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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6F-00874

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government will do to mitigate the impact of volatile gas prices.

Question reference: S6F-00866

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-00865

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-06886

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided toward research on whether microemboli are the cause of long Covid, including researching the (a) detection methods of these particles and (b) associated treatments and, if no such funding has been provided, whether it will consider doing so.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) launched a call for Rapid Research in COVID-19 on 25 March 2020 and a second call specifically addressing longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection on 5 October 2020. Following independent expert review, 65 projects were funded in total, 56 through the Rapid Research programme and 9 through the long COVID call.

None of the projects specifically address microemboli and long COVID. Many of the projects are still active and include research on vascular aspects of COVID-19.

The full list of funded projects is available from the CSO website

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/covid-19-research/

The CSO's Translational Clinical Studies Committee and the Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committees each meet twice per year to consider funding applications. Details of the application process are published on the CSO website.

Grant Funding – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

Applications looking at links between microemboli and long COVID may be submitted to the CSO funding committees. In common with all other applications, these would go through the CSO's standard independent peer review process.

Question reference: S6W-06902

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total cost of bringing the private rented sector up to an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above by 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for all, and how much funding it will be providing to assist the private rented sector to comply with this new requirement.

Modelling undertaken using the National Household Model (NHM), and by applying a minimum cost approach to achieving EPC C, indicates that it could cost up to £1.7bn to retrofit the private rented sector housing (PRS) stock to an EPC C, or as near to this standard as is technically feasible. The modelling methodology is available here .

It should be noted that the Scottish Government is proposing that private-rented and owner-occupied homes will be required to reach a minimum energy standard equivalent to EPC C. Accurate estimated costs to the PRS sector will therefore depend on our final approach to regulation – including any cost-effectiveness and technical-feasibility, or exemptions that may apply. We will undertake a full range of impact assessments ahead of introducing any legislation.

We have committed to supporting property owners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and are encouraging property owners to contact Home Energy Scotland who offer free impartial energy efficiency advice, and may be able to offer tailored advice for stone built properties. They are also the route to Scottish Government funded loans, in Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan: overview - Home Energy Scotland . Home Energy Scotland can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2282 or through their website https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/home-energy-Scotland

Question reference: S6W-06901

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce the proposed regulations requiring the private rented sector to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above by (a) 2025 for new tenancies and (b) 2028 for all, and how the regulations will be enforced.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy commits to introducing a Bill in the current session of the Scottish Parliament which, amongst a range of powers, will enable the application of minimum energy efficiency regulations in the private rented sector (PRS) from 2025. All PRS homes will be required to meet the standard, equivalent to EPC C, by 2028. We plan to hold a consultation on such regulations in the coming year, which will include how they will be enforced.

Question reference: S6W-06303

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that climate change and nature recovery will be the primary priorities of the Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Meeting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and securing positive effects for biodiversity are two of six high level outcomes for the National Planning Framework set out in The Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

The draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) currently subject to Scottish Parliament scrutiny, alongside public consultation, is clear that we must rebalance our planning system so that climate change and nature recovery are the primary guiding principles for all our plans and decisions. Its four overarching themes work together towards net-zero, adaptable places and addressing the nature crisis.

Our radically improved and new policies contained in draft NPF4 include new universal policies addressing the climate emergency and nature crisis, to be applied to all planning decisions. These policies create a requirement to give significant weight to the global climate emergency in plans and decisions. They also aim to deliver positive outcomes for biodiversity from development without the need for overly complex metrics.

Question reference: S6W-06669

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been distributed in payments by Scotland’s Redress Scheme since its launch.

Scotland’s Redress Scheme has been running for twelve weeks and Redress Scotland have begun to make decisions and offers of redress payments. As this process is in its infancy, completed applications and financial payments have not yet reached a level to enable us to disclose payment amounts without comprising the applicants’ data privacy.

It should also be noted that although determinations have been made, all associated payments may not yet have been processed as a fundamental aspect of the scheme is to ensure that applicants have suitable time, up to 6 months following determination, to consider the offer and seek legal advice prior to accepting any payment and signing any necessary waiver relating to their application. Further information regarding payments will be available in due course as more determinations are made, and in line with the reporting responsibilities included in the legislation.

Question reference: S6W-06670

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations have now signed up to Scotland’s Redress Scheme as contributors.

Question reference: S6W-06661

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that NHS Scotland is reaching at least the equivalent of the NICE guidelines for adults with cerebral palsy (CP), in light of the reported findings of a survey by Cerebral Palsy Scotland that 65% of people with CP do not consider the service is meeting their needs.

The Scottish Government welcomes the survey undertaken by Cerebral Palsy Scotland in November 2021 and notes the findings.

Scottish Government officials recently met with Cerebral Palsy Scotland to further discuss the care and support available to people with this condition. We will continue to work with NHS, third sector partners and people with Cerebral Palsy to drive up standards of care and service development.

In December 2019, we published a Neurological Care and Support – National Framework for Action . We are investing £4.5 million of funding over five years to implement the Framework’s 17 commitments.

The aims include improving the provision of co-ordinated health and social care and support, developing sustainable workforce models and ensuring high standards of person-centred care for people with neurological conditions, such as Cerebral Palsy.