Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-18185

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address the reported 84% increase in the number of Scottish applicants refused a place at Scottish universities since 2006.

The 84% quoted by the journalist is not correct. UCAS data is not comparable back to 2006 due to changes in the main UCAS cycle including the introduction of Nursing in 2010 and Teacher Training in 2015. As such, comparisons are only appropriate between 2015 and 2022.

For comparable data, between 2015 and 2022, there has been an 8% increase in Scottish domiciled applicants accepted to Scottish providers. The number of unplaced applicants over the same time period has decreased from 17,155 to 13,930, a 19% decrease.

There could be multiple reasons for applicants not securing a place. They might have accepted a place at a provider in the rest of the UK, or a Higher Education course at a Scottish College or decided to pursue a Graduate or Modern Apprenticeship, neither of which go through UCAS.

Question reference: S6W-18318

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of civil servants working on the National Care Service has been to date.

Question reference: S6W-18395

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Educational Institute of Scotland Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) was made aware of the recently announced £46 million reduction in funding for colleges and universities.

Question reference: S6W-18246

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands has to meet with shellfish businesses in Inverclyde, including Inverclyde Shellfish and its 13 staff, regarding its plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas.

It has always been our intention to develop these ambitious proposals in close collaboration with those impacted by them – in particular, people living and working in our island and coastal communities.

Prior to the consultation, we met with over 20 stakeholder groups representing a wide range of marine industries and users. We also ran ten online information sessions from February - April to help anyone wishing to provide a response to our consultation. These meetings included fisheries organisations such as the Communities Inshore Fisheries Alliance.

We continue to engage with communities and industry as we consider the many thousands of responses to our initial, broad consultation.

Local representatives of Scotland’s fishing industry are an important part of that.

Question reference: S6W-18284

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the proposed 1,000 new sewage monitors will be installed along the (a) River Dee, (b) River Don and (c) north east of Scotland in total.

Question reference: S6W-18118

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments by the chief executive of the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers, reported on 11 May 2023, that short-term lets licensing in Edinburgh constitutes a "de facto ban" on small holiday let operators, "in favour of big business".

Scotland is not alone in regulating short-term lets globally. We are doing this in two ways. The first, licensing, has been introduced to ensure short-term lets are safe and the people providing them are suitable. Guests can have confidence that licensed hosts and accommodation have reached a recognised standard of assurance complying with mandatory conditions for fire, gas, water and electrical safety. Many hosts are already complying with these through existing law or best practice, and we do not consider them onerous. Licensing authorities may also apply additional conditions to address local issues such as noise, antisocial behaviour and littering. Licence applications must be granted unless there are grounds to refuse them, for example, if anybody named on an application is not a fit and proper person. We are unable to comment on the specific short term let licensing policy in Edinburgh, due to ongoing legal proceedings.

The second, control areas, can be designated by councils where short-term lets are causing problems for neighbours and making it harder for people to find homes to live in. From the point of designation, the change of use to provide short-term lets in accommodation that is not a host’s only or principal home will always require planning permission. It is for councils to decide whether a control area is needed to help them manage high concentrations of short-term lets.

Question reference: S6W-18162

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16710 by Jamie Hepburn on 16 May 2023, whether all parties to the Bute House Agreement agree with this policy.

The Scottish Government supports the position set out in S6W-16710, which outlined the Scottish Government’s commitment to being guided by the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Scotland on these matters.

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

Question reference: S6W-18391

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it acknowledging in November 2022 that the claim that Scotland has 25% of Europe's potential offshore wind resource was inaccurate, when it plans to publish an evidenced, data-based estimate of the true figure.

As stated in my response to S6W-17912 on 25 May 20223 “Work commenced in December 2022 to develop alternative metrics for Scotland’s offshore wind potential and the outcome of this work will be published in due course.”

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

Question reference: S6W-18252

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what research has been conducted into any barriers for young people accessing the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, and what measures have been introduced to reduce any such barriers.

The Scottish Government has listened to young people and their families about the application process and worked closely with delivery partners and local authorities to make improvements.

In light of feedback received, the Improvement Service, which runs the online portal https://getyournec.scot/nec/ made changes to the website to improve the application process and relaxed conditions on some of the proofs required.

In addition, local authorities have been working hard to support applications made offline and many have dedicated staff on hand to help those who may need additional support through the application process.

Further, towards the end of last year, the Scottish Government delivered a national marketing campaign to increase awareness and understanding of the scheme, and encourage more young people to apply.

Work is now underway on the one year evaluation study which will include questions looking at barriers to bus travel and to accessing, or using, the Young Person’s Free Bus Travel Scheme. The evaluation will collect information from children, young people and parents (both users and non-users of the scheme) about their experiences. The evaluation study will also draw on scheme cardholder data.

Question reference: S6W-18291

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what reviews have been undertaken of its menopause policy.

Menopause care and support is a top priority in our Women’s Health Plan, which was published on 20 August 2021, and runs until 2024. There are no plans to review the Women’s Health Plan or the menopause ambitions within it before this time.

The 10 menopause actions set out in the Plan aim to ensure that women have timely access to menopause support and services; healthcare professionals are aware of the impact of medical or surgical treatments to induce menopause and all women have access to a healthcare professional with an interest in menopause through primary care.

An update on the progress made since the publication of Plan on the menopause actions is outlined in the Women’s Health Plan: A Report on Progress , published on 26 January 2023.

Monthly Cost
Aug-21	£102,000
Sep-21	£106,000
Oct-21	£116,000
Nov-21	£140,000
Dec-21	£153,000
Jan-22	£184,000
Feb-22	£207,000
Mar-22	£222,000
Apr-22	£319,000
May-22	£354,000
Jun-22	£383,000
Jul-22	£399,000
Aug-22	£468,000
Sep-22	£523,000
Oct-22	£618,000
Nov-22	£989,000
Dec-22	£846,000
Jan-23	£864,000
Feb-23	£921,000
Mar-23	£858,000
Apr-23	£882,000

Annual Cost
2021-22	£1,230,000
2022-23	£7,542,000
2023-24	£882,000

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