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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-14775

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next publish its HL3 Return, which provides data on local authorities' use of temporary accommodation, including the length of stay for households and individuals in B&Bs.

The Scottish Government has been working with local authorities to develop and quality assure the new HL3 statistical data return, which contains case level information on temporary accommodation placements for homeless applicants.

The progress of the HL3 data was discussed at the recent Annual Homelessness Statistics User Group meeting on 20th February 2018. Whilst some authorities are still to provide a fully complete and usable set of data, it was considered that the overall quality of the latest set of data received is looking much improved compared to six months ago. Subject to these levels of data quality and coverage continuing to improve further in the coming months, the Scottish Government plans to publish information from the HL3 return in the ‘Homelessness in Scotland 2017-18’ publication that is planned for release in June 2018. The scope and detail of the information published may depend on any remaining data issues outstanding, for example there may be some local authorities for which information on some aspects of temporary accommodation cannot be produced, however it is intended that the publication content will include information on lengths of stay by type of accommodation, including B&Bs.

Question reference: S5O-01824

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes tourism in the Central Scotland region.

Question reference: S5O-01796

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the rural economy is not adversely impacted on by large-scale developments.

Question reference: S5W-14295

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing a national lending unit as an option to assist home owners with the repair and maintenance of their property, which was discussed in the May 2008 paper, Housing (Scotland) Act 2006: Part 2 - Scheme of Assistance: Lending Options for Local Authorities.

The Scottish Government reviewed proposals for a national lending unit in 2011 in response to the economic downturn, the impact of this on credit and household income, and arrangements under the concordat with local authorities. Following consultation, the Scottish Government decided not to set up a national lending unit but agreed to work with COSLA to identify other options for local authorities to take forward the development of new initiatives for lending, taking account of local priorities for investment in housing.

In January 2017, the Scottish Government launched an area-based pilot of an equity loan scheme to assist owners to carry out essential repairs and energy efficiency improvements, which could facilitate common repairs in tenements. The pilot scheme is testing the market for equity loans. If there is sufficient demand we will consider further options. This may include procurement of a nationwide scheme in the future as part of the development of Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP).

Question reference: S5O-01771

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many business organisations have written to the First Minister and finance secretary in favour of income tax rises.

In developing our new income tax policy the Scottish Government has engaged with a number of business groups. We have delivered a balanced set of tax and spend proposals. For the majority of taxpayers there will not be an income tax rise - Scotland will be the lowest and fairest income taxed part of the UK, something that recent polling by the Times confirms the majority of people living in Scotland support.

Question reference: S5O-01728

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that major road projects promote active travel.

Question reference: S5W-13456

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13028 by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2017, when the review of skills and positions will be completed; for what reason this was not done before the More Homes Scotland approach was published in 2016, and whether the review will contain a figure for how many new skilled workers will be required to meet the house-building target.

The work of the short-life working group on skills in the house-building industry is expected to conclude in Summer 2018. It is being developed and delivered with our partners Homes for Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.

This work is considering the medium-long term skills picture across whole of the house-building industry, rather than the 50,000 affordable homes target. Delivery of homes is supported by the Scottish Government but direct delivery responsibility, including procuring delivery lies with individual local authorities and Housing Associations.

Question reference: S5W-13294

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 8 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-12720 by Shona Robison on 29 November 2017, what action is it taking in light of the findings of the analysis.

An increase in mortality is not unusual in the winter months especially in the age and disease groups highlighted in the answer to the previous question (S5W-12720). This increase reflects the frailty of some people with long term respiratory and cardiac diseases that results in a lack of resilience to the cold and general winter illnesses. In addition, those with long term illnesses are also frail and more susceptible.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme has undertaken work in recognising deterioration of patients and the management of frailty, early in the patient journey and has targeted work on dementia awareness and management. This work is making a difference to the lives on many people across the country as has the work of the Children and Young People Improvement Collaborative and Living Well in Communities work as these are preventative and work across both health and social care.

Question reference: S5W-13078

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the outstanding works on the A8/M8/M74 will be completed.

The new motorway opened to traffic on 1 June 2017. Finishing works are currently underway and the contractor has confirmed his intention to complete these works by April 2018. This is a standard approach for projects of this nature. As this project was procured under the NPD contract form, the contractor will not receive the full payment for the project until all outstanding works are complete.

Question reference: S5W-13290

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 21 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09054 by Kevin Stewart on 29 September 2017, in light of its aim to eradicate rough sleeping, for what reason it does not collect this data, and whether it will consider doing so to assist in determining where the strains are for each local authority.

Question S5W-09054 asked the Scottish Government how many homeless people have been housed by a local authority in accommodation outside of its area in each of the last three years, and the answer stated that Scottish Government do not collect data on the geographical location of where homeless people have been housed by a local authority.

Section 9.79 of the Code of Guidance on Homelessness 2005 states that as a general rule a local authority should always rehouse a homeless household within its own area, particularly where temporary accommodation is being provided. However that in rare cases, such as those involving domestic abuse, external violence or where there is for example local hostility to an ex-prisoner, the local authority may need to consider placing homeless people in another area, although this should only be done with the household’s consent, and the local authority should retain responsibility for such outplacements. In some cases such an outplacement may be nearer to the applicant's home area than a placement elsewhere in the local authority's area, and may provide suitable accommodation or access to healthcare which is not currently available in the placing local authority's area.

Given the different potential reasons for housing households outwith local authority areas, for example cases that may involve domestic violence issues or local hostility, it is unlikely that a count of the number of cases housed outwith authority areas would be suitable to be used on its own as a direct indicator of strains on local authority service provision.

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group has been set up to lead on change and to identify the actions, services and any legislative changes required to end rough sleeping and to transform the use of temporary accommodation. As part of this work the group will be considering the evidence and sets of data that will be required to be able to assess particular issues and to measure progress and impact going forward. We expect the group to conclude their work by late Spring 2018.