCs better, and we can confirm that introduction of a redesigned certificate will coincide with the regulations bringing the new rating system into force.

[1] https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836912408.

Question reference: S6W-32787

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is helping to tackle ash dieback.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work collaboratively to provide information on ash dieback and guidance on the management of trees affected by this disease. Scottish Forestry chairs the Ash Dieback Risk Group Scotland, bringing together practitioners from local authorities and the forestry, arboriculture, transport, utilities, research and nature conservation sectors to share knowledge, experience and examples of best practice in managing ash dieback. Scottish Forestry engaged The Tree Council to work alongside the Ash Dieback Risk Group, producing a toolkit for the preparation of ash dieback action plans by local authorities and other large-scale landowners and asset managers. The toolkit provides a framework for preparing action plans, and contains recent case studies and resources created by a number of Scottish local authorities and other organisations. A suite of guidance tailored for Scotland has been published and further information on safety when working on ash trees affected by ash dieback has been developed with input from stakeholders and is due to be published shortly.

Question reference: S6W-32995

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish independent analysis of its consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill.