- Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it provides regarding fire and electrical safety to owners of alternative, non-traditional, housing, broken down by property type,
Answer
The mandatory Tolerable Standard under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 and the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 do not differentiate between traditional and non-traditional housing. Detailed guidance on compliance with the Tolerable Standard and Building regulations is available on the Scottish Government website.
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35365 by Jenny Gilruth on 11 March 2025, what progress it has made on any commitments in relation to (a) mainstreaming instrumental music tuition and (b) ensuring General Teaching Council for Scotland registration for instrumental music teachers.
Answer
As stated in my previous response to S6W-35365, Instrumental Music Tuition is offered in all local authority areas as an optional extra complementing classroom music lessons which form part of the Expressive Arts curriculum for all children.
Since 2021-22 the Scottish Government has provided dedicated funding to local authorities to remove fees for instrumental music. A further £12 million will be provided to councils in 2025-26, bringing the total funding since 2021-22 up to £51.3 million.
The Scottish Government continues to engage closely with a range of partners, including local authorities, teacher unions and the GTCS, to implement our commitments on instrumental music tuition. We intend to discuss detailed options in relation to GTCS Registration with interested parties in the coming months.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what vessel will be allocated to the Barra-Oban ferry route when the MV Isle of Lewis is retired from service.
Answer
Vessel deployment is an operational matter - as such, Ministers expect the operator to assess all the options, and present that recommendation in consultation with Transport Scotland.
- Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timetable for electrification of the Barrhead to Kilmarnock rail line and the associated upgrading of the rolling stock serving that line.
Answer
Electrification remains an option for the entire line from Glasgow Central to Carlisle via Kilmarnock, however no timescale has been established for the decarbonisation of this route, including the section from Barrhead to Kilmarnock. Electrification of the northern section of this route from Glasgow Central to Barrhead Line was successfully completed in December 2023.
Future rolling stock options for the Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock route, including Barrhead to Kilmarnock, will be considered by ScotRail as part of the option selection process for decarbonisation of the route, subject to relevant appraisal processes and available budgets.
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its target to increase the amount of heating and cooling supplied by heat networks, what recent discussions ministers have had with the UK Government regarding the affordability of heat networks for consumers.
Answer
I recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero regarding the introduction of consumer standards for heat networks. I sought assurance about the use of pre-payment meters, recommending that their installation is banned where householders are identified as vulnerable, and that affordable repayment plans are offered as a prior step.
Implementation of the Great Britain wide consumer protection regime is progressing. Consumer Advocacy and Advice functions and a new Consumer Redress scheme started on 1 April 2025. Consumer Scotland is the new statutory advocacy body for heat network consumers in Scotland. Heat network consumers are now able to access direct support through Advice Direct Scotland either via Energy Advice | Energy Advice | energyadvice.scot or through the helpline (0808 196 8660). The Energy Ombudsman also started its statutory role in providing a dispute resolution service across Great Britain.
New heat networks consumer protection regulations across Great Britain will give Ofgem powers to investigate and intervene where prices appear to be disproportionate or unfair. Further detail of the forthcoming regulation can be found on Ofgem’s website: Heat networks | Ofgem.
Scottish Government officials regularly engage with their UK Government counterparts about consumer regulations, pricing and technical standards on heat networks and other energy policy.
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the projected funding gap of £457 million for Integration Joint Boards on its goal of preventative healthcare.
Answer
The 2025-26 Budget balances the requirement to address immediate pressures and recovery of the system whilst driving forward our long-term reform and prevention agendas, providing increased investment for NHS Boards, alongside continued focus to improve population health and outcomes through investment in quality community services, vaccination and screening.?
We continue to support delivery of priorities relating to prevention and early intervention by investing almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration, an additional £1.2 billion compared to 2021-22 spend.
The 2025-26 budget also includes over £2.2 billion for primary care to improve preventative care in the community, supporting the development of multidisciplinary teams in general practice, sustaining NHS dental care through enhanced fees and continuing free eye examinations.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the procurement of additional marine evacuation systems (MES) for CalMac since August 2016, in light of the document, Contract for the Provision of Ferry Service Between the Scottish Ministers and CalMac Ferries Ltd, stating at page 180, "We will investigate and appraise the logistics and cost benefit of purchasing additional MES equipment to allow the statutory test deployment of an MES to be standard by wet testing an installed MES unit, then immediately changing it out for a tested and certificated dry unit which will allow the vessel to return to service much sooner. The wet MES unit will be dried and re-packed for use on another vessel or held in storage until required", and what the outcome was.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no involvement with the procurement of replacement equipment to retain as vessel spares. This is the responsibility of the operator.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24187 by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2024, whether it will provide an update on the average processing time for a Home Energy Scotland (a) grant and (b) loan application.
Answer
In the 12 month period covering March 2024 to February 2025, under the contract between Scottish Government and Energy Saving Trust, 97% of fully completed applications received across all schemes within the contract were processed within 10 working days.
The percentage processed relates to unique applications received in the period and cannot be broken down between schemes or separately by grant and loan. The average processing time is not tracked and reported on.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the May 2028 deadline for farmers and crofters to have completed habitat maps is consistent with its target of reversing biodiversity decline by 2030.
Answer
Farmers and crofters are required to complete at least two of the five Whole Farm Plan audits, including a habitat map for the Biodiversity Audit requirement, by May 2025. All five audits will need to be completed by May 2028.
The habitat map can be completed by farmers and crofters without the need to employ a third party and should be seen as a first step towards considering the biodiversity present on their holding. There are multiple ways to create the habitat map, and previously submitted Farm Environmental Assessment (FEA) maps can also be accepted if updated. Detailed guidance is available on the Rural Payments website and the Farm Advisory Service (FAS) has created an online guide with advice, videos and Frequently Asked Questions.
Significant investment has already been made to support nature-positive farming. Our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) has supported over 230 projects aimed at restoring habitats, wildlife, and climate resilience since 2021. This investment directly contributes to the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045, including embedding nature-positive farming, fishing, and forestry.
The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme(AECS)remains a priority, with the 2024 round increasing funding by £3.9 million compared to the previous year. AECS is expected to continue until 2026, delivering vital Tier 3 environmental measures, before transitioning to new Elective Support from 2027. Additionally, the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS), with a funding allocation of £14 million, has been introduced to support climate-friendly farming, enhance efficiency, and promote environmental sustainability. The development of Enhanced Greening will provide further biodiversity benefits, ensuring farmers and crofters have access to a range of options to contribute to Scotland’s biodiversity goals.
By embedding biodiversity mapping into farming operations, offering simplified processes, and the piloting of innovative tools like NatureScot’s Farm Biodiversity Scotland digital tool, the Scottish Government is creating a strong framework to halt biodiversity decline. These measures, alongside continued investment, collectively empower Scotland’s agricultural sector to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets with confidence, while ensuring agricultural sustainability.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the squid fishery bycatch research that is being carried out by the Marine Directorate.
Answer
Scottish Government officials have been working in collaboration with stakeholders from industry and eNGOs as part of a co-management group to develop a squid fishing trial; this includes representatives from Shetland.
The inshore squid fishing season is yet to be underway, therefore no data has yet been collected in the trial. Work on the trial has concentrated on establishing and developing the project, and officials in Marine Directorate will provide further updates once the season has commenced and data has been gathered.