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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: S6O-01427

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to universal free prescriptions on the NHS.

Question reference: S6O-01417

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the rural economy in areas impacted by long-term population decline.

Question reference: S6O-01432

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the needs of mobile home residents will be incorporated in the final version of the strategy, A New Deal for Tenants.

Question reference: S6W-10725

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to ensure access to and implementation of the Horizon Europe programme.

The Scottish Government continues to advocate for full association and participation in Horizon Europe.

The Scottish Government has represented this position by emphasising the significance of the Horizon Europe association to Scotland through ministerial correspondence and meetings with UK counterparts, including the correspondence I sent to the UK Minister for Science, Research and Innovation on 8 June 2022 on this matter.

Scottish Government officials are engaging closely with the UK Government on the Horizon Europe negotiations and are working with the Scottish research and innovation sector to support their access to the programme.

Scottish Ministers’ continue to emphasise the importance of collaboration through this programme with EU stakeholders at every opportunity. Officials in Scotland House Brussels are relaying Scotland’s position to the European Commission and member state counterparts.

Question reference: S6W-10671

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to Age Scotland's reported letter to the First Minister requesting urgent action to provide more financial support for older people and those on the lowest incomes to warm their homes, whether (a) direct, targeted home assessments of those on the lowest incomes will be carried out and (b) a significant national benefit uptake campaign will be launched to ensure that people are not missing out on social security entitlements.

The Scottish Government has allocated £336 million this year (2022-23) to heat, energy efficiency and fuel poverty measures including £119 million targeted at fuel poor households. Our resources are delivered through long-standing programmes that have successfully assisted over 150,000 households in or at risk of fuel poverty to access energy efficiency adaptations.

We have recently expanded the capacity of Home Energy Scotland to enable them to help an extra 12,000 households a year with free, impartial advice.

Our national fuel poverty scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland, is focussed on supporting households living in fuel poverty – or at risk of fuel poverty – by installing insulation and heating measures into individual properties. WHS has a record annual budget for 2022-23 of £55 million. Additionally, recently agreed changes to the eligibility criteria for WHS have made around 110,000 more households eligible for this assistance across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has significantly expanded funding for welfare advice to reduce benefit take-up gaps in Scotland. In the current year (2022-23) we have allocated over £12.5 million to support the provision of free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice. This vital funding ensures that people who are struggling the most can access the support they need in a way that works for them including face to face, online or over the phone.

The Scottish Government ran a national financial support campaign between January and March this year, beginning with a focus on maximising benefit take-up, and including signposting for debt advice and affordable credit.

The Scottish Government has launched a 'cost of living' portal to help people find out what support and benefits may be available depending on their own personal circumstances, for example for families with children or older people. This will streamline advice and support links from multiple sources of support into one page, including reserved support which is often under claimed by older households. We will ensure the promotion of this resource through all relevant existing campaigns.

The Scottish Government is also launching a Scotland-wide public information campaign to highlight help and support available to individuals as well as energy efficiency measures for households to minimise cost.

Question reference: S6W-10718

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when spill data for monitored combined sewer overflows controlled by Scottish Water will be published.

Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Route Map published in December 2021 sets out clear timescales for the publication of spill data from monitored combined sewer overflows. The route map is published on Scottish Water’s website at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/About-Us/News-and-Views/2021/12/211221-Urban-Waters-Routemap

Specific commitments in terms of increasing reporting of spill data from monitored CSOs are:

by December 2022, for monitored CSOs where data is already currently reported to SEPA, publish spill data annually, identifying the main reason for the spills where possible (e.g. heavy rain, blockages or a flow issue at the treatment works). [153 monitoring locations]
by December 2023, publish spill data annually for all other monitored CSOs. [circa 200 additional monitoring locations but will increase in line with new monitors delivered through a commitment made in this same route map]
by December 2024, publish near real-time spill data for all monitored CSOs.

Question reference: S6W-10672

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to promote the Turing Scheme in Scotland.

Scottish Government officials have been working closely with officials across the Scottish Government, UK Government and stakeholders to make Turing better reflect the needs of Scotland. The Scottish Government has also engaged with national bodies of eligible sectors for funding to encourage Scottish organisations to proceed with applications in line with the application window set by the Turing scheme.

The Scottish Government’s position remains that the Turing Scheme does not match the breadth and scope of Erasmus+. This scheme offers no provision for inward mobility to the UK, no staff inward or outward mobility, or provision for Adult Learning, Youth Work or Sport, resulting in reduced opportunities for all our students, staff and young people, in particular our most disadvantaged groups.

Question reference: S6W-10947

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what powers Scottish Ministers have to require Circularity Scotland to publish the methodology used to set retailer handling fees for the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-10984

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it will give to farmers and crofters facing substantial increases in the price of feeding stuff.

As set out in our Programme for Government we are facing the most severe cost crisis in our lifetime and it is focused on the policy and legislative commitments that will make the biggest difference to households and businesses. The Scottish Government is already committed to measures, worth almost £3 billion this year, that will help with rising costs. Farmers and crofters will benefit from some of the general measures that we have set out, both as individuals and as a sector. The powers needed to tackle the cost crisis lie with the UK Government and we are pressing them to take urgent action.

We recognise that there are specific issues for the farming and crofting sector so we have, through a change to legislation, brought forward annual farm payment dates so that payments will begin at their earliest ever point.

Question reference: S6W-10965

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the establishment of the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Social Care; whether it is on track to be operational by April 2023, and where the staff for the centre will be based, in light of it reportedly being envisaged that it will be a virtual, rather than a physical, centre.

The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2021-22 included a commitment to create a centre of excellence for rural and remote medicine and social care, with scoping work starting in 2021-22.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with NHS Education Scotland (NES) over recent months to carry out extensive scoping and consultation with stakeholders. NES has submitted a business case for the Centre that could be operational in Spring 2023. The Scottish Government is evaluating the business case and considering next steps. Decisions about operational matters, including where staff for the centre would be located, will be made in due course.