Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 42743 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-10179

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland has provided CalMac Ferries Ltd with additional funding to meet any financial penalties that may have been issued, and, if this is the case, what the total cost has been of any such additional funding, broken down by each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-10384

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals died from alcohol-related liver disease in (a) North Ayrshire and (b) Inverclyde in each year since 2016.

Table 1 – deaths from alcohol liver disease (ICD-10 K70) in Inverclyde and North Ayrshire, 2016 to 2021

	yr
	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
	N	N	N	N	N	N

Inverclyde	14	14	12	18	21	15
North Ayrshire	27	27	24	33	33	26
All	41	41	36	51	54	41

Source: National Records of Scotland

Causes of death categorised using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health Related Problems, 10th Edition (ICD-10). Alcoholic liver disease classified as ICD-10 code K70. Geographical breakdown based on local authority of residence of the deceased.

Question reference: S6W-10188

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09619 by Shona Robison on 19 July 2022, whether it will (a) compile and (b) require local authorities to compile this information to establish (i) the progress being made to remediate buildings, and (b) how much remediation is being conducted (A) with the support of the Scottish Government and (B) privately.

As the programme progresses, we will gather information from our Single Building Assessments to compile a register of buildings that have been assessed through the programme. Local Authorities will be asked to provide relevant information.

We are currently working with 7 buildings to finalise assessments ahead of remediation. We have asked developers, as part of the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord, to supply data on work that is being undertaken and privately agreed between residents and developers.

Question reference: S6W-10198

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09252 by Shona Robison on 21 July 22, what the expenditure has been on the (a) Cladding Remediation Unit and (b) Single Building Assessment in each year since 2017, broken down by type of spending.

The Cladding Remediation Unit was set up in June 2021 in the Local Government and Communities Directorate. The expenditure on staff whose primary role is to support the programme is:

Core Scottish Government: 2021 - £241,280.00

Core Scottish Government: 2022 (until July) - £113,635.44

Interim contractors 2021 - £52,938.90

Interim contractors 2022 (until July) - £105,369.00

b) Since the start of the Single Building Assessment programme in June 2021 we have grant funded £432,613.63 to support 12 buildings who are currently undergoing assessment. We have a further £510,553 in committed spend to finish these buildings assessments and support 3 additional buildings in starting their assessments through the grant funding model. We have an additional 29 buildings where we will use procurement functions to hire fire engineers and access contractors to begin assessments.

Question reference: S6W-10190

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-09248 by Shona Robison on 20 July 2022, how many buildings (a) have provided consent and details (i) by and (ii) on or since 20 July 2022 and (b) it requires to provide consent and detail before it will move to the contracting process; what the estimated timescales are for the contracting process; and, when contracting, what it plans to propose as a lead time for surveyors and fire engineers to be on site.

We have confirmed consent from 26 buildings. We have consent in principle from the homeowners from 29 additional buildings since we invited new buildings into the programme in May 2022. The timescale for the contracting process follows the standard Scottish Government procurement rules. We are aware of the supply chain constraints in this field, which is why are working closely with Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Fire Engineers to ensure an appropriate stream of qualified assessors. Time scales for the completion of Single Building Assessments are driven by the complexity of the building and are agreed as part of the normal contracting process.

Question reference: S6W-10193

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the single building assessment is designed to take account of any risk of electric vehicle fires, whether any specific assessment protocols are included in the assessment to respond to any such risks and, if this is the case, whether it will provide the details of any such protocols.

Question reference: S6W-10628

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when 4G masts in Rackwick and Stronsay in Orkney, as part of the Scottish 4G Infill Programme, will go live.

Construction of the masts at Rackwick and Stronsay is complete. Both masts are being developed in collaboration with the Home Office’s Emergency Services Network (ESN). 4G service will, ultimately, be provided on these sites by mobile network operator EE. To move these sites to activation requires the Home Office to execute a Change Request as part of their ESN programme. The Scottish Government is aware of a substantial delay in the Home Office enacting this Change Request which is preventing these masts from moving to service activation.

All efforts are being made by the Scottish Government to expedite this issue which, once resolved, will enable a number of masts including Rackwick and Stronsay proceed to activation.

Question reference: S6W-10352

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether companies contracted under ScotWind development projects are required to recognise collective bargaining arrangements, and, if they are not, whether it will commit to encouraging such companies to implement fair work practices.

ScotWind leasing is administered by Crown Estate Scotland who have confirmed that all companies that have a ScotWind seabed agreement with Crown Estate Scotland are required to comply with all applicable laws including meeting their obligations under employment legislation. Therefore, if those companies have a statutorily recognised trade union, they would be required to comply with their legal requirements in respect of collective bargaining arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-10251

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09483 by Lorna Slater on the 21 July 2022, and in light of the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport when giving evidence to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on the Scottish Budget 2022-23 on 1 February 2022, what information it has on whether Zero Waste Scotland has plans in place to secure private funding once European Structural and Investment Funds come to an end.

Zero Waste Scotland strategy is to maximise the impact of investment in the circular economy and to partner across private and public sectors. This aims to leverage funding opportunities, and to increase co-investment and partnership models to support and to continue to deliver value across circular economy initiatives.

ZWS is also undertaking multi-party engagement with Scottish Government and Scottish Business Climate Collaboration (SBCC) which is 50:50 funded by public funds and SBCC and is working with several businesses to develop business cases for circular initiatives that will then be funded and delivered by companies themselves. In addition co-investment models have been developed with Social Investment Scotland to create a Net Zero Transition Fund for third sector organisations.

Question reference: S6W-10250

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Zero Waste Scotland would be able to provide independent advice to the Scottish Government on the circular economy and other matters in the event that it would also be in receipt of private sector funding.

Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) is an independent not-for-profit company, which is able to locate, apply for and accept funding from a range of sources. As an evidence-led organisation, any expertise and/or advice ZWS provide to Scottish Government would be based on balanced outputs from research by sector specific policy experts.

ZWS is a key delivery partner for the Scottish Government in relation to circular economy policy and it would be for Scottish Government to decide on whether to use the organisations advice in development of policies.