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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-23839

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that patients in the NHS Forth Valley area have access to assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and what the waiting time currently is for ADHD assessments to be carried out by NHS Forth Valley.

Data on ADHD assessments and waiting times is not centrally held for adults or for children and young people.

Although it is the responsibility of local Health and Social Care Partnerships to put in place services to meet local needs, including the needs of adults with ADHD, the Scottish Government is engaged in work to improve access to ADHD diagnosis in Scotland.

For children and young people, we have published a National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People which makes it clear that support should be put in place to meet their needs at the earliest opportunity, rather than be dependent on a formal diagnosis. For many children and young people, such support is likely to be community based, and should be quickly and easily accessible. We are currently funding five tests of change to test and implement specific aspects of the National Neurodevelopmental Service Specification and Forth Valley is one of these areas.

For adults, the final report on the adult neurodevelopmental pathway trials, including the findings and recommendations of the trials, was published in March 2023. We have accepted the recommendations and we are working with the National Autism Implementation Team on implementation.

Question reference: S6W-23695

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is reportedly no requirement for people selling properties to demonstrate that any boiler present in a property has been serviced before the sale of the property concludes.

At present, there is no legal minimum frequency for servicing of gas appliances in owner-occupied homes in the UK. Therefore, there is no requirement for sellers to provide proof of servicing before a property sale. However, visual inspection of gas appliances forms part of the Scottish Home Report, and Gas Safe Register advice is to test gas appliances annually and prior to change in occupancy.

In addition, the Scottish Government introduced new requirements in 2022 for all homes containing carbon-fuelled appliances to fit a Carbon Monoxide alarm, to protect occupants from the dangers of faulty equipment.

Question reference: S6O-02917

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the housing minister has had with ministerial colleagues regarding any impact on the availability of housing through the private rented sector of its energy efficiency reforms.

Question reference: S6W-23209

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which public organisation is responsible for safeguarding the nearby residents of HMP & YOI Stirling, including many children and older and disabled people, in light of reports that they continue to experience daily noise disturbances from the facility, and what its position is on how Stirling Council was able to approve the construction of the facility close to local residential estates, in light of reports that there were no industry standard pre-construction surveys and testing carried out in relation to the close proximity of the residential estates.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Any concerns from residents in relation to general noise disturbances, fall under the remit of the local authority, in this instance Stirling Council.

The responsibility for determining applications for planning permission, and planning enforcement of such decisions, rests primarily with the planning authority for the area, in this case Stirling Council. Such applications are required to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise – More information can be found on the Scottish Government Website, specifically Planning circular 3/2022: development management procedures - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

SPS remains committed to engaging with local residents.

Question reference: S6W-23188

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm the costs associated with the (a) production and (b) publication of the paper, Our marine sector in an independent Scotland.

The external costs associated with the production and publication of the Building a New Scotland paper, ‘Our marine sector in an independent Scotland’, are set out in the following table:

Costs
Task	VAT %	VAT	Net Price
Formatting and Online Publication	20	698.70	3,493.51
Summary Document	20	66.82	334.10
Summary Document – Easy Read Version	20	199.47	997.37
Summary Document – Language Translations	20	968.66	4,843.28
Summary Document – BSL Translation	20	205.63	1,028.16
Summary Document – Audio Translation	20	33.78	168.92
Printed Copies	0	0	1,018.96

Total		£2,173.06	£11,884.30

Total (including VAT)			£14,057.36

Papers in the Building a New Scotland prospectus series are available at the following link: www.gov.scot/newscotland .

Question reference: S6O-02830

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the arts sector.

Question reference: S6W-22911

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it has any plans to conduct an analysis of the impact of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 since its introduction.

The Scottish Government does not currently have plans to assess the impact of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 following its introduction.

The Scottish Government considers increasing people’s awareness a key factor in the prevention of livestock worrying incidents and the associated unnecessary suffering. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is clear on the rights and responsibilities of land managers and those exercising access rights, and is widely publicised.

Question reference: S6O-02775

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants worked on the production of the latest Building a New Scotland paper on immigration and EU policy.

Question reference: S6W-22007

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are any circumstances in which it would be acceptable or appropriate for an electricity distribution network company to fell trees on land in relation to which a wayleave is in place, but where the landowner has not been informed of the intention to carry out the felling.

Regulation of electricity networks is reserved to the UK Government. The Electricity Act 1989 schedule 4 sets out the powers that are available to certain distribution network licence holders to fell and lop trees and the circumstances in which such felling and lopping may be carried out. The schedule sets out the duty of the licence holder to give notice to the landowner(s) or occupier(s) of the land of the requirement for this activity and the process which follows thereafter.

Question reference: S6W-22008

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are any circumstances in which it would be acceptable or appropriate for an electricity distribution network company to retain equipment on land when the landowner has given notice to remove the equipment and a necessary wayleave has not been applied for.

Regulation of electricity networks is reserved to the UK Government. Matters pertaining to the retention of electric lines on land are governed by schedule 4 to the Electricity Act 1989. The schedule sets out the circumstances and the timeframe within which an electricity network distribution licence holder may, following the service of a notice to remove the electric line from the land, not be obliged to comply with the notice and retain the electric line on the land.