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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: S6W-15795

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to support people who qualify for free dental care, but who cannot access any NHS dental care due to there being no dental practices accepting NHS patients in their NHS board area.

We are working closely with the dental sector to ensure it has the support necessary to offer continuity of NHS care to patients. This includes Scottish Government providing Scottish Dental Access Initiative Grants and Recruitment and Retention Allowances to dentists and dental practices.

Scottish Dental Access Initiative Grants support pays out a potential £100,000 for the first surgery, and £25,000 per additional surgery to practices setting up a new NHS practice, or extending an existing NHS practice. The Recruitment and Retention Allowance provides up to £37,500 across three years to eligible NHS dentists in qualifying areas.

Question reference: S6W-15708

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position on the World Health Organization’s assessment that restricting alcohol marketing is one of the most cost-effective measures to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm.

Our recent consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion reflects the WHO’s recommended approach and sets out a range of potential options to restrict alcohol advertising and promotion, in order to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms.

The consultation closed on 9 March. An independent contractor will comprehensively analyse the responses and publish a report. We will then further consider possible restrictions.

Question reference: S6W-15796

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on families on low incomes of an inability to access NHS dental treatment.

Question reference: S6W-15624

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions regarding the proposed Scottish Deposit Return Scheme have (a) the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, (b) the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport and (c) any other Scottish Government minister had with the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has been following the agreed process for excluding the deposit return scheme regulations from the Internal Market Act.

We first raised the issue with the UK Government in 2021, and on 28 February 2023 we published correspondence and a timeline setting out the steps that have been undertaken to secure an exclusion. Internal Market Act: correspondence - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

On 6 March I met with Ministers and Senior Officials from each UK administration at the inter-ministerial group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask for an urgent decision from the UK Government for securing an exclusion from the Internal Market Act.

I will keep Parliament updated on further developments.

Question reference: S6W-14801

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a list of any disused train (a) stations and (b) lines that it is currently considering reopening.

Transport Scotland has a highly successful record of reintroducing stations and routes to the network, reconnecting and bringing new opportunities to Scotland’s communities. These include the Airdrie to Bathgate line and the Borders Railway, and most recently, the reopening of Reston Station. A new station at East Linton is expected to open before the end of this control period. Work is well underway on the Levenmouth Railway, which will enter service in 2024, reversing historical closure and returning stations and new journeys and economic opportunities to the communities surrounding Leven and Cameron Bridge.

Question reference: S6W-15760

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish in full the data shared with it by individual housing associations on their planned rent increases that "indicates that the average rent increase will be around 6.1% across the country" in 2023-24, as referred to in the Scottish Government and Housing Associations' Statement of Intent on Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis 2023-24, and whether it will provide a list of any notified rent increases, broken down by housing association.

The Scottish Housing Regulator rather than the Scottish Government is the body which collects data on planned rent increases as part of their role to monitor social landlords performance against the Scottish Social Housing Charter. They have published details of the rent increases which Scottish social landlords will apply in 2023-24 for social housing tenants. The report shows average rent increases by social landlord's will be 5%. Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator

The survey report, based on returns from 136 RSLs and the 29 local authorities that have housing stock, includes average percentage increase applied by landlords, the median rent increase and actual rent increases applied by each landlord.

Question reference: S6W-15936

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the responses to the 20% car km reduction route map consultation will be published.

Question reference: S6W-15759

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring whether the average housing association rent increase will be around 6.1% on average across the country in 2023-24, as referred to in the Scottish Government and Housing Associations' Statement of Intent on Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis 2023-24.

We have worked intensively with social landlords to develop an agreement on below-inflation rent increases for the next financial year. The Scottish Housing Regulator has published details of the rent increases which Scottish social landlords will apply in 2023-24 for social housing tenants. The report shows average rent increases by social landlords will be 5%. Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator

These increases, based on consultations with tenants, will strike an appropriate balance between protecting tenants and ensuring that landlords can maintain a balance between affordability and sustainable investment in social housing for public good.

Question reference: S6W-15786

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to address the situation whereby the available noise budget at Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is being allocated to Section 36 wind farm projects at scoping stage, while wind farm applications to Dumfries and Galloway Council have to wait until the application is submitted to be allocated a share of any available noise budget.

Safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and any decision to amend the seismic noise budget for the array is a decision for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the seismic noise budget for the Eskdalemuir consultation zone has been consumed and that currently the Ministry of Defence will object to all developments within the consultation zone, both Section 36 applications and local planning applications, in order to protect the operation of the array.

Question reference: S6W-15761

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which registered social landlords have consulted on an above-average rent increase, as referred to in the Scottish Government and Housing Associations' Statement of Intent on Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis 2023-24.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on what rent increase options individual social landlords consulted their tenants on. The Scottish Housing Regulator report on the rent increases social landlords will apply in 2023-24 Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator includes details of actual rent increases applied by each landlord.