- Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much is allocated in the proposed Scottish Budget 2023-24 to (a) Warmer Homes Scotland, (b) its Area Based Schemes, (c) Home Energy Scotland loans and (d) the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund and "fabric first" projects, and how each of these compares with the allocations in (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23.
Answer
The figures requested are set out in the following table:
| | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Warmer Homes Scotland | £50m | £55m | £55m |
Area Based Schemes | £64m | £64m | £64m |
Home Energy Scotland Grants & Loans | £21m | £42m | £42m |
Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund | £20m | £30m | £60m |
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it (a) can take and (b) is taking to ensure that households that are eligible for a smart meter can install one.
Answer
Energy policy, including the rollout of smart meters programme, is a matter reserved to the UK Government.
Smart meters have an important role to play in helping the Scottish Government achieve our aim of increasing energy efficiency across Scotland as well as helping consumers manage their spend on energy. At the recent energy summit chaired by the First Minister, we committed to working with partners to increase the number of households with smart meters in Scotland, with a focus on rural areas, by highlighting the benefits they can deliver in terms of both energy bills and energy efficiency. As part of this work, we will continue to call upon BEIS and Ofgem to take the necessary action to ensure all households eligible for a smart meter have the opportunity to install one in their home.
In the meantime, we will continue to work with our consumer advice and advocacy partners to ensure they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and information to support consumers seeking help on managing or accessing a smart meter.
I would also urge consumers who are struggling with their energy bills to contact Energy Advice Scotland on 0808 196 8660 or at energyadvice.scot.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11067 by Maree Todd on 3 October 2022, when the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement incorporating the key changes in practice from the NICE guideline will be published on the Scottish Government's website.
Answer
We are working to publish the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement as soon as possible, and anticipate that it will be published by the end of February 2023.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for households in rural areas in Scotland that do not have a mobile or radio signal and cannot therefore install a smart meter and receive any benefits that come with it.
Answer
I refer the member to my answer to question S6W-13660 on 19 January 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: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13498 by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2023, where the 958.9 whole time equivalent mental health roles have been appointed, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The breakdown of the 958.9 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts by NHS Health Board is as follows;
NHS Board | Whole Time Equivalent Posts |
Ayrshire & Arran | 96.3 |
Borders | 14.4 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 39.0 |
Fife | 62.9 |
Forth Valley | 34.8 |
Grampian | 76.6 |
Greater Glasgow & Clyde | 192.0 |
Highland | 51.9 |
Lanarkshire | 97.3 |
Lothian | 125.3 |
Orkney | 3.0 |
Shetland | 3.3 |
Tayside | 99.4 |
Western Isles | 3.0 |
A further 59.8 WTE posts were recruited by NHS 24, Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service through the Enhanced Mental Health Pathway.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the final report of the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's Mental Health Services, Trust and Respect, how it will ensure that Tayside Mental Health Services has the resource it needs to further improve the delivery of the recommendations contained in the report.
Answer
The Scottish Government will continue to support sustainable change and improvements in Tayside, to ensure the safe and effective delivery of mental health services.
To ensure that Tayside Mental Health Services have the resources needed to deliver on the recommendations contained in the Oversight Group’s Final Report, the Scottish Government will provide access to advice from Professional Advisors and Senior Officials in the Mental Health Directorate as partners in Tayside develop a detailed improvement plan. The plan will contain clear milestones and deliverables which progress key areas for action.
More widely, the Scottish Government has increased financial resources across Scotland, with NHS Mental Health expenditure rising from £1.1bn in 2019-20 to £1.25bn in 2020-21: an increase of £172m.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13038 by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022, what the timeline is for the announcement of further information relating to the funding for the construction of Changing Places toilets.
Answer
The Scottish Government will invest in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.
This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose. We have recently published our Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide and an accompanying easy read for people who are planning to develop Changing Places Toilets now.
Further details will be available soon.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13038 by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022, when it anticipates that the total £10 million announced for the construction of Changing Places toilets will be allocated.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.
Further details will be available soon.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the public was reportedly not made aware of a rise in radioactive particles found between February and March 2022 on the Dounreay foreshore until eight months later, when reports appeared in the press in November 2022.
Answer
The monitoring of the Dounreay foreshore area is undertaken by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) which is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and is agreed and regulated by SEPA.
All radioactive particle finds are removed, analysed and reported on the DSRL website. The finds in February and March 2022 were reported on the DSRL website in March and April 2022. The Dounreay Stakeholder Group was also provided with information regarding the particle finds in a written update from SEPA at one of its subgroup meetings in April 2022.
The NDA and SEPA remain content that the monitoring and retrieval programme in place continues to provide appropriate protection for the public.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) guns, (b) knives, (c) other offensive weapons and (d) prohibited drugs have been seized/intercepted in mail and courier delivery services by Police Scotland, including items imported from overseas, in each year since 2016.
Answer
The Scottish Government produces a range of Official Statistics that include information on crimes involving firearms, crimes of possessing an offensive weapon and drug seizures, However, we do not hold any information on the number of firearms, weapons or prohibited drugs that were specifically seized within mail and courier delivery services.