- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with energy providers regarding the reported higher costs associated with pre-payment meters and the impact of this on vulnerable households in Scotland.
Answer
I know that the energy price increases we have seen recently will be concerning to many Scottish consumers, not least of all those in vulnerable circumstances.
I also know that consumers using prepayment meters pay a higher tariff for their energy. Unfortunately, regulation in the gas and electricity supply markets remains reserved to the UK Government meaning the Scottish Government’s potential actions are limited.
We are doing what we can within our reserved powers. We have extended our Fuel Insecurity Fund through 2022-23 and made available a further £10m to support those facing fuel insecurity. The Fuel Insecurity Fund includes support for the Fuel Bank Foundation to expand their existing Fuel Bank network in Scotland, to provide same-day support to prepayment meter users at risk of imminent self-disconnection We will seek to ensure that those receiving help are not just provided with financial support but that they are also connected with wider advice and support on energy efficiency, income maximisation and how to reduce energy bills.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to devolve further powers to local authorities.
Answer
The Investing in Scotland’s Future: Resource Spending Review confirmed that the Scottish Government will work closely with COSLA to agree a New Deal for Local Government, in advance of the next financial year. This will be based on the twin pillars of a new Fiscal Framework and an accompanying partnership agreement with Local Government. The New Deal will also build on the Local Governance Review, and help to bring a sharpened focus on ensuring the review arrives at a set of findings which can transform local democracy in Scotland.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to each NHS board, given as the funding per head of population in each board area, in each of the last five years.
Answer
NHS Board’s baseline revenue allocations are set out annually in the Scottish Budget, as published on the Scottish Government’s website. In addition, resource and capital spending limits are reported in Board’s annual accounts, which are published on their websites.
Since 2018-19, funding for frontline boards has increased by 17.4%.
The Scottish Government allocates funding to territorial NHS Boards based on the NRAC formula. The NRAC formula takes into account factors in addition to population levels, including relative deprivation and need for healthcare in different NHS Board areas.
Since 2012-13, almost £2.6 billion additional funding has been committed to those NHS Boards below their NRAC parity levels, bringing all boards to within 0.8% of parity.
More information on the NRAC formula is available at: Resource Allocation Formula in Scotland - Finance - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)
- Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the innovation component of the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing process for floating offshore wind is able to deliver supply chain opportunities and jobs in advance of ScotWind.
Answer
The INTOG Initial Plan Framework has set out a series of geographic areas where no projects will be considered. This primarily affects the Innovation category of projects as Targeted Oil and Gas projects would naturally be located further offshore. These exclusions will help by ensuring projects are not located in areas that are more likely to negatively interact with other projects and on already sensitive receptors and thus delay adoption of the plan. Additionally, the planning and leasing processes have been designed to overlap to allow projects to progress as quickly as possible.
More specifically, all Innovation projects will also be required to deliver Supply Chain Development Statements setting out and committing to investment in supply chain for the project. Like ScotWind, these commitments will be subject to penalties if not met. Applications to Marine Scotland Directorate for relevant consents and licences for INTOG will also benefit from the streamlining work currently underway .
- Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to develop a national retrofit strategy that will ensure that current and future accessibility needs are met, in addition to meeting net zero targets.
Answer
Housing to 2040 sets out the Scottish Government’s strategy to ensure that housing in 2040 will support people to live in affordable homes that meet their accessibility needs as well as net zero targets. This is a long term strategy for new and existing homes, underpinned by the new tenure-neutral Housing Standard for Scotland which is currently under development and which will include elements relating to retrofit. There will be extensive consultation and engagement with stakeholders to ensure that accessibility needs are appropriately considered and that the new standard aligns with Heat in Buildings ambitions for meeting net zero targets.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08560 by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022, how many landlords (a) have informed Rent Service Scotland that they have exited the market when the service has requested data from the sector and (b) it has requested data from, in each year since 2016.
Answer
Rent Service Scotland does not request official data from the Private Rented sector on Landlords leaving the sector.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08560 by Shona Robison on 25 May 2022, whether Rent Service Scotland (a) requests and (b) records information from landlords detailing whether they have exited the market, as part of its data collection processes.
Answer
Rent Service Scotland does not request nor hold official data on Landlords exiting the market.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) clinical psychologists and (b) social workers are included as a core component of specialist multidisciplinary teams and required to be available at a patient's annual review in (i) paediatric and (ii) adult cystic fibrosis services.
Answer
I refer the member to questions S6W-08085 and S6W-08129 answered on 18 May 2022 and 3 May 2022, respectively. 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: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) open market and (b) new supply shared equity properties it has supported the purchase of, broken down by equity in increments of 5%.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09064 on 21 June 2022 which includes a link to the Affordable Housing Supply Housing Programme annual out-turn reports.
Incremental equity changes are not recorded and Scottish Government systems show properties where Ministers have an equity stake at what that equity stake is at the current time.
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: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Long COVID Support Fund from NHS boards in order to provide services for people with long COVID have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected.
Answer
Thirteen Health Boards submitted proposals to the Strategic Network on managing the long term effects of COVID-19 for how they intend to utilise long COVID Support Funding across 2022-23.
Following review by the Network’s Strategic Oversight Board, funding allocations were confirmed to all 13 Health Boards on 19 May to support the delivery of activities identified within their proposals.