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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-22941

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many council houses that are currently unoccupied have been assessed to establish the cost of bringing them back into use.

Question reference: S6W-22942

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost of bringing back into use council houses that are currently unoccupied.

Question reference: S6W-22917

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22874 by Shona Robison on 8 November 2023, whether it will confirm on what date(s) the First Minister's WhatsApp messages were provided to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Question reference: S6W-22943

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many temporary accommodation facilities have been in breach of the standards and outcomes that social landlords should aim to achieve when performing housing activities, as set out in the Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework, which was published in April 2023.

As compliance with the Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework is not yet mandatory, no formal data collection has been established to gather information on breaches.

The Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework was published in April 2023 and replaced the advisory standards [1] published in the Homelessness Code of Guidance in 2019. The new standards for temporary accommodation were produced by a short term working group, which also considered how the standards could be regulated and legally enforced.

Although the framework has been agreed, the route of legal enforcement remains under consideration. Before the standards can be legally enforceable, they will first have to be formally consulted on.

In the meantime, before the framework becomes legally enforceable, local authorities and social landlords are expected to work towards meeting the standards. Social landlords are already voluntarily complying by making improvements to their temporary accommodation supply, providing the necessary training for their staff and ensuring new processes are implemented in line with the revised standards

[1] The advisory standards were based on the Guidance on Standards for Temporary Accommodation published in 2011 by the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland and Shelter Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22923

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of the First Minister finding an old mobile phone with WhatsApp messages on it, (a) for what reason and (b) on what date the First Minister was issued a replacement mobile phone.

Question reference: S6W-22948

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much each local authority has spent on people living in temporary accommodation, in each year since 1999.

The vast majority of homelessness funding provided to Scottish local authorities since 1999 has been included in the block grant of annual local government finance settlements [1] .

In February 2017, the ‘temporary accommodation management fee’ funding from the UK Government was devolved to the Scottish Government. In 2017-18, the Scottish Government allocated the full amount of £22.5 million provided through this arrangement to Scottish local authorities. Since 2018-19, Scottish local authorities have received an annual share of £23.5 million.

In 2023-24, this budget was augmented by a £7 million former Hostels Grant to create the new £30.5 million Homelessness Prevention Fund. Each local authority receives their annual share of this settlement through an in-year transfer.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities. It is therefore not possible for the Scottish Government to ascertain how much each local authority spends each year on temporary accommodation.

[1] Local government finance circulars - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-22940

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what audit of public land has been undertaken to identify potential sites that are currently available for affordable housing development.

There has been no audit carried out of public land to identify sites to deliver affordable homes. The Scottish Public Finance Manual and the NHS Scotland Property Transactions Handbook provide guidance on the procedures and safeguards required when handling the disposal of surplus land, buildings and other rights in property. Prior to advertising on the open market, bodies must notify the Scottish Government in order that the surplus asset can be advertised internally via the trawl process. While most surplus assets advertised through the trawl are not deemed suitable for affordable housing, some have been purchased for this purpose.

Question reference: S6W-22969

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that affordable, reliable and patient-centred hospital transport services are available for residents in Dumfries and Galloway who are receiving treatment outwith their NHS board.

The Scottish Government expects that most patients will be seen and treated locally, where possible and appropriate, based on clinical need and operational effectiveness. It may not always be possible for Health Boards to provide access locally for all patients and for all services where Health Boards are, for example, constrained by geography or specialist services.

All Health Boards are expected to consider patient transport needs when they plan and deliver services. The Scottish Government acknowledges that, whenever patients are referred out with their usual Health Board area for treatment, their condition may sometimes make it difficult for them to travel. Ministers expect Health Boards to be mindful of this, to discuss patients’ difficulties with them, and make suitable arrangements to ensure that the necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way.

The Scottish Ambulance Service Patient Transport Service (PTS) supports those patients who have a medical or mobility need for transport to be able to access scheduled hospital appointments. If the Service feels a patient does not have a clinical need for PTS they will be signposted to information regarding alternative transport providers.

Question reference: S6W-22892

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether work has begun on its Innovation Funding Review, in light of its National Innovation Strategy stating that this will be completed by the end of 2023.

Yes, work on the Innovation Funding review, announced in the National Innovation Strategy, is already underway with our enterprise agencies. We are working with stakeholders to announce a consolidated innovation investment programme for 2024-2025.

It is our ambition that through renewing our approach to innovation investment and support, that over the next ten years we become a world leader in our priority areas, that we create jobs and opportunities throughout the country, contributing to our vision of making Scotland one of the most innovative small nations in the world.

Question reference: S6W-22247

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has been allocated by the UK Government for the upgrade of the A75.

At present no funding has been allocated by the UK Government for the upgrade of the A75. A detailed business case for the development of improvements to the A75 was submitted by the Scottish Government to the UK Government in April 2023.

The UK Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Mr Richard Holden MP has since confirmed in writing in October 2023, following my discussions with him in September, that funding of £8 million is available, subject to final approvals. My officials continue to engage proactively with their counterparts, and we await confirmation from UK Government, including when funding will be received.