Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 2068 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-01242

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out a review of the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing Two, in light of research by Changeworks suggesting that it would reduce the total percentage of households in fuel poverty from 38% to 29%.

Question reference: S6W-01473

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-01476

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-00773

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00072 by Shona Robison on 27 May 2021, whether it will provide an update on how many tenants have received loans from the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund, broken down by the (a) private and (b) social sectors, including registered social landlords and local authority landlords.

Question reference: S6W-00774

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many applicants to the Tenant Hardship Loan have not passed the (a) affordability check, (b) credit check or, (c) both.

When an application to the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund is received an initial affordability assessment is performed, based on estimates of income and expenditure provided by the applicant. Where affordability is not shown the application is not credit checked. Applicants can ask for an appeal of the affordability assessment.

As at 21 June there were 8 applications that failed the affordability check and a further 4 applicants that unsuccessfully appealed the affordability assessment.

There were 254 applications which failed to reach the minimum credit score and a further 142 applicants who unsuccessfully appealed the credit score check.

Question reference: S6W-00772

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which contractor carries out the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund (a) affordability and (b) credit checks, and how much it has cost to (i) operate, and (ii) administer the fund.

The Tenant Hardship Loan Fund is operated and administered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Energy Savings Trust (EST), using a variation of an existing contract. EST carry out affordability checks based on the income and expenditure information provided by the applicant. Initial credit scoring is undertaken by Credit Safe which is powered by TransUnion. Applicants can appeal the credit scoring and in this process a separate credit score is obtained from Credit Karma. This ensures that any error in the original credit check does not impact final decision-making.

All costs associated with operation and administration of the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund are with EST. These costs form part of a wider contract and are commercial-in-confidence, although these can be shared in confidence with the Finance and Constitution Committee where appropriate.

Question reference: S6W-00775

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00071 by Shona Robison on 27 May 2021, whether it will provide an update on the total value of loans made under the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund scheme, broken down by local authority area.

A breakdown of these awards by local authority area is not currently gathered although this information is collected at application entry level and is as follows:

Number of applications per local authority
Local authority	Total	Social	PRS
Aberdeen City	46	18	28
Aberdeenshire	26	13	13
Angus	9	1	8
Argyll & Bute	5	3	2
Clackmannanshire	11	8	3
Dumfries & Galloway	18	5	13
Dundee City	51	18	33
East Ayrshire	43	20	23
East Dunbartonshire	2	0	2
East Lothian	11	3	8
East Renfrewshire	3	1	2
Edinburgh, City of	120	22	98
Falkirk	24	7	17
Fife	48	13	35
Glasgow City	164	68	96
Highland	22	3	19
Inverclyde	13	6	7
Midlothian	10	3	7
Moray	12	5	7
North Ayrshire	29	9	20
North Lanarkshire	44	15	29
Orkney Islands	2	2	0
Perth & Kinross	41	21	20
Renfrewshire	28	3	25
Scottish Borders	10	2	8
Shetland Islands	2	0	2
South Ayrshire	29	7	22
South Lanarkshire	49	16	33
Stirling	8	4	4
West Dunbartonshire	24	12	12
West Lothian	37	20	17
N/A	10	1	9
Total	951	329	622

Question reference: S6W-00770

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 9 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to consult on providing same-sex married couples with a right to modify previously issued wedding schedules and certificates to use the term "groom".

Individuals who intend to marry can currently choose to be designated in the register of marriages as either ‘bride’ or ‘bridegroom’ or they can choose that no designation be entered for them in that register. An extract from the marriage register (a marriage certificate) reflects the content of the register of marriages.

Under the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965, the statutory registers of births, deaths and marriages may be altered only where authorised by that, or another Act. Corrections to these registers are permitted in limited circumstances, such as when a clerical error is identified or, in the case of the register of births, a decree of parentage has established a child’s father.

As I confirmed in my answer to the member’s question S6W-00609, the Registrar General for Scotland and the Scottish Government will, when time permits, write to key stakeholders to seek their views on what changes may be required to the marriage notice form for future couples. The answer to question S6W-00609 provided on 22 June 2021 is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

We have no plans, in advance of that work, to consult on changes to the legislative arrangements for correcting the register of marriages.

Question reference: S6W-00694

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has established the necessary governance process and a monitoring framework to assess progress towards the vision of its Housing 2040 (H2040) strategy.

Housing to 2040, Scotland’s first long-term housing strategy, was published in March 2021 following extensive consultation across the country. The Scottish Government is now working with our partners to develop the detailed plans necessary to deliver the vision set out in Housing to 2040. We have committed to setting up a governance process and a monitoring framework so that we and others can assess progress towards the vision and be held accountable. We will establish that process and framework later this year following discussions with key stakeholders .

Question reference: S6W-00617

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reintroduce the pre-action requirements that private landlords must undertake before evicting a tenant with rent arrears in place, before they are made permanent in 2022, as it has committed to in Housing to 2040.

In response to the pandemic the Scottish Government brought in a number of emergency legislative changes including the pre-action requirements that private landlords must undertake before applying to the First-tier Tribunal (Housing and Property Chamber) to evict a tenant on the grounds of rent arrears. We recognise the value of maintaining this additional protection to ensure private landlords work with their tenants to do all they can to sustain the tenancy where rent arrears have arisen. That is why we committed in Housing to 2040 to set out as part of a new Rented Sector Strategy for the establishment of permanent pre-action protocols in the private rented sector, bringing this tenure in line with current social rented sector provisions.

We are taking steps to extend the current emergency provisions, including the pre-action requirements for rent arrears, through the Coronavirus (Extension and Expiry) (Scotland) Bill 2021 which was introduced and published on 18 June. The Bill, now scrutinised and passed by this Parliament, once enacted will amend the expiry dates of Parts 1 of the Scottish coronavirus Acts to 31 March 2022, meaning the temporary measures in Part 1 of those Acts will be extended for up to six months. The Bill will also enable the Acts to be extended once more, should this be needed to respond further to the pandemic, subject to Parliament’s approval of the required regulations, to 30 September 2022.

In addition, we will consult on a permanence bill, seeking views on making the pre-action requirements permanent, to prevent any gap until that bill is superseded by any future housing bill. We are consulting on the bill over the summer and the Parliament will then scrutinise it after the summer recess.