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-20571

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many households in Scotland have received support through boiler replacement schemes in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government operated a boiler scrappage scheme from May 2010 to March 2013. Details of the number of boilers replaced through this and other historic schemes funded by the Scottish Government are published on the Energy Saving Trust website .

Since 2013 the Scottish Government has provided help with the cost of replacement heating systems as part of our wider energy efficiency schemes. These include Area Based Schemes launched in 2013 and Warmer Homes Scotland which replaced the previous Energy Assistance Scheme in September 2015.

The Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback scheme was launched in 2016. Since December 2022, the Scottish Government only provides support towards the costs of replacement heating systems with low or zero direct emissions through the new Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme.

Table 1. Households receiving support with a replacement heating system through the Home Energy Scotland Loan and Cashback Scheme (now HES Grant and Loan)

Local Authority	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
Aberdeen City	32	35	64	26	36	26
Aberdeenshire	34	33	35	42	83	69
Angus	19	22	12	12	28	26
Argyll & Bute	9	15	14	17	34	32
City of Edinburgh	101	94	73	43	87	113
Clackmannanshire	3	6	4	8	4	8
Dumfries & Galloway	14	22	22	22	41	29
Dundee City	35	37	17	8	21	13
East Ayrshire	11	15	13	8	19	26
East Dunbartonshire	11	15	4	7	25	24
East Lothian	21	16	20	12	33	30
East Renfrewshire	15	10	3	6	18	21
Falkirk	22	22	16	14	18	31
Fife	64	74	47	38	81	73
Glasgow City	44	53	36	20	35	42
Highland	59	39	36	48	109	105
Inverclyde	4	7	5	3	16	6
Midlothian	10	12	10	4	11	25
Moray	4	6	11	14	29	33
Na h-Eileanan Siar	4	8	3	3	8	11
North Ayrshire	15	28	11	13	21	13
North Lanarkshire	28	30	10	12	14	28
Orkney Islands	4	3	10	12	31	14
Perth & Kinross	18	28	21	27	50	70
Renfrewshire	14	23	14	6	26	23
Scottish Borders	17	27	22	26	47	42
Shetland Islands	8	6	5	10	20	7
South Ayrshire	16	17	7	13	22	25
South Lanarkshire	29	42	29	22	41	55
Stirling	14	27	19	16	28	37
West Dunbartonshire	3	5	4	2	6	5
West Lothian	20	23	22	13	15	50
Total	702	800	619	527	1057	1112

Replacement heating systems have also been installed through our Warmer Homes Scotland scheme which is targeted at those in or at risk of fuel poverty.

Table 2. Households receiving support with a heating system through Warmer Homes Scotland

Local authority	15-16	16-17	17-18	18-19	19-20	20-21	21-22	22-23
Aberdeen City	39	121	93	100	64	71	109	130
Aberdeenshire	56	193	144	115	98	74	146	144
Angus	29	118	87	75	54	39	90	116
Argyll & Bute	24	127	91	85	74	49	92	73
City of Edinburgh	59	259	250	201	180	159	311	334
Clackmannanshire	14	47	30	29	29	20	34	60
Dumfries & Galloway	59	178	205	145	120	79	155	129
Dundee City	55	181	193	112	87	93	146	164
East Ayrshire	36	102	85	61	84	57	120	92
East Dunbartonshire	25	75	58	55	65	55	100	69
East Lothian	20	66	43	50	49	32	60	98
East Renfrewshire	24	61	69	60	49	43	72	62
Falkirk	34	92	96	71	89	74	116	112
Fife	104	329	315	228	216	196	333	408
Glasgow City	132	408	432	388	348	347	540	467
Highland	72	435	293	199	156	109	192	160
Inverclyde	26	218	145	110	125	66	134	114
Midlothian	20	67	59	56	54	41	73	87
Moray	17	81	66	47	52	40	69	73
Na h-Eileanan Siar	5	89	144	85	82	50	50	20
North Ayrshire	45	131	92	68	81	53	123	123
North Lanarkshire	84	320	254	222	242	235	353	339
Orkney Islands	6	27	29	24	21	10	16	9
Perth & Kinross	41	118	115	83	70	58	102	117
Renfrewshire	56	154	156	115	119	80	166	163
Scottish Borders	21	95	101	62	57	42	70	81
Shetl& Islands	1	6	44	28	34	17	32	29
South Ayrshire	29	132	108	64	76	48	104	108
South Lanarkshire	81	299	284	169	224	213	340	336
Stirling	25	56	56	32	43	24	45	55
West Dunbartonshire	18	67	52	55	51	46	78	56
West Lothian	33	122	111	103	82	68	147	169
Total	1,290	4,774	4,300	3,297	3,175	2,588	4,518	4,497

Information about the number and type of measures delivered by local councils since 2013 through Area Based Schemes is published on the Scottish Government website.

Details of the number of replacement heating systems funded as part of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme since 2013 are published by the UK Government .

Question reference: S6W-20581

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of CodeClan entering liquidation, what assessment it has made of how the loss of the digital skills academy will impact its ambition to establish Scotland as a leading destination for tech companies.

Codebase, the operator of Scotland's Techscaler network, has acquired CodeClan’s training materials and other assets. The Scottish Government has agreed to provide financial support to Codebase for the explicit purpose of allowing students who have paid for courses to complete their studies.

We look forward to working Codebase and other partners to ensure the provision of quality, modular skills training is continued and enhanced.

In the meantime, Scotland’s tech sector is served by a world class post-16 education system which each year generates thousands of skilled graduates in key technological disciplines.

Question reference: S6W-20565

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers are currently trained in identifying dyslexia.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland’s (GTCS) Standard for Full Registration, which is the benchmark for competence required of all registered teachers, outlines that all teachers are required to demonstrate a depth of knowledge and understanding of pedagogical and learning theories, and draw on these appropriately to inform practice in areas such as dyslexia. Furthermore, the GTCS Guidelines for Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programmes, are clear that programmes should expose all students to national priorities and pedagogies to develop their understanding and practice in areas such as dyslexia.

Over 700 teachers have GTCS registration in additional support needs which is available to those with appropriate qualifications.

Question reference: S6W-20537

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last undertook a review of the school estate, and what the conclusions were.

The Scottish Government collects information on the condition, suitability and capacity of all local authority schools in the annual School Estates Core Facts Survey. Information is also collected on schools that were built or substantially refurbished during the previous year. The latest School Estate Statistics were published on 5 September and are available on the Scottish Government website .

The Scottish Government’s School Estates Core Facts Survey show that we have a record number of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition in Scotland. Moreover, the proportion of schools in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased from 61% in April 2007 to 90.7% in April 2023.

Question reference: S6O-02517

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Fraser of Allander survey that found that only 9% of businesses felt that the Scottish Government understands the business landscape in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02513

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the regeneration plans for Glasgow’s "Golden Z" will deliver the jobs and opportunities needed to grow the city’s economy.

Question reference: S6O-02512

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it will provide to support the work of the Inverclyde Task Force, including in relation to investment in facilities at Ferguson Marine.

Question reference: S6O-02515

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it agreed the Investment Zones selection method with the UK Government.

Question reference: S6O-02516

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the recommendation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to "develop statutory guidance on the use of restraint on children to ensure that it is used only as a measure of last resort and exclusively to prevent harm to the child or others and monitor its implementation".

Question reference: S6O-02514

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Gas Safety Week taking place this week, what engagement it has had with community safety organisations regarding action to improve gas safety awareness.