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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-13288

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received heart screening in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-13289

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have died of sudden cardiac death in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-13266

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08841 by Patrick Harvie on 14 June 2022, what progress has been made since June 2022 to increase the number of contractors in the Greater Glasgow area that are approved by Home Energy Scotland for the purpose of installing exterior wall insultation.

The Home Energy Scotland Grants and Loan Scheme does not directly accredit installers for external wall insulation, however we do require that businesses installing this measure are accredited to the PAS2030 British Standard

Since June we have published our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan which sets out the practical steps that we are taking to support the growth of the green heat sector.

As part of our Supply Chains Delivery Plan, Skills Development Scotland are currently leading on pathfinder research to build the evidence base in the Glasgow City and Shetland council areas. This will build an understanding of forecast skills demand and identify gaps, providing a model for undertaking such an assessment in other areas. The pathfinder research will be complete spring 2023.

As part of this package of actions, we have also re-launched our previous 'Sustainable Energy Supply Chain Programme' as the ‘Green Heat Installer Engagement Programme’, with a dedicated focus on working with installers in the heat and energy efficiency supply chain.

Question reference: S6W-12614

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many socially rented homes have reported damp and mould in each year since 1999.

The Scottish Government does not have a reporting system in place to track instances of damp and mould in all socially rented homes.

Data on the presence of mould and damp is collected through the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), including from a sample of about 700 social rented homes each year.

Survey results from the SHCS provide an indication of the prevalence of mould and damp in social rented housing. These results are expressed in the following table as percentages of homes with and without mould and damp.

It should be noted that as these results are based on a sample survey, the level of accuracy on the results can vary between +/-1% and +/-3%, as shown in the table. This means that the changes between years in prevalence in mould and damp estimated from the SHCS may not be statistically significant as they are within the margins of error of the survey estimates.

Table 1: Percentage of social sector dwellings with presence of mould and (any rising or penetrating) damp, SHCS 2012 to 2019

Year	No mould or damp (Accuracy +/- 3%)	Any mould or damp (Accuracy +/- 3%)	Both mould and damp (Accuracy +/- 1%)	Only mould (Accuracy +/- 3%)	Only damp (Accuracy +/- 1%)
2012	82%	18%	2%	14%	2%
2013	85%	15%	1%	11%	2%
2014	85%	15%	2%	12%	1%
2015	88%	12%	2%	9%	1%
2016	87%	13%	1%	11%	1%
2017	88%	12%	1%	10%	1%
2018	84%	16%	1%	14%	1%
2019	86%	14%	1%	13%	1%

Note: Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. Accuracy based on the margin of error associated with 95% Confidence Intervals.

To derive the corresponding number of homes with and without mould and damp, the percentage estimates from the SHCS can be applied to the social rented housing stock figures published by Scottish Government (SG).

It should be noted that as these results are based on a sample survey, the level of accuracy on the results can vary between +/-10,000 and +/-20,000 dwellings, as shown in the following table. This means that the changes between years in estimated numbers of dwellings with mould and damp estimated from the SHCS may not be statistically significant as they are within the margins of error of the survey estimates.

Table 2: Estimated number of social sector dwellings with presence of mould and (any rising or penetrating) damp, SHCS 2012 to 2019 and SG social rented housing stock figures 2012 to 2019.

Year	No mould or damp (Accuracy +/- 20,000)	Any mould or damp (Accuracy +/- 20,000)	Both mould and damp (Accuracy +/- 10,000)	Only mould (Accuracy +/- 20,000)	Only damp (Accuracy +/- 10,000)	SG Social Rented Stock Total
2012	490,000	110,000	10,000	80,000	10,000	597,000
2013	510,000	90,000	< 10,000	70,000	10,000	596,000
2014	500,000	90,000	10,000	70,000	< 10,000	594,000
2015	520,000	70,000	10,000	50,000	< 10,000	595,000
2016	520,000	80,000	< 10,000	60,000	< 10,000	595,000
2017	520,000	70,000	< 10,000	60,000	< 10,000	594,000
2018	500,000	100,000	< 10,000	80,000	< 10,000	595,000
2019	510,000	90,000	< 10,000	80,000	< 10,000	600,000

Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10,000. ‘<10,000’ denotes any estimates below 10,000. Total Social Rented Stock figures rounded to the nearest 1,000. Accuracy based on the margin of error associated with 95% Confidence Intervals.

In 2019, 86% or 510,000 social sector dwellings were free from any damp or mould.

Though any mould or damp was present in 14% of or 90,000 social sector dwellings in 2019, it is important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean that its presence was extensive or a serious problem in all dwellings. For example, in 94% of social sector dwellings where mould was present, its extent throughout the whole dwelling was found to be less than 2%, assessed on an area basis on wall and ceilings.

Data from the SHCS on the presence of damp and mould was readily available for 2012-19. For 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007 to 2011 the information was collected as part of the survey but is not in a readily analysable form. We have answered this question using readily available information.

Due to enforced changes in response to Covid-19 restrictions the 2020 SHCS was not completed and it was not possible to collect this data as part of the 2021 SHCS. This data is being collected as part of the 2022 SHCS and we expect to publish this data in late 2023 / early 2024.

Question reference: S6F-01697

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the First Minister, in light of the extension of bus fare caps in England, whether the Scottish Government supports capping bus fares in Scotland for those aged between 22 and 60.

Question reference: S6F-01689

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the First Minister what the implications for Scotland and the Scottish Government are following Met Office reports that temperatures in Scotland and the UK reached the highest on record in 2022.

Question reference: S6F-01684

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-01678

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-01680

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the First Minister for what reason two ferries, which will serve Islay, are being built in Turkey.

Question reference: S6F-01679

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.