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-21170

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any properties that it has purchased in the last two years for the purpose of housing asylum seekers, including the cost of any such purchases, and the number of any asylum seekers who have been housed in each property.

The Scottish Government has not purchased any properties for the purpose of housing people seeking asylum.

Asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes responsibility for providing accommodation to people seeking asylum who would otherwise be destitute while awaiting a decision on their asylum application from the Home Office. The Scottish Government has no control of these processes.

Question reference: S6W-21035

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase transparency in the four-tiered payment structure in its proposed Agriculture Bill.

Question reference: S6W-21173

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the next review of fire safety regulations in Scotland will commence.

As referred to in answer to question S6W-21174 on 15 September 2023, the Scottish Government continue to keep the Fire (Scotland) Act (2005), related Fire Safety (Scotland) regulations (2006) and all relevant fire safety guidance under continuous review. 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-20989

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20667 by Paul McLennan on 4 September 2023, whether it will provide the information requested regarding whether its More Homes Division is subject to a recruitment cap; if so, when any such cap was put in place and when it is expected to end, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Workforce numbers are reviewed regularly to make sure the Scottish Government is delivering its policy priorities efficiently and effectively. Enhanced recruitment controls are in place to ensure best value for taxpayers’ money, however these operate at the level of the Scottish Government, and there is no specific recruitment cap set centrally with workforce decisions managed across directorates and their divisions.

Question reference: S6W-21142

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the on-the-spot checks proposed in the Agriculture Bill will not increase stress and strain among farmers, thereby potentially worsening their mental health.

Question reference: S6W-20984

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to review the regulation of property factors.

The Scottish Government revised the Code of Conduct for Property Factors in August 2021 to make it clearer, to drive up standards and to improve transparency and consistency. The changes ensured that the Code remains up to date and responds to concerns raised by homeowners.

There is evidence that the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 is working as intended. However, officials will be taking a wider look at the operation of the property factor sector to see what more can be done to promote an ongoing improvement in standards in line with the requirements currently set out in legislation.

Question reference: S6W-21139

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the inclusion of provisions in the Agriculture Bill that would allow for punitive measures, such as fines, to be imposed for not meeting high standards or participating in livestock data collection.

Question reference: S6W-21174

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the next review of fire safety regulations in Scotland will incorporate changes that are already in place in England and Wales.

The Scottish Government continues to keep the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, Fire Safety (Scotland) regulations 2006 and all relevant fire safety guidance under continuous review.

The legislative regime relative to fire safety in Scotland is different to that in England and Wales and Scottish Government officials have regular discussions with colleagues across the UK to understand any regulatory or guidance changes made.

Question reference: S6W-21034

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to respond to the concerns expressed in the consultation on the Agriculture Bill that commercial forestry will not benefit local communities.

A consultation on the Bill’s proposals ran from 29 August 2022 to 5 December 2022, where a wide range of views were received. On 22 June 2023, the Scottish Government published the Agriculture Bill - Analysis of Consultation Responses which details the findings of this extended engagement.

As is convention, following consultation on proposed legislation, Ministers are considering the views received to inform a new Agriculture Bill which will be introduced in 2023. In turn, Parliament will consider the proposals and provide further comment on draft proposals, accordingly.

Question reference: S6W-21097

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it has included COVID-19 in NHS winter preparedness plans.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the totality of the Health and Social Care system deal with emerging pressures including any rise in COVID-19. In partnership with COSLA, we are developing the Winter Plan for 2023/24, working collaboratively with local systems and partners to ensure that the necessary steps are being taken now to support system resilience including preparations for the impact of COVID-19. This plan will be published in October. We will continue to monitor the situation in relation to COVID-19 over the course of winter and stand ready to enact the National Response Framework if needed.