- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many Rural Payments and Services area offices are open for face-to-face appointments.
Answer
15 of the 16 Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) Area Offices are currently open for face to face appointments. The exception is the Area Office based in Galashiels, which is currently closed due to building works. The RPID Area Offices have other customer support offers including phone calls, MS Teams calls, web chat or emails. Officials in Galashiels have also offered, in a very small number of specific of cases, to support the customer face to face in a location outwith the Galashiels Area Office.
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Department for (a) International Trade and (b) Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regarding any impact on Scotland of the reported exclusion of investment protection for fossil fuel investments in the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answer
Scottish Government Officials are in contact with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the current Energy Charter Treaty negotiations with a view to identifying any impact on Scotland .
The Scottish Government’s annual report on our Vision for Trade recognised the widespread concerns about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in free trade agreements (FTAs). We have consistently called on the UK Government to ensure that any ISDS mechanism does not prevent Scotland and the rest of the UK from regulating on health, social, environmental and economic matters.
Any ISDS system must be transparent, based on judicial procedures, and permit meaningful representations by all parties with a potential stake in the matter. Provisions in this area have the potential to impact Scotland significantly, limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas and constrain action to achieve our net-zero goal.
The annual report on Scotland’s Vision for Trade can be accessed here: Scotland's Vision for Trade: annual report - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking as part of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses (SHBBV) services Recovery Plan to ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available for finding and treating new cases of hepatitis C, and collecting and analysing data on levels of blood borne virus infection.
Answer
Individual health boards are responsible for allocating staff, in recognition that they best understand local priorities and needs. The Scottish Government understands that many NHS staff have been unavoidably redeployed since 2020 to support the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that as the pandemic subsides, staff will begin to revert to their pre-Covid duties.
The Scottish Government welcomes this, but remains committed to working closely with Health boards to support recovery of sexual health and blood borne virus services, including those focused on Hepatitis C, through on-going engagement with the Scottish Health Protection Network and development of the next iteration of the sexual health and Blood Borne Viruses Framework.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of dwellings in each local authority area use (a) oil, (b) mains gas, (c) electricity, (d) community heating schemes, (e) heat pumps and (f) other sources as the main fuel type or method of central heating.
Answer
This information is not available in the form requested.
The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) explores the physical condition of Scotland’s homes as well as the experiences of householders. Data from the SHCS provides estimates of the main heating fuel used and method of central heating across the housing stock at national level, based on a single year of data. Due to sample sizes, analysis at the local authority level requires three years of data averaged to produce an overall figure. Due to the impact of Covid–19 the 2020 SHCS was postponed and there was no 2020 SHCS publication, therefore the most recent local authority data set is from 2017 to 2019. Additionally, due to sample sizes and low prevalence, it is not possible to produce robust local authority level estimates of all the above heating fuels and methods of central heating distinctly. As such heating fuels have been grouped into 4 categories: Gas, Oil, Electricity, and Other which mirrors the groups used in the SHCS annual publication while the percentage of dwellings which have heat pumps or are part of communal heating are given at the national level only.
Percentage of dwellings by Local Authority by primary heating fuel
Average 2017-2019.
Local Authority | % LA with Gas heat | % LA with oil heat | % LA with electric heat | % LA with Other fuel type heat | Sample |
Aberdeen City | 88% | - | 7% | 6% | 248 |
Aberdeenshire | 61% | 24% | 13% | 2% | 245 |
Angus | 73% | 10% | 14% | 2% | 257 |
Argyll and Bute | 46% | 15% | 33% | 7% | 232 |
Clackmannanshire | 95% | 1% | 4% | - | 220 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 57% | 20% | 16% | 6% | 270 |
Dundee City | 82% | - | 16% | 2% | 256 |
East Ayrshire | 93% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 252 |
East Dunbartonshire | 95% | * | 4% | * | 253 |
East Lothian | 82% | 5% | 10% | 3% | 238 |
East Renfrewshire | 93% | * | 5% | * | 233 |
Edinburgh, City of | 87% | 1% | 11% | 1% | 613 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 11% | 48% | 36% | 5% | 273 |
Falkirk | 90% | 2% | 7% | 2% | 251 |
Fife | 91% | 3% | 6% | 1% | 443 |
Glasgow City | 85% | - | 12% | 3% | 644 |
Highland | 46% | 24% | 23% | 7% | 261 |
Inverclyde | 88% | - | 8% | 4% | 219 |
Midlothian | 92% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 275 |
Moray | 70% | 16% | 10% | 5% | 206 |
North Ayrshire | 90% | 1% | 7% | 2% | 227 |
North Lanarkshire | 92% | * | 6% | * | 335 |
Orkney Islands | - | 42% | 53% | 5% | 265 |
Perth and Kinross | 69% | 14% | 14% | 3% | 262 |
Renfrewshire | 94% | - | 5% | * | 190 |
Scottish Borders | 70% | 14% | 13% | 3% | 213 |
Shetland Islands | * | 31% | 57% | * | 274 |
South Ayrshire | 83% | 9% | * | * | 236 |
South Lanarkshire | 83% | 4% | 10% | 3% | 329 |
Stirling | 81% | 7% | 11% | 2% | 246 |
West Dunbartonshire | 92% | * | 5% | * | 229 |
West Lothian | 95% | 1% | 3% | 1% | 268 |
Scotland | 81% | 6% | 11% | 3% | 8963 |
Percentage of dwellings in Scotland with a heat pump or community heating
Average 2017-2019.
