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-24872

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what funding it has made available to increase the supply of accessible and adapted housing.

Through the 2023-24 Affordable Housing Supply Programme we are investing £752 million to support local authority strategic housing priorities, including accessible housing. All new build properties which are delivered directly by councils and social landlords should, as a minimum, meet the ‘basic’ requirement within the Housing for Varying Needs Design guide. This guide incorporates the ‘barrier free’ concept of accessibility and is a key reference document for the affordable housing sector in Scotland.

We support registered social landlords to undertake adaptations to their properties, and in 2023-24 we are making available £11 million for this purpose. Adaptations in Glasgow and Edinburgh are funded separately within those local authorities’ Affordable Housing Supply Programme allocations as part of the Transfer of the Management of Development Funding arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-24871

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to a supplementary to question S6O-03013 by Emma Roddick on 25 January 2024, whether it will detail the ways in which it is “increasing the supply of accessible and adapted housing”.

We continue to take forward our commitments to improving the accessibility and adaptability of new homes in Scotland. Work to review and update the Housing for Varying Needs design guide, applicable to homes delivered with support through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, remains in progress. This will inform the development of a new Scottish Accessible Homes Standard which we expect to be implemented through changes to building standards from 2025-26 and would apply to the delivery of all new homes, regardless of tenure.

As we set out in our commitment in Housing to 2040 we are taking forward a review of the current housing adaptations system and will make recommendations on how best to improve and streamline the system and maximise the impact of investment.

Question reference: S6W-24679

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a list of voluntary sector organisations in receipt of Scottish Government funding that have received a reduction in their award, including the amount of any such reductions, in each of the last three financial years.

Question reference: S6W-24675

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23223 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 December 2023, in light of its commitment to issue notifications of funding arrangements to third sector organisations no later than the end of March for funding beginning on 1 April, what processes it plans to put in place in relation to third sector funding in 2024 to ensure that this commitment is met.

As I said to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee on 25 January, we are absolutely committed to pursuing our commitments to Fairer Funding for the third sector through the 2024-25 budget process. This includes providing early notification of grants to organisations as soon as is practically possible and before the end March 2024 for funding beginning on 1 April.

The budget process is still ongoing. I will provide a further update to parliament on the implementation of this commitment after the end March 2024.

Question reference: S6W-24860

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what additional (a) advice and (b) support is available to anyone concerned that they have been the victim of a spray foam insulation scam, in light of reports from Trading Standards Scotland that it has seen a 42% rise in consumer complaints about insulation scams in the last year.

The regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government therefore the Scottish Government cannot take all the action it would like to do in this area. However, we recognise the importance of consumers being confident that any work carried out is done to a high standard.

On the matter of advice, we encourage anyone considering energy efficiency upgrades to seek expert advice from trusted sources, such as the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland service. We also fund support for consumers who have such concerns in the form of a Scotland-specific consumer advice service that provides clear, practical advice on all consumer issues, including scams prevention. Anyone seeking this kind of help should contact Advice Direct Scotland at https://consumeradvice.scot/ and also on 0808 164 6000.

Using installers such as TrustMark registered businesses is a requirement of accessing Scottish Government funding for energy efficiency work. By adopting these standards for our own schemes we hope to encourage a greater level of skills and competence in the industry more generally and foster a more secure sector that householders can be confident in regardless of how their work is funded.

The UK Government’s role extends to the ability to legislate in ways that can provide increasing protection for consumers against scams of all kinds, and which it would be expected to review in the face or emergence of specific instances or patterns which require a distinct or additional approach.

Question reference: S6W-24678

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the review of charity regulation will be conducted independently of it.

Building on the recent passage of the Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Act 2023, the Scottish Government has committed to work with the third sector and partners to develop the scope for a wider review of charity regulation.

No decisions have yet been taken on how the review will be conducted. The approach will depend on the agreed scope, timescales and outcomes and all options, including an independent review, will be considered.

My officials are currently working on proposals for engaging stakeholders which will ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to contribute their views on the purpose and scope of the review. I will update parliament on our plans in due course.

Question reference: S6W-24676

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector grants to third sector organisations are resourced to accommodate the payment of (a) at least the Real Living Wage and (b) annual uplifts to staff, to support organisations to meet its Fair Work First criteria and be Fair Work employers.

The Draft Budget continues to recognise the critical role that the third sector plays in supporting the delivery of key services in Scotland’s communities. We are keenly aware of the pressures on the third sector at this time. The financial environment is extremely difficult while demand for services is increasing. Additionally, Fairer Funding is part of a series of steps to address this difficult financial environment within Scottish Government funding for third sector organisations.

(a) Regarding Fair Work First conditionality, the Scottish Government has sought to implement these principles across all government portfolios, updating grant obligations to meet the new conditionality requirements from July 2023. Monitoring compliance with Fair Work First principles, including the requirements to pay workers at least the real Living Wage and provide appropriate channels for effective voice, is the responsibility of individual grant managers across government and of relevant funders across the wider public sector. It takes place within existing grant assurance and monitoring processes, as with any other condition of grant, such as agreed outcomes.

Where exceptions to the mandatory grant requirements are applied, grant managers are asked to record these. This information will be requested and collated at the end of the financial year.

(b) It is for individual grant-makers and funders to determine the value of individual grants within their overall budget limitations. Real Living Wage conditionality is concerned with uplifting low pay workers to at least the real Living Wage. Any further pay increases an employer wishes to introduce above and beyond this will be a matter for the employer concerned.

Question reference: S6W-24677

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that public sector grants to third sector organisations are resourced to accommodate (a) payment of the Real Living Wage and (b) annual uplifts to staff, to support organisations to meet its Fair Work First criteria and to be Fair Work employers.

Question reference: S6W-24674

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide details of the specific measures that will be included within its Fairer Funding approach to voluntary sector funding.

The Scottish Government is committed to adopting fairer funding principles within its management of third sector grants. This approach aims to provide security and certainty, allowing organisations to build resilience, capacity and effective relationships across the public, third and private sectors. The application of these Fairer Funding principles include a commitment to embed a multi-year grant approach on all third sector grants by 2026, and the First Minister committed to increasing the number of two-year grants at The Gathering in 2023.

Additionally, we are reviewing grant management practice across the Scottish Government with a view to ensure proportional and consistent reporting methods across Scottish Government third sector grant management, and are committed to ensuring early notification of funding arrangements by the end of the financial year.

Question reference: S6T-01752

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by Homes for Scotland highlighting that almost 700,000 households in Scotland are in housing need.