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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-01609

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consult MSP staff trade unions before deciding on uprating the Staff Cost Provision in the 2023-24 financial year.

Question reference: S6O-01608

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what guidance is available to MSPs regarding undertaking party political activity on the parliamentary estate.

Question reference: S6O-01605

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what discussions have taken place to consider providing cross-party groups with access to broadcasting services in committee rooms.

Question reference: S6O-01610

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will reject the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and Average Weekly Earnings average of 4.2% for uprating the Staff Cost Provision in the financial year 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-12046

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered allocating more funding to Scottish Water so that projects to prevent and tackle flooding and heavy rainfall can be prioritised.

Scottish Water is subject to a statutory charge-setting environment for each regulatory period under which the industry’s independent economic regulator, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) determines the overarching financial limits for Scottish Water based on the lowest overall reasonable cost of achieving Minister’s Objectives for the industry in the relevant regulatory period (2021-27), including the amount of lending required. Decisions on priorities for investment, including in relation to sewer flooding, are taken with reference to the Ministerial Objectives and the process set out in Scottish Water’s Investment Planning and Prioritisation Framework. While the majority of capital available for investment derives from customer charges, the Principles of Charging set by the Scottish Ministers for the period confirm that Scottish Government will also lend Scottish Water up to a maximum of £1.03 billion to support investment decisions.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the serious impacts that sewer flooding can have on homes and businesses and the need for action to tackle the issue. In this regard I would highlight the launch of Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Routemap in December 2021. This plan, backed with significant investment of close to half a billion pounds, aims to deliver a range of improvements across the sewer network including to reduce incidences of sewer flooding and help Scottish Water to respond more quickly when incidents do occur. The Routemap is available on Scottish Water’s website and the first annual report on progress is expected to be published by 21 December 2022.

Question reference: S6W-12047

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what framework is used to prioritise funding for public services such as Scottish Water.

Decisions on investment in the current water industry regulatory period (2021-27) are made with reference to the process set out in the Investment Planning and Prioritisation Framework (IPPF). Co-created with industry stakeholders, the Framework represents a balanced programme that makes progress towards the objectives set by Scottish Ministers in the short term, whilst also seeking confidence that the industry is on the best trajectory towards Scottish Water’s Strategic Plan and the co-created Water Sector Vision. Further detail on the IPPF and its operation is available on the Scottish Government’s website.

Question reference: S6W-12037

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its announcement of two new ferries for the Uig, Harris and North Uist triangle, whether it can confirm what type of fuel the two new ferries will use.

Question reference: S6W-12079

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the Island Cost Crisis Emergency Fund will be available.

Question reference: S6W-11948

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11240 by Michael Matheson on 18 October 2022, whether it has considered the role that decommissioning and recycling of Scottish wind turbines could play in Scotland’s offshore wind turbine manufacturing.

The majority offshore wind projects in Scotland have not reached decommissioning stages as of yet with many in pre-development stages, compared to onshore wind, which is more developed. However, the onshore wind decommissioning and recycling of wind turbines will be used to guide the approach in offshore wind.

The Scottish Government fully supports, and encourages, the use of recycled and refurbished turbines, recognising the enormous potential to strengthen the Scottish supply chain, reduce waste, utilise more of our local skills and capabilities and improve costs for the onshore wind sector. For example Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) is working to improve the circularity of the energy sector and provide support and advice to businesses looking to develop more circular business models, including the renewable industry. Its 2021 report ‘ The Future of Onshore Wind Decommissioning in Scotland’ estimates that as many as 5,600 onshore turbines could be decommissioned between now and 2050 and presented a range of recommendations to both the industry and to Government which would support a thriving circular economy in Scotland.

Furthermore, the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) is supporting the creation of a low carbon manufacturing base in Scotland by helping manufacturers adopt greener materials and innovative new technologies that help reduce waste during decommissioning through recycling and remanufacturing. NMIS, SSE Renewables and Renewable Parts are collaborating to secure a world leading UK-wind circular economy sector deal and reduce waste from wind farms at the end of their life.

Question reference: S6W-11953

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide additional financial support for registered social landlords to reach the second Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing once it has concluded its review of the standard.

The Scottish Government already provides funding to support energy efficiency works which contribute to our net zero target. Between 2018 and 2021, £7 million was made available to Local Authority and registered social landlords through the Energy Efficient Scotland Transition Programme’s Decarbonisation Fund to assist in compliance with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.

The Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund, which launched in August 2020, has been designed to accelerate the delivery of energy efficiency measures and zero emissions heating systems in social housing across Scotland. It will make at least £200 million available to registered social landlords until 2026.

Acknowledging that the public sector alone cannot bear the long-term cost of converting homes, the Green Heat Finance Taskforce has been established to assess and recommend ways the public sector, communities and private finance can collaborate to scale up investment. A dedicated sub-group has been established to consider the best routes to financing and funding the retrofit of the existing social housing stock.