Area | % with heat pump | % community heating |
Scotland | 0.9% | 1.3% |
Notes
1. Source Scottish House Condition Survey 2017-19.
2. The SHCS is a sample survey and therefore all figures are estimates which lie at the midpoint of a confidence interval which depends primarily on sample size. A statistical tool for calculating 95% confidence intervals around these estimates can be found at Scottish House Condition Survey: Local Authority Analysis 2017-2019 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .
3. The rates shown in this answer are an average over 2017-19 to match the local authority data and will differ from that found in the main SHCS Key Findings report which relates to a single year, most recently 2019. Available at Scottish house condition survey: 2019 key findings
4. Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
5. In some columns, percentages or figures may have been removed from cells and replaced with ‘*’. This is where the base on which the percentage or figure are calculated is less than 30. These data are judged to be insufficiently reliable for publication. Zero values are shown as a dash (-).
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what related meetings the First Minister undertook prior to the nationalisation of Ferguson Marine.
Answer
Since the contract award in 2015, the First Minister announced the preferred bidder status of Ferguson Marine on 31 August 2015, met with Jim McColl on 31 May 2017 and attended the launch of 801 on 21 November 2017.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what meetings the First Minister undertook on the commissioning of vessels 801 and 802 for the Clyde and Hebrides prior to the contract being awarded to Ferguson Marine.
Answer
During the Cabinet meeting of 24 August 2015, the First Minister was informed that a preferred bidder had been selected for vessels 801 and 802.
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Department for International Trade regarding any investor-state dispute settlements in relation to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that may impact on Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s annual report on our Vision for Trade recognised the widespread concerns about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in free trade agreements (FTAs). We have consistently called on the UK Government to ensure that any ISDS mechanism does not prevent Scotland and the rest of the UK from regulating on health, social, environmental and economic matters.
Any ISDS system must be transparent, based on judicial procedures, and permit meaningful representations by all parties with a potential stake in the matter. Provisions in this area have the potential to impact Scotland significantly, limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas and constrain action to achieve our net-zero goal.
We have made our position on the inclusion of ISDS in UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) clear to the UK Government, through ministerial and official contact.
The annual report on Scotland’s Vision for Trade can be accessed here: Scotland's Vision for Trade: annual report - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 12 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) review the rates for reimbursement of travel costs for family members visiting patients at The State Hospital, Carstairs, and (b) reinstate reimbursement of overnight visit costs.
Answer
Decisions about the rates for reimbursement of travel costs for family members who wish to visit The State Hospital are for The State Hospitals Board for Scotland. The current policy was implemented in 2021 and is due to be reviewed in 2024, however it can be refreshed prior to that.
The ‘Supporting Visitor Travel Policy and Protocol’ includes policy on the partial reimbursement of overnight visit costs.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many electric vehicle (EV) charging points there were in Scotland in 2019, and how many there are now.
Answer
The total amount of publicly available electric vehicle charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) network are as follows -
31 December 2019 = 1226
24 April 2022 (latest update) = 2244
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS board areas have an MND (a) specialist nurse and (b) clinical lead.
Answer
All NHS Boards in Scotland, have a named Motor Neuron Disease (MND) clinical nurse specialist, either employed directly by the Board or provided by a neighbouring Board through Service Level Agreements. NHS Dumfries and Galloway is in the process of recruiting to their vacant post, with specialist nurse resource being provided by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in the interim.
The information for which NHS Board areas have a MND clinical lead is not held centrally, however all Scottish Health Boards have a named Consultant Neurologist who diagnoses and undertakes clinical oversight of patients with neurological conditions including MND.
