- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its draft Budget 2025-26, whether it has reached its target of allocating at least £1.8 billion to support the Heat in Buildings programme over the current parliamentary session and, if not, what the allocation is.
Answer
With the draft 25-26 budget allocation, the total allocation for Heat in Buildings within this parliamentary session is £1.7bn.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government by what date the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour will publish its report setting out its findings and recommendations, and whether the group has made specific enquiries into young people's behaviour on public transport as part of its investigation.
Answer
The Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour is reporting to Ministers, Cosla and Police Scotland by the end of 2024. Its remit was to: Consider the effectiveness of current approaches to understanding, preventing and tackling antisocial behaviour and if, and how, these could be improved to develop a holistic long term strategic approach which will help to improve the lives of communities across Scotland. This should include consideration of whether a preventative approach would be appropriate and how victims of antisocial behaviour are supported and whether this could be improved.
As part of its engagement work it met with a number of representatives from the transport sector who had also been invited to respond to a national data survey commissioned by the Working Group. This report will be published in the first quarter of 2025 and will be considered by Scottish Ministers, Police Scotland and Cosla prior to a formal response.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline is for carrying out the Scottish Climate Survey, which aims to assess public awareness and understanding of the heat transition, and by what date this will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Climate Survey is gathering data on public awareness and understanding of a variety of climate-related topics, including the heat transition. Data collection began in October 2024 and is continuing until January 2025. A report of findings is expected to be published by April 2025.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the Heat in Buildings: progress report 2024, what action it is taking to strengthen the sources and quality of data on the number of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic properties operating with zero emissions heating, including heat pumps, heat networks and electric heating.
Answer
Our progress report highlighted gaps in data that made reporting on some areas challenging, particularly heat networks and non-domestic properties.
Future reporting of heat network data will be improved through the introduction of a new GB-wide heat network authorisation and consumer protection regime. Ofgem have recently published Heat networks regulation: authorisation and regulatory oversight consultation which provides details on the registration and monitoring.
On non-domestic properties specifically, we continue to work with the Energy Saving Trust to improve reporting through further development of the Non-Domestic Analytics database. The database aims to provide a comprehensive resource on the non-domestic building stock in Scotland.
The data presented on domestic properties are comprehensive, being based on the Scottish Household Condition Survey (designated as Accredited Official Statistics). We will, however, continue to look for improvements in future reporting where possible.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to integrate inshore fisheries management with regional planning.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22894 on 27 November 2023.
The National Marine Plan (NMP2) will inform if, where, when and how development takes place and provide guidance on reaching those decisions.
The regulation and management of activities are covered by sector specific regulations outside of planning. Fisheries management measures form part of our ecosystem-based management but are not a national or regional marine planning matter.
We have a live call for evidence under our Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement (IFMI) Programme, which closes on 04 February 2025. This seeks expert input to help us transition to a more agile management model and enable a regional approach.
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: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the reportedly significant detrimental economic impact of endometriosis on women, including in relation to employment and workplace support.
Answer
Within the Women’s Health Plan we committed to improve access for women to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis across the public, private and third sector.
The NHSScotland Menopause and Menstrual Health Policy was launched on 31 October 2023 with supporting resources, including line managers, workplace adjustment guides, and signposting to more information on symptoms and conditions including endometriosis. These are intended for use more widely across a variety of employment sectors and are available on the National Wellbeing Hub, which is accessible to the public.
Self-employed women can access free and confidential advice and health support from Working Health Services Scotland which is a Scottish Government funded NHS service that provides advice for people who are self-employed or working in companies with 250 or less employees and have a health condition or injury which they feel is impacting on their work.
The health and wellbeing of women at work is a key element of fair work. We know that conditions such as endometriosis can limit women’s opportunities to do their job to the best of their ability, remain in work and progress in the same way men can.
As employment law is reserved, Scottish Government has no power to mandate employers across Scotland to provide specific support to women experiencing health conditions. Our role is to encourage employers to recognise and take action to reduce the barriers that some of their workers can face when entering, progressing and remaining in work. To that end, we promote fair work practices through mechanisms such as our Fair Work First approach to public funding and its accompanying Fair Work First Guidance which explicitly highlights to employers that offering quality flexible working arrangements is of particular benefit to women experiencing menstrual health issues or menopause while at work. Asking employers to offer flexible working from day one of employment has been a principle of Fair Work First since October 2021.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when Regional Marine Plans will be developed for the remainder of the Scottish Marine Regions.
Answer
The Scottish Government published the formal response to the final report of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (ECCLR) Committee Inquiry into Regional Marine Planning in Scotland in August 2023.
As part of this response, the Scottish Government has provided a clear approach to regional marine planning moving forward, with the position that no further MPPs should be established until after the adoption of the updated National Marine Plan (NMP2). This is with the exception of the Western Isles, where early work on developing an MPP had already commenced.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following emergency admission into hospital in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.
Answer
It is not possible to provide information on the number of patients who were newly diagnosed with COPD following an emergency admission.
Figures presented in Table 1 provide the number of emergency inpatient hospital stays associated with a main diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by year.
Table 1
Year of admission | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Number of emergency inpatient stays | 12,345 | 13,260 | 14,083 |
Number of distinct individuals | 8,362 | 9,257 | 9,954 |
Source: Public Health Scotland SMR01
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any impact of adopting ultra-high frequency electronic identification technology on the trade of Scottish beef in Europe.
Answer
Scottish Ministers are currently considering all the available information on bovine EID and technology and any potential impacts it may have, including on trade. This includes the results and analysis of the Consultation on Cattle ID and Traceability held earlier this year.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 December 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that women with endometriosis are supported in the workplace, including protection from discrimination, implementation of reasonable adjustments and incorporation of menstrual health into workplace wellbeing initiatives.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32178 on 19 December 2024. 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.
