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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: S6W-19033

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has used any private consultants in the development of the proposed new energy efficiency ratings system to replace the current Energy Performance Certificate system, and, if this is the case, whether it will provide details, broken down by the (a) name of the consultants, (b) fees paid and (c) description of the work carried out.

Following an open procurement exercise, in June 2022 the Building Research Establishment (BRE) was commissioned by the Scottish Government to develop potential options for new EPC metrics; model the Scottish housing stock against these new metrics, propose a system to map the new metrics to a 1-100 and A-G scale, and identify the improvement measures needed to retrofit dwellings to achieve high EPC ratings in the new metrics.

This work was concluded in March 2023 and we intend to publish BRE’s report alongside our forthcoming EPC reform consultation. The fee was £93,768.

Question reference: S6W-19034

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently working on the development of the proposed new energy efficiency ratings system to replace the current Energy Performance Certificate system, broken down by pay grade.

In the 2021 Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government committed to reforming Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) to ensure they drive the energy efficiency improvements we need and to incentivise zero direct emissions heating. The need for this work was recently reemphasised by the Climate Change Committee. The team working on the development of the proposed new energy efficiency ratings system comprises of staff at the following Scottish Government Pay Grades:

1 x C2

1 x C1

2 x B3

1 x B2

This team is overseen by a member of staff at Senior Civil Service grade SCS1. Staff are not working solely on EPC metric development and have other responsibilities.

Question reference: S6W-18885

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18028 by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023, how many of the 26 new buses that have space for transporting bikes, purchased with support from the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme and the Scottish Zero Emission Challenge Fund, will operate on routes in Aberdeenshire.

Question reference: S6W-18869

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing mandatory additional support needs training for (a) teachers, (b) visiting specialists and (c) pupil support assistants.

The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. It is for individual authorities to determine the training required for all staff to ensure pupils reach their full potential.

All initial teacher education programmes must align with the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Standard for Provisional Registration. The Standard sets out that student teachers are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of additional support needs and to take account of learners with such needs.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local government partners to improve the experience of children and young people with additional support needs at school, implementing the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review, including those relating to the professional learning of school staff. In November 2022, we published an updated action plan and a second progress report . A further update is due to be published in May 2024.

Question reference: S6W-18996

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the recruitment of specialists in menopause.

Question reference: S6W-18995

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how many specialists in menopause are currently working in each NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-18870

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to introduce Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which are currently in place in England.

In Scotland, children and young people's needs are met by planning for their learning and support through an individualised educational programme or Additional Support Plan. These set out targets for learning and the support to be provided. For children and young people who have complex or multiple needs, which require significant support from education and another agency or agencies, a statutory co-ordinated support plan (CSP) may be required. The purpose of the CSP is to support co-ordinated multi-agency planning to meet pupils' needs.

Question reference: S6O-02410

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-18293

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether prescriptions for testosterone for women going through menopause should be made available for all women in every NHS board in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18294

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the medication, Androfeme, should be made available for treatment of menopause for women in Scotland, and what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to this matter.

The regulations for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines are currently reserved to the UK Government and are the responsibility of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). For a medicine to be routinely prescribed, it firstly needs to receive a licence from the MHRA. It is the responsibility of individual companies to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation (licence). The application process requires a company to provide data demonstrating the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine.

The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with the UK Government on the licensing of testosterone for women in perimenopause or menopause. AndroFeme ® is not licensed for the treatment of symptoms of menopause in the UK. The prescribing of an unlicensed medicine is a clinical decision by prescribers directly responsible for individual patients. Both its use and the oversight of the patient’s care are the responsibility of the prescribing clinician.