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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-00753

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it expects college and university students to be able to return to full-time face-to-face learning.

Question reference: S6O-00748

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to maximise the growth opportunities for the renewables sector in East Lothian.

Question reference: S6O-00752

Asked by: Ruth Maguire, MSP for Cunninghame South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to identify perpetrators of human trafficking and disrupt their activity.

Question reference: S6O-00754

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that energy companies do not discriminate against island residents in relation to the installation of smart meters in residential properties.

Question reference: S6W-05999

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ensuring that private sector solutions incubators for low-carbon and net zero projects will be fully resourced and mandated by the end of 2022.

In CivTech, the Scottish Government is already resourcing an outstanding accelerator/incubator programme that is delivering in the low-carbon and net zero areas.

The Scottish Government’s CivTech programme is the world’s first successful public sector focused accelerator programme, with a mission to drive daring and innovation in the public sector by collaboratively solving challenges to make people’s lives better – and in doing so create generations of sustainable, high growth potential businesses. Its collaborative approach to incubation combines public sector ‘domain expertise’ with private sector innovation and citizen engagement to produce innovative solutions. More than 90% of the private sector applicants to the CivTech Accelerators are SMEs, many early stage. Combining open challenges and ‘Silicon Valley best practice’ repurposed for public benefit, it is very highly regarded as an accelerator/incubator [it has been described as the ‘gold standard’ in innovation drivers] and over the past six years it has delivered more than 60 Challenges across the National Performance Framework and Scottish Government priorities.

One of these priorities is the climate emergency, and working closely with organisations including NatureScot, SEPA and Forestry and Land Scotland, CivTech has delivered climate related projects since its inception. These include award-winning products and technologies to help us meet tree planting targets, and mitigate the effects of climate change through community based flood warning systems. This year’s CivTech 6 programme includes three Challenges in the Net Zero and Low Carbon areas, focused on the decarbonisation of the manufacturing supply chain, more effective peatland restoration, and help for land managers making informed land-use decisions to increase carbon capture and storage.

One of the great advantages of the CivTech model is that it delivers Challenges across a wide range of disciplines: the ‘cross collateralisation’ of knowledge, knowhow, skills and experience this produces is an acknowledged, core driver of innovation, and avoids the ‘siloed’ approach of many single-focus incubators/accelerators. CivTech is clearly delivering very positive results and the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government of September 2021 included a significant commitment to scale CivTech and investment in its Challenges. With CivTech’s focus on government priorities, this will offer a significant increases in opportunities and funding for private sector innovators to develop technologies which tackle the climate crisis.

Scotland’s strength in public accelerator climate technologies was recognised during CoP 26 when the CivTech Alliance, an international collaboration of public sector accelerator programmes, demonstrated climate technologies from across the world. This included companies from Scotland, and offered a showcase opportunity for companies that came through the CivTech programme.

Question reference: S6W-05871

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons it has stated that it will not take forward the recommendation of the Climate Assembly to adopt Passivhaus standards for newbuild housing.

The Climate Assembly recommended adoption of Passivhaus standards (or an agreed Scottish Equivalent) within the next five years.

Our response to the recommendation agrees with the need for review of regulation to further improve energy and environmental standards for new homes. It noted the relevance of the current review of Scottish building regulations, due to be completed this year. It provides an assurance that the outcome sought by the recommendation will be reported on, as part of the current review of standards.

Further work to consider the performance and processes of Passivhaus and similar standards is planned over the next few months, in support of the ongoing review of Scottish building regulations.

The members of Scotland’s Climate Assembly met for an eighth and final weekend on 5 and 6 February. Ministers intend to make a Parliamentary Statement on the Assembly later this month.

Question reference: S6W-05878

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the reported recruitment issues in the retained fire service, and whether it will list the (a) actions that it has taken and (b) additional resources that it has provided in this regard.

Recruitment of any staff group to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is a matter for the SFRS Board. The Scottish Government is aware of the challenges of recruiting and retaining Retained and Volunteer Duty System (RVDS) firefighters as fewer people live and work in the same location. The Scottish Government has invested an additional £9.5m in the 2022-23 budget for service delivery and modernisation of SFRS. How that money is spent is a matter for the SFRS Board.

SFRS now has 58 full time manager positions in rural locations to help with availability and recruitment of RVDS firefighters and is currently reviewing RVDS arrangements to assess what more can be done to help the situation.

Question reference: S6W-05854

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which operators have been found liable under the Environmental Liability (Scotland) Regulations 2009 of causing (a) land damage, (b) water damage and (c) damage to protected (i) habitats and (ii) species, and what penalty was imposed.

Question reference: S6W-05748

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when (a) it will publish the eligibility criteria for applying for the 10-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray and (b) the first £20 million of the fund will be awarded to qualifying projects.

The design of the Just Transition Fund is currently being developed through discussion with regional partners to ensure that together we secure maximum impact. This work will also be supported by the engagement that is being undertaken to support the development of the draft Energy Just Transition Plan. An update on plans will be given in due course.

We expect the first £20 million of the Fund to be allocated within this financial year (2022-23).

Question reference: S6W-05761

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to funding available through Forestry and Land Scotland for starter farms, how much (a) is available in 2022-23, (b) was available in each financial year since 2007-08 and (c) will be available in future years.

Forestry and Land Scotland have received no funding from the Scottish Government for their Starter Farm Programme. The funds allocated to the initiative by FLS have been generated by their Operational activities (i.e. management of Scotland’s national forests and land).

The FLS budget for FY 22/23 to maintain, repair and ensure compliance to meet statutory landlord obligations across its nine Starter Farms is £124,000.

The FLS Starter Farm programme was only established in FY 12/13 and therefore no funds were available prior to that year.

FLS made available £1,641,043 of capital to bring the Starter Farms up to a compliant and tenantable standard prior to letting.

The total cost of ongoing repair, maintenance and compliance (to meet statutory landlord obligations) between FY 13/14 – FY 21-22 was £661,858. That is broken down by financial year as follows:

Financial Year	Actual Expenditure (£)
FY 13-14	£4,523
FY 14-15	£45,565
FY 15-16	£34,814
FY 16-17	£49,027
FY 17-18	£126,063
FY 18-19	£66,041
FY 19-20	£92,727
FY 20-21	£189,517
FY 21-22	£53,581

In line with the established FLS business plan timetable, Starter Farm budgets have not yet been finalised beyond FY 22-23.