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 47874 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-12179

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce fees for the use of ChargePlace Scotland rapid-charging EV charging stations.

The responsibility for applying fees for use of the public ChargePlace Scotland network lies with the owners of charge points, which includes public, private and third sector organisations. The Scottish Government’s draft Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network makes it clear that a shift towards a public charging network largely financed and operated by the commercial sector is necessary. As noted in the joint report published by Transport Scotland and Scottish Futures Trust in July 2021, the existence of free provision or below market rates does not incentivise commercial investment in the charging network, and it is important that tariffs reflect true operation, maintenance and asset replacement costs. The Scottish Government is taking steps to support the development of the public charging network in line with our draft Vision, including through our EV Infrastructure Fund.

Question reference: S6W-12187

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with the solar energy industry, including Solar Energy Scotland and individual companies, in relation to allowing the installation of solar panels up to 5MW capacity without the need to seek planning permission.

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport met with Solar Energy Scotland (SES) in February, with the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth meeting with them in May and myself in September. In addition to ministerial meetings, officials in energy and planning meet with SES and other industry participants regularly. During these ministerial and official meetings a number of points relating to solar have been discussed, including permitted development rights.

Question reference: S6W-12200

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Ukrainians living in Scotland under its Super Sponsor Scheme have been supported into employment.

As gathering and publishing employment data is the responsibility of HMRC, there is currently no data available to the Scottish Government on the number of Ukrainians living in Scotland under the Super Sponsor Scheme who have been supported into employment. HMRC publish counts of employments held by non-UK nationals in Scotland as part of their experimental statistics publication ‘payrolled employments in the UK by region, industry and nationality’. HMRC are planning to publish an update to these statistics in 2023.

The Scottish Government is taking action to ensure that displaced people seeking work in Scotland are provided with a full range of information, as early as possible, to help inform their employment decisions and settle well in Scotland. Scottish businesses are eager to employ Ukrainians who have arrived, recognising the skills they bring with them. We are working with councils, third and private sectors, Skills Development Scotland and the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure arrivals can seek out and secure employment, including through job fairs.

Question reference: S6W-12185

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its New Build Heat Standard (Part II) consultation, whether it is the case that it plans to remove the need to install solar PV systems on new properties and instead require the installation of heat pumps, from 2024, and, if so, for what reason.

It is not the case that the Government plans to remove the need to install solar PV systems on new properties since no such requirement exists. The focus of the New Build Heat Standard is on heating systems which produce direct greenhouse gas emissions at the point of use.

The Scottish Government’s recent consultation set out our intention to prohibit direct emissions heating systems in new buildings from April 2024.

It is our intention for the NBHS to remain technology neutral. Those technologies which do not emit greenhouse gases and can be used as part of a heating system will continue to be permitted. This includes, for example, heat pumps as well as energy generation such as solar PV.

Question reference: S6W-12182

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many ChargePlace Scotland EV charging stations are currently fully operational along the A9.

Question reference: S6W-12199

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what employability programmes have been developed to help former prisoners find employment.

We are delivering person-centred, tailored services to those further from the labour market through a combination of locally designed services (No One Left Behind) and our national employment service Fair Start Scotland. We provide support that is flexible, person-centred, and aligned with other key services including health, justice, housing and advice services. Support is tailored to the individual’s specific circumstances, people with convictions are eligible for support through both No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland.

We are currently working with the Scottish Prison Service, Disclosure Scotland and DWP to further enhance our employability offer for people with convictions and have undertaken specific work to help promote the service offer to individuals with convictions pre and post-liberation, ensuring support is available immediately on release.

Question reference: S6W-11195

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is regarding the impact in Scotland of reports that the Scottish Assessors Association is considering the valuation of ATM sites and that it is likely that such sites will be deleted from the valuation roll, and, in the case of any such sites being removed from the valuation roll, what its position is on whether any rates paid would be backdated to when they were originally added to the valuation roll.

The valuation of all non-domestic property, including the sites of ATMs, is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of local and Scottish Government.

We are aware that Assessors were considering the valuation of ATM sites and they concluded that in most retail premises it is likely that such sites will be deleted from the Valuation Roll. Assessors are in the process of carrying out this exercise.

Where a property is removed from the Valuation Roll, the ratepayer will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid rates back to the effective date of deletion.

Question reference: S6W-12181

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how ChargePlace Scotland tracks and responds to EV charging station faults, and what the (a) average and (b) longest time is between a fault at a charging station being identified and the station being made operational again.

Overall reliability across the ChargePlace Scotland network is typically very good with the entire network up and running around 95% of the time each month . Most faults on the network are short-lived and in the majority of cases require no physical intervention or a visit by an engineer. Typically around 90% of faults are resolved within 48 hrs with the ChargePlace Scotland helpdesk often remedying faults remotely.

ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) has a robust fault management process in place underpinned by KPIs as set out in the CPS contract. The CPS website provides information on fault management and relevant KPIs.

The Scottish Government does not have ready access to information regarding average and longest time in between a fault being identified and being made operational again. However, a new Network Performance page has recently been published on the ChargePlace Scotland website , which will routinely be updated with detailed information on fault tickets and the performance of the network.

Question reference: S6T-01012

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to tackle the illegal trade in puppies, in light of the Scottish Multi-Agency Strategic Threat Assessment report that the trade is funding serious organised crime.

Question reference: S6T-01010

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the cyber-attack on 4 August 2022 which reportedly targeted NHS Scotland's patient management software.