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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-03858

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues, City of Edinburgh Council and other relevant stakeholders regarding how its financial planning can support the delivery of affordable housing in Edinburgh.

Question reference: S6W-30110

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to implementing the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 earlier than April 2025.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Implementation of the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 was initially to be April 2024. Following the onset of the cost crisis in the public sector, Disclosure Scotland advised its Ministers that a one-year delay would be more cost effective in the context of the worsening financial climate. This delay would allow Disclosure Scotland to build the required technology at reduced expense and deliver a better product in terms of quality.

Disclosure Scotland advised Ministers that the longer delivery period would also allow our stakeholders more time to get ready for the coming changes and that the delay would not diminish the child and adult protection services that are the number one priority for Scottish Ministers in operating the PVG Scheme.

Ministers decided to agree a one-year delay in Act implementation but asked that appropriate elements of the new legislation should be commenced sooner, where possible.

Accordingly, parts of the Act and the policy intent of the Act have commenced earlier than the substantive implementation date, specifically:

On 10 December 2021, the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No.1 and Transitory Provision) Regulations 2021 came into force. These related to sections 83-85 of the 2020 Act which enabled individuals to withdraw from the PVG Scheme, to apply for removal from the barred list(s), permitted Scottish Ministers powers to obtain information to assess whether an individual is no longer unsuitable and to remove an individual from the list(s).
On 19 December 2022,The Police Act 1997 (Offences in Schedules 8A and 8B) Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2022 updated the offence lists in the Police Act 1997 to reflect the changes listed in the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020.
On 01 April 2023,the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No.2) Regulations 2023 came into force. These related to section 89 of the 2020 Act and provided Scottish Ministers must issue guidance to the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland relating to disclosure of ‘other relevant information’.
On 30 September 2024, Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 (Commencement No.3) Regulations 2024 brought into force provisions of the 2020 Act including section 82 which amended the PVG Act to give local authorities and integration joint boards referral powers.

Question reference: S6O-03770

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the implementation of its heat in buildings strategy, what discussions it has had with the UK Government on consumer protection, in light of reported concerns that customers currently using heat networks are not protected by Ofgem's price cap.

Question reference: S6O-03701

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 and Cladding Remediation Programme, including the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord and Single Building Assessment pilot programme.

Question reference: S6W-29240

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its announced review of the Community Right to Buy, what steps it has taken to (a) advertise its review of the community right to buy land and (b) invite evidence; what deadline it has set for the submission of evidence; whether it plans to publish all evidence submitted, and what formal terms of reference were given to the review by ministers.

The Scottish Government issued a general call for evidence on the Scottish Government’s X Account on 10 July. In addition, since announcing the review on 6 March at a visit to the Heart of Newhaven project in Edinburgh, we have emailed stakeholder and community groups who have engaged with Community Right to Buy to seek their views.

The deadline for submission of evidence to Phase 1 of the review is the end of September 2024. The anonymised responses received will be made available (in October 2024). The terms of reference for the review are set out in the call for evidence and the emails issued to stakeholders.

This initial call for evidence will inform a full formal consultation in summer 2025, which will give everyone the opportunity to comment. The response to which will be published and summarised in accordance with standard consultation practice.

Question reference: S6W-28987

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for early release prisoners to ensure that they are able to find and maintain stable accommodation upon release.

Pre-release planning, including in relation to housing needs, was a key feature of the recent emergency early release process.

Scottish Prison Service (SPS) worked closely with representatives from Local Government – including housing departments, wider public bodies, and the third sector in the planning and operation of the process.

SPS officials conducted an expedited pre-release process to help prisoners identify their needs, and supported their engagement with relevant community services. That included establishing their housing status and making referrals, as required, to Local Authority housing departments.

Releases were staggered across four separate tranches, which enabled service providers to better support those released. SPS notified Local Authorities and key stakeholders of planned releases, to each area, prior to each tranche.

For those nearer to their expected liberation date, any planning would have been underway, in line with the Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone (SHORE) Standards.

As is normal practice, Local Authorities allocate housing in their area, including to those released as part of the emergency release programme, where necessary, in line with local resources and demand.

Question reference: S6W-28988

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to ensure that early release prisoners are not at risk of homelessness upon release.

Question reference: S6W-29249

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 August 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 22 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Registrar General for Scotland will publish the next results from the 2022 Census.

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

National Records of Scotland have today published: 2022 results | Scotland's Census (scotlandscensus.gov.uk).

Scotland’s Census results are designated as Accredited Official Statistics and form an integral part of the statistical system in the UK. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the independent regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority – Statistics for the Public Good, awards Accredited Official Statistics designation based on the quality, good practice and comprehensiveness of official statistics.

More detail about the schedule for future reports can be found here. Census outputs schedule | Scotland's Census (scotlandscensus.gov.uk).

Question reference: S6W-29135

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the development and delivery of Scotland’s National Marine Plan 2.

The National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) aims to support sustainable development of our seas, protect our marine environment, and deliver for Scotland’s communities, in particular those living by, relying on, and visiting Scotland’s seas. The NMP2 will support our blue economy vision, helping to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change and realising the opportunities from the transition to net zero.

The NMP2 is already in development and stakeholder engagement has commenced on the plan policies, objectives and supporting assessments. Stakeholder involvement at every stage is essential to ensure that Scotland’s marine planning framework can continue to support sound decision-making to guide the future use of our seas. To maximise opportunities to meaningfully engage with stakeholders in the design of the Plan, the delivery timeline for the NMP2 and the accompanying Statement of Public Participation (SPP) have been updated.

Later in 2024, consultation on a marine Planning Position Statement will take place. This is a new stage of the NMP2’s development and will provide an invaluable and earlier opportunity for meaningful discourse. The Statement will set out the views gathered from stakeholders to date, and the Scottish Government’s commitments and aspirations for the new Plan. This will align the development of NMP2 with the approach taken for the National Planning Framework (NPF4), where consultation on the NPF4 position statement was carried out in 2021 and used to inform the development of the draft NPF4.

The feedback gathered from consultation on the statement and from the ongoing programme of stakeholder engagement will be used to produce a draft plan. The draft NMP2 will then be subject to public consultation in 2025.

These documents and further information are available at:

Statutory Statement of Public Participation

Question reference: S6W-28371

Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 27 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Registrar General for Scotland will publish the next results from the 2022 Census.

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

National Records of Scotland have today published: ' Scotland’s Census 2022: Sexual Orientation and Trans Status or History' .

This is the first time Scotland’s Census has asked questions in relation to ‘Sexual Orientation’ and ‘Trans Status or History’. These questions were voluntary and asked of those aged 16 and over. The data contained in this publication will help charities, local authorities, businesses and government plan a range of public services, to improve the lives of those living and working in Scotland. The data will also support the equality monitoring responsibilities of public sector organisations, which in turn informs policies and practices.

Scotland’s Census results are designated as Accredited Official Statistics and form an integral part of the statistical system in the UK. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the independent regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority , awards Accredited Official Statistics designation based on the quality, good practice and comprehensiveness of official statistics.

More detail about the schedule for future reports can be found here .