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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-17699

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its commitment to end care charges by 2026, whether it will provide an update on when it plans to end social care charges, in light of calls to speed up the process of ending care charges.

Question reference: S6W-17729

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding for post-diagnostic support for autistic people and their families, which is currently delivered by third sector organisations, will be renewed, and, if so, when allocations will be announced.

The Scottish Government has provided funding of £2m since December 2020 to a number of third sector organisations to pilot Autism Post Diagnostic Support Schemes. The pilots and associated funding were extended to March 2023. We are currently working to develop a permanent Autism Post Diagnostic Support scheme, which will be informed by the pilot, and will confirm arrangements soon.

We are keeping stakeholders up to date with progress.

Question reference: S6W-17730

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to meet with (a) Hospice UK and (b) other representatives of the hospice industry, regarding the reported financial challenges facing hospices.

Question reference: S6W-17693

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making towards reviewing its guidance, The Right Tree in the Right Place, in line with the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), and in light of the importance of tree cover for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

‘The Right Tree in the Right Place: Planning for Forestry and Woodlands Guidance’ provides Scottish Government advice to planning authorities on planning for forestry and woodlands. It supports Scottish Ministers’ desire to see a significant expansion in woodland cover, delivering multiple benefits to society. This includes advice regarding the preparation of Forestry and Woodland Strategies.

As set out in the first iteration of National Planning Framework 4’s Delivery Plan there is a commitment to review ‘The Right Tree in the Right Place’ Guidance as a short to medium term action (2023 – 2028). This review will be a joint piece of work between Scottish Forestry and Scottish Government Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division officials. This commitment is also reflected as an action in the current Forestry Strategy Implementation Plan (2022 – 2025).

Question reference: S6W-17648

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the recently-introduced Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 (Register of Persons Holding a Controlled Interest in Land) Regulations 2021, what mitigations it can offer to the Church of Scotland, given that the church's over 6,000 congregations are all registered as separate charities and have reportedly described attempting to comply with the new regulations as extremely logistically difficult, expensive, and complicated to roll out.

The Register is a significant transparency measure that will shed light on who makes decisions about Scotland’s land. It has been live since 1 April 2022 and there is no charge to make a submission to the Register. For some, there may be a resource cost for the time taken to gather the information they require as part of their preparation prior to making a submission. The greater the number of properties owned, the greater the effort required is likely to be.

The Church of Scotland are one of the largest owners by volume of property titles held. This makes it important for the integrity of the Register that they comply with the RCI.

On 16 March 2023 the Scottish Parliament unanimously supported a 12-month extension to the transitional period to 1 April 2024 before offence provisions take effect. This is easing the burden by allowing those in scope to spread it over the coming year.

In letters of 16 February 2023 and 27 March 2023, the Scottish Government offered the Church of Scotland the option of another meeting with Registers of Scotland and Scottish Government officials to discuss how they can work together to help achieve compliance. The Scottish Government has not yet received a response to that offer, however officials will be in touch with the Church of Scotland to follow up on this.

The Scottish Government and Registers of Scotland are working together to deliver an additional engagement plan to help support stakeholders through the registration process. This will include additional awareness raising and a review of the existing guidance. It will not include further legislative intervention or legal advice.

Question reference: S6W-17643

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the campaign lunched by One Parent Families Scotland, #EndYoungParentPoverty, and its call for a top-up to the Scottish Child Payment for parents who are under 25 and in receipt of Universal Credit.

Universal Credit is reserved to Westminster and the UK Government has deliberately introduced age discrimination within it. We agree with campaigners that it should be paid at the same amount to everyone.

Universal Credit should be supporting families and children, not punishing them and we continue to call on the UK Government to urgently review Universal Credit, as it is fundamentally not fit for purpose.

We already take action to protect people against the impact of UK Government policies including the bedroom tax and benefit cap but we cannot mitigate every action from our fixed budget.

The Scottish Child Payment was doubled in April 2022 to £20 per eligible child and increased again to £25 when we extended it to under 16s in November, an increase of 150% in less than eight months.

Question reference: S6W-17642

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan will include a commitment to ensure that Social Security Scotland is a fully trauma-informed organisation.

Question reference: S6W-17652

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with chronic kidney disease are currently receiving dialysis at home in each NHS board area.

Question reference: S6W-17653

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of any savings that NHS Scotland makes per patient from kidney patients choosing to perform dialysis at home instead of in-centre.

Question reference: S6W-17633

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, following the completion of the National Cancer Plan in March 2023, whether it will provide an update on the forthcoming publication of its new cancer strategy.