Chamber and committees

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.

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Question reference: S6W-27748

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the revised guidance on relationships, sexual health and parenthood education.

Question reference: S6W-27763

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether its decision to end funding of the National Parent Forum of Scotland will affect the statutory duty regarding parental involvement in school education.

Question reference: S6W-27424

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to monitor the implementation of the new repairing standards in relation to fire and electrical safety, and, if it is the case that this is the responsibility of local authorities, what requirements exist for local authorities to report their findings to the Scottish Government.

Private residential landlords in Scotland are required to register with their local authority under Part 8 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland Act) 2004 and pass the fit and proper person test. One of the considerations in the fit and proper person test is whether the applicant has contravened any provision of housing law. Landlords have a duty to ensure that property they let meets the Repairing Standard and Tolerable Standard at the start and at all times during a tenancy.

Responsibility for enforcement of the Repairing Standard lies with the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service staff carry out the administration of that tribunal.

The First Tier Tribunal will notify the relevant local authority when an application for a determination on the repairing standard is received. It is the responsibility of the local authority to investigate and take any necessary action where standards are not being met.

Enforcement arrangements for all elements of the Repairing Standard are set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.

There are no new requirements for fire safety in the Repairing Standard.

There are currently no requirements for local authorities to report to Scottish Government on the Repairing Standard.

Question reference: S6W-27430

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the recording of non-crime hate incidents under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 could have a material effect on an individual's employment or otherwise personal circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-27425

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to any reports that it has received regarding the implementation of the new repairing standards on fire and electrical safety, whether it has been made aware of any adverse personal and/or professional circumstances that have resulted from the new standards.

In the course of correspondence that the Scottish Government receives from the public and professional bodies on a range of matters, a few of those correspondence has highlighted the challenges of meeting some of the obligations that have come into effect from March 2024. Scottish Government officials are in contact where that is the case to explain the obligations and provide further clarification as may be required.

There are no new Repairing Standard requirements on fire safety.

Question reference: S6W-27677

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to review the Teacher Induction Scheme to ensure that it is fully equipped to serve the needs of schools in rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-27429

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the third supplementary to question S6O-03335 by Angela Constance on 24 April 2024, whether it can confirm if any non-crime hate incidents recorded by Police Scotland under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 will appear in any (a) disclosure and barring service check, (b) security clearance check, including a developed vetting check and (c) database check by (i) a serving officer or civil employee of Police Scotland and (ii) an employee of Disclosure Scotland, including an informal inquiry carried out with regard to current or potential employment.

In the Interim guidance published for officers on the recording of Non-Crime Hate Incidents - Police Scotland published by Police Scotland on 9 May 2024, it explains that the alleged perpetrator would usually be recorded as the ‘other party’ (unless in exceptional circumstances where there is real risk of harm or future criminal offence). When asked at the Scottish Police Authority Board Meeting on Thursday 23 May 2024 if detail on the ‘other party’ would appear on a Disclosure check, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Spiers provided reassurance that it would not.

In rare cases, Disclosure Scotland may receive other relevant information (ORI) from relevant police forces (including forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) when someone applies to join the PVG scheme, the ongoing monitoring of scheme members, or for an enhanced disclosure check.

ORI is used across the UK, with the UK Government having their own guidance to the police for the handling and processing of non-crime hate incidents in relation to disclosure checks. ORI about the applicant or scheme member can only be provided where the chief officer of a relevant police force reasonably believes it is relevant for the specific purpose of the disclosure and ought to be included on the disclosure certificate. The inclusion of any information Scottish police may hold on an individual is a decision for Police Scotland to make with regard to the statutory Guidance for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

Disclosure Scotland staff do not have access to the database on which non-crime hate incidents are recorded.

Question reference: S6W-27665

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it differentiates between a "hate crime advisor" and a "hate crime champion", and whether people who are designated as such (a) are all sworn constables and (b) have formal legal training.

Question reference: S6W-27432

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what data destruction methods and processes Police Scotland would employ to delete any recorded non-crime hate incident where it had been found not to have met the threshold for being so recorded.

Question reference: S6W-27671

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the commitment in the Fair Fares Review to develop policy to consider the best way to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum, including delivery of the one-year £2 million funding commitment for 2024-25 that was announced in October 2023.

A national pilot scheme is being developed for people seeking asylum not already eligible for free bus travel through the existing National Concessionary Travel Schemes.

This scheme will build on learning from local and regional pilots that have delivered free bus travel to people seeking asylum over recent years and will provide evidence on nationwide delivery, costs and demand.

A Working Group has been established with representatives from Transport Scotland, Third Sector organisations and those with lived experience of the asylum system. Work is progressing to establish what is affordable and practical for delivery during 2024-25 within the £2 million budget allocated.