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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-02385

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to ensure a fair application of funds from EventScotland and Creative Scotland to every part of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18389

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported change to residency eligibility criteria for free student tuition support in Scotland, whether people from Hong Kong with a British National (Overseas) visa will be eligible for free tuition fees in higher education, if they have three years of residency in Scotland.

I am pleased to confirm that from Academic Year 2023-24 all students who meet the following criteria will be eligible for home fees status and student financial support in Further Education and Higher Education:

Ordinarily resident in the UK for three years prior to the relevant date;
Ordinarily resident in Scotland on the relevant date; and
Granted a form of leave to enter or remain in the UK, where that leave has not expired.

As the British National (Overseas) visa would be considered a form of leave to enter or remain in the UK, a student holding this visa would be eligible for support in the event that they satisfy the remaining criteria.

Question reference: S6W-18071

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many households it estimates will be supported through its new Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme.

The Warmer Homes Scotland successor will be a demand led scheme, i.e. the number of households supported will depend on the number of households contacting the scheme, which reduces the accuracy of any estimates of households that will benefit. Substantial changes in customer volumes are not anticipated in the new scheme in comparison to Warmer Homes Scotland.

Budgets for the scheme will be set annually in line with the Scottish Budget allocation process. For example, if the budget in a given year was £60m, we envisage between 3788 – 4252 households may be supported.

The successor scheme will have a widened eligibility criteria which will allow a broader range of households to access the scheme. The scheme will adopt PAS 2035 standards, delivering whole house retrofit and with a greater emphasis on zero direct emission heating so households will on average benefit from a higher level of interventions per household.

The support offered through WHS sits alongside other help, such as our Home Energy Scotland grant scheme and our Area Based Schemes which provide local delivery of energy efficiency improvements.

Question reference: S6W-18070

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much money will be available for homeowners to use through its new Warmer Homes Scotland scheme.

Budgets for the scheme will be set out annually in line with the Scottish Budget allocation process.

The contract for the Warmer Homes Scotland successor has a maximum value of £728m (ex VAT) over a period of 7 years.

Household intervention rates have not yet been set for the scheme, however these are anticipated to be higher than the current Warmer Homes Scotland scheme.

This support through WHS sits alongside other help, such as our Home Energy Scotland grant scheme and our Area Based Schemes which provide local delivery of energy efficiency improvements.

Question reference: S6W-18068

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when its new Warmer Homes Scotland scheme will be launched.

Question reference: S6W-18069

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for how long it had been planning to pause the current Warmer Homes Scotland scheme ahead of relaunching a new one.

It has always been planned for new referrals for Warmer Homes Scotland to close before the contract with the current managing agent ends on 29 September 2023, to exit the contract in a managed way and allow for all customer journeys to be completed.

We must always assume there may be a change in supplier when conducting a fair and open procurement. A similar pause occurred in 2015 when the service moved from Scottish Gas to Warmworks.

While the new contract builds on the existing WHS scheme it will be an entirely separate scheme with a different offer to customers and different requirements of customers, the managing agent and suppliers. The managing agent is required to procure their supply chain post contract award, and therefore will require a 4-6 month mobilisation period. This also factors in any TUPE implications and is used to build their IT system and ensure that all associated scheme documentation is in place before the contract begins.

Improvements will continue to be installed in customers’ homes up until the end of the current Warmer Homes Scotland contract on 29 September 2023. The new contract will launch on 2 October 2023, and Home Energy Scotland are currently accepting applications for this scheme.

This support sits alongside other help, such as our Area Based Schemes which provide local delivery of energy efficiency improvements and our Home Energy Scotland grant scheme.

Question reference: S6W-18165

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 2 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, ahead of the scheduled end in September 2023 of its £5 million funding that it announced in July 2021 to support the reduction of waiting lists in support services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence, and in light of claims by Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, in its briefing document for MSPs, that the end of this funding would lead to increases in its waiting list and the loss of approximately 60 client appointments each week, whether it plans to extend this funding beyond the currently scheduled end date.

We recognise the vital work that services like Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre do day in, day out to support women and girls. We also understand the difficult circumstances that the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis continues to put on front line services.

The 100 Days (Covid emergency) funding provided frontline services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence with an additional £5 million to deal with additional pressures that occurred during the pandemic. Rape Crisis Scotland was awarded £2,250,000 over two years, for network members. We are working with Rape Crisis Scotland to ensure that there is an extension to their 100 days funding beyond September 2023 until the end of this financial year. We are also supporting them beyond this bridge funding to diversify their funding base.

Question reference: S6W-18166

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 2 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has taken steps to ensure that the transition to the proposed new funding model for specialist services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence does not result in interruptions in funding for rape crisis centres.

In March 2022, the Scottish Government agreed that the Delivering Equally Safe (DES) funding period should be extended by 18 months beyond September 2023, to allow suitable lead in time for a new funding model to be developed, following the conclusion of the Independent Strategic Funding Review.

The Scottish Government established the Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of violence against women and girls services to develop a new funding model to ensure victims have access to high-quality, accessible specialist support.

Question reference: S6O-02339

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the second appliance at Methil Fire Station will be withdrawn from service by 4 September 2023.

Question reference: S6W-18164

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the extension of the Delivering Equally Safe Fund until March 2025, whether it has taken steps to ensure that rape crisis centres are able to apply for additional funding before the introduction of its proposed new funding model for specialist services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence.

In March 2022, the Scottish Government agreed that the Delivering Equally Safe (DES) funding period should be extended beyond September 2023, to allow suitable lead in time for a new funding model to be developed, following the conclusion of the Independent Strategic Funding Review.

Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) and its centres will continue to receive Delivering Equally Safe (DES) Funding until March 2025, along with all the other DES funded projects.

Ministers will consider the Funding Review findings when they are published on 6 June.