- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been awarded in Private Water Supply Grants to (a) homes and (b) commercial premises in the South Scotland region, in each year since 2007.
Answer
The Private Water Supply Grant is a demand led scheme which involves private water supply users and owners making an application to their local authority. The local authority reimbursement claims combine the total for all grants awarded, rather than distinguishing between home and commercial claims. Between the years of 2007 - 2022, the South Scotland region was awarded a total of £3,627,986.80. The breakdown for each year is:
2007-08 | £89,303 |
2008-09 | £298,342 |
2009-10 | £448,639 |
2010-11 | £383,092 |
2011-12 | £427,290 |
2012-13 | £601,069 |
2013-14 | £236,532 |
2014-15 | £195,815 |
2015-16 | £146,726 |
2016-17 | £89,201 |
2017-18 | £90,494 |
2018-19 | £169,968 |
2019-20 | £197,875 |
2020-21 | £73,658 |
2021-22 | £179,976 |
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the financial value of the dark web in Scotland, and what recent discussions it has had with Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency and the UK Government on this issue.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the financial value of the dark web in Scotland. Regulation of the Internet is reserved to the UK Government.
The Scottish Government maintains a close working relationship with Police Scotland, The National Crime Agency and other UK Government Departments and Agencies with respect to cyber security, cyber enabled and cyber dependent crime to ensure an effective response to the threat from cyber criminals to Scottish people and businesses.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) guns, (b) knives, (c) other offensive weapons and (d) prohibited drugs have been seized/intercepted in mail and courier delivery services by Police Scotland, including items imported from overseas, in each year since 2016.
Answer
The Scottish Government produces a range of Official Statistics that include information on crimes involving firearms, crimes of possessing an offensive weapon and drug seizures, However, we do not hold any information on the number of firearms, weapons or prohibited drugs that were specifically seized within mail and courier delivery services.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the public was reportedly not made aware of a rise in radioactive particles found between February and March 2022 on the Dounreay foreshore until eight months later, when reports appeared in the press in November 2022.
Answer
The monitoring of the Dounreay foreshore area is undertaken by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) which is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and is agreed and regulated by SEPA.
All radioactive particle finds are removed, analysed and reported on the DSRL website. The finds in February and March 2022 were reported on the DSRL website in March and April 2022. The Dounreay Stakeholder Group was also provided with information regarding the particle finds in a written update from SEPA at one of its subgroup meetings in April 2022.
The NDA and SEPA remain content that the monitoring and retrieval programme in place continues to provide appropriate protection for the public.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it (a) can take and (b) is taking to ensure that households that are eligible for a smart meter can install one.
Answer
Energy policy, including the rollout of smart meters programme, is a matter reserved to the UK Government.
Smart meters have an important role to play in helping the Scottish Government achieve our aim of increasing energy efficiency across Scotland as well as helping consumers manage their spend on energy. At the recent energy summit chaired by the First Minister, we committed to working with partners to increase the number of households with smart meters in Scotland, with a focus on rural areas, by highlighting the benefits they can deliver in terms of both energy bills and energy efficiency. As part of this work, we will continue to call upon BEIS and Ofgem to take the necessary action to ensure all households eligible for a smart meter have the opportunity to install one in their home.
In the meantime, we will continue to work with our consumer advice and advocacy partners to ensure they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and information to support consumers seeking help on managing or accessing a smart meter.
I would also urge consumers who are struggling with their energy bills to contact Energy Advice Scotland on 0808 196 8660 or at energyadvice.scot.
- Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much is allocated in the proposed Scottish Budget 2023-24 to (a) Warmer Homes Scotland, (b) its Area Based Schemes, (c) Home Energy Scotland loans and (d) the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund and "fabric first" projects, and how each of these compares with the allocations in (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23.
Answer
The figures requested are set out in the following table:
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Warmer Homes Scotland | £50m | £55m | £55m |
Area Based Schemes | £64m | £64m | £64m |
Home Energy Scotland Grants & Loans | £21m | £42m | £42m |
Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund | £20m | £30m | £60m |
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for households in rural areas in Scotland that do not have a mobile or radio signal and cannot therefore install a smart meter and receive any benefits that come with it.
Answer
I refer the member to my answer to question S6W-13660 on 19 January 2023. 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: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made, regarding any impact in Scotland, of the Welsh Government publication, Reducing restrictive practices framework.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of the Welsh publication. Similarly, we are keen to reduce, and where possible eliminate, the use of restraint in respect of children across all settings.
We are working with partners to explore definitions of restraint, along with the availability of data, guidance, training and support. We are keen that any work taken forward should focus on practice improvement and learning and development of how we support practitioners so that they are better equipped and informed.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11067 by Maree Todd on 3 October 2022, when the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement incorporating the key changes in practice from the NICE guideline will be published on the Scottish Government's website.
Answer
We are working to publish the updated Scottish Good Practice Statement as soon as possible, and anticipate that it will be published by the end of February 2023.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports on 4 January 2022 that, when excluding those aged between 16 and 24 in full-time education, 148,000 people living in Scotland have never been in employment.
Answer
Many people who report that they have never worked are suffering from long-term sickness or disability, or are looking after family. Just because someone does not have a job does not mean they are not making a valuable contribution to our economy and society.
The Scottish Government’s devolved employment support service, Fair Start Scotland, helps people with disabilities, long term health conditions and other barriers to progress into sustainable employment.
Through our Fair Work policy we are supporting the development of a labour market that is open, inclusive and offers good quality and rewarding jobs for everyone.
We are committed to developing life-long skills training opportunities, which support people to enter the workforce and enjoy valuable and rewarding careers.