- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how biodiversity and habitat connectivity is monitored in productive forests and woodlands, as set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045.
Answer
The Forest Research National Forest Inventory (NFI) provides ecological data on all types of woodland using data drawn from the Woodland Ecological Condition (WEC) assessment. This is a systematic and statistically robust evaluation of ecological condition in all types of woodlands.
The Woodland Ecological Assessment is based on 15 measures of ecological condition, including the amount of deadwood, proportion of favourable land cover around woodland, vegetation and ground flora, herbivore grazing, and invasive non-native species which all provide an indication of biodiversity value. Measures that relate to habitat connectivity, such as proportion of favourable land cover around woodland are also measured. A WEC score is produced against each of the indicators and aggregated to produce an overall score. The benchmark is an Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland in good condition. Results are produced approximately every five years, with next cycle of reporting is due in 2024-25.
- Asked by: Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 July 2023
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it will progress its commitment to work with local government and other partners to reduce the number of people living in temporary accommodation.
Answer
As set out in our response , published today, to the report of the Temporary Accommodation Task and Finish Group, we will begin by prioritising a number of actions to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by 2026. We will:
- invest at least £60 million this year through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to support a national acquisition plan
- maintain momentum in delivering our Affordable Housing Supply Programme
- work with social landlords to deliver a new programme of stock management
- implement targeted partnership plans with the local authorities facing greatest pressure.
These actions build on the clear commitment in the Policy Prospectus to respond to the Task and Finish Group’s recommendations to support more people more quickly to a settled home and progress our work to end homelessness in Scotland. Work to set the conditions for effective delivery has been progressing in parallel to preparing our response and we are ready to hit the ground running in implementing these actions.
We will build on engagement undertaken in the lead up to the publication of our response which has helped inform the detail of these actions. We call on our partners in local government and across the housing sector to work with us to respond to the housing pressures we are seeing across the sector and to deliver on our shared public responsibility to both prevent homelessness and support more households to a settled home.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations of the Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic, what it is doing to address affordable housing for young families and young people in rural communities.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that good quality, affordable housing is essential to help attract and retain young families and young people in Scotland’s rural communities. We are committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032 of which 10% will be in remote, rural and island areas.
We are funding up to £25 million over the next five years for local authorities to identify affordable homes for key workers in rural areas.
In Autumn, we will publish a Remote, Rural and Island Housing Action Plan to help attract and retain people in these communities.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of Lord Braid's opinion on the judicial review of the City of Edinburgh Council's short-term lets licensing policy, what discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) local authorities regarding the possible implications for other short-term let licensing schemes in Scotland.
Answer
We continue to engage regularly with stakeholders including COSLA, SOLAR and licensing authorities. We have highlighted the JR decision to licensing authorities and it is for them to consider this in the context of their own local policies.
During the development of short-term lets regulations between 2019 and 2021, we considered alternatives to licensing including whether regulations (made under Part 8 of the 2004 Act) might extend landlord registration to cover short-term lets. These alternatives were found to be unsuitable and could not deliver on all aspects of our short-term lets policy. A significant disadvantage of using a system designed for a different purpose is it imposes constraints on short-term lets regulation, and we consider it an integral aspect for local areas to be able to include additional conditions to address issues relevant to individual cases and local areas. Using the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, in particular, would also have had broader implications for short-term lets in the context of other legislation, for example the Tenancy Deposit Scheme regulations and Letting Agent Regulation, as well as restricted appeals to be dealt with by the Housing Tribunal, which would not have been sustainable.
Development of the short-term lets licensing legislation took place over four years with extensive consultation and engagement with stakeholders. This included through three consultations. Alternatives were considered but these do not provide the same level of provision as licensing. The approach that was taken provides powers to local authorities to set additional conditions to regulate the short-term let sector to empower them to implement a system that works for their area, which addresses the local needs and concerns of each local authority.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons it did not consider the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 to be the most appropriate means of regulating the short-term let sector, in the same manner as private rented landlords.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19525 on 19 July 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are 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 .
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Scottish Prison Service's gender
identity and gender reassignment policy, which potentially allows for males who
have been convicted of violent offences against other males to be placed in a
female establishment, what evidence it has regarding whether males who commit
violent offences against other males only commit such offences against males.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS’s approach to the placement and management of all transgender individuals seeks to protect the rights and safety of everyone in prison custody.
Decisions regarding the management and placement of transgender prisoners are taken at a multi-disciplinary case conference where evidence of any risks the individual may present to others and vulnerabilities they may face, are fully considered.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons it provided powers to local authorities to set additional conditions to regulate the short-term let sector, but not for the long-term market, including in relation to a recognised standard of assurance about the safety status of the accommodation.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19525 on 19 July 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are 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 .
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many community pharmacies are able to receive prescriptions by (a) fax only, (b) email only and (c) either fax or email, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of community pharmacies who are able to receive prescriptions by fax. All 1,258 community pharmacies have access to an NHS email account.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether hotels are exempt from the Building Scotland (Amendment) Regulations 2022 regarding fire safety and cladding.
Answer
Hotels are not listed as ‘relevant buildings’ within the meaning of the Building Scotland (Amendment) Regulations 2022. All new and converted hotels having a storey, or creating a storey at a height of 11 metres or more above the ground, must comply with the relevant mandatory functional standards, including mandatory standard 2.7 that requires the fire spread on external walls to be inhibited.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 19 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete being present in (a) social housing and (b) private housing developments.
Answer
We do not hold any information on the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in current social or private housing developments. Building safety is a matter for the building owner, acting in accordance with the relevant legislation.
