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-07276

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many children have attended outdoor education centres in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-07261

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many playparks have been replaced or refurbished by local authorities in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-07285

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether its ministers will personally pay the Workplace Parking Levy for their ministerial cars.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides local authorities with a discretionary power to set up workplace parking licensing (WPL) schemes. It will be for local authorities to decide whether to implement a WPL scheme in their local area, and to make decisions on how their local scheme will operate.

If implemented by local authorities, the WPL charge will be levied on employers and it will be a matter for employers, including the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament to decide whether they pass the cost of schemes onto employees. However, no specific workplace parking licensing schemes have yet been proposed.

Question reference: S6W-07389

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the reported £290 million that it will receive in Barnett consequentials, as a result of UK Government spending in relation to energy bills and council tax, will be spent on.

Despite the promised £290 million from the UK Government not turning out to be net additional funding, given the offsetting reductions they applied to their prior funding estimates, the Scottish Government during the Budget Bill Stage 3 debate on 10 February, detailed additional support worth around £290 million for our cost of living response. £150 is being provided to everyone in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, and to everyone in council tax bands A to D, as well as certain households exempt from council tax. This is worth around £280 million, plus £10 million to continue our Fuel Insecurity Fund.

Question reference: S6W-07271

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment or estimate it has made of the amount of asbestos in publicly-owned buildings in each local authority area, and what information it has on any equivalent estimates for non-publicly-owned buildings.

The management of asbestos in buildings is a reserved matter for the UK Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has UK wide responsibility for enforcement of the legislation and regulations.

My officials asked the HSE for information on current activities to collect data on the number of premises containing asbestos either publicly or privately-owned. There is no requirement on any authority to collect data, and in recent evidence to the UK Parliament Work and Pensions Committee, HSE confirmed that the exact number of business premises in Great Britain containing asbestos is not known. There is however a duty on owners of any premises to know whether their building contains asbestos and to manage it in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

HSE is currently carrying out a statutory, five yearly, review of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Part of the cost benefit analysis for the report which is due to be published in the summer will include estimates about the number of premises containing asbestos. HSE has also given a commitment that future research will address the number of business premises containing asbestos.

Question reference: S6W-07384

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law in relation to (a) local government, (b) the NHS and (c) other devolved public bodies in Scotland.

While we do not currently have such plans under consideration, we always keep such matters under review. However, we do continue to engage with MOD as it seeks to further embed the Armed Forces Covenant into legislation through the Armed Forces Act, which received Royal Assent on 15 December. We worked closely with MOD in advance of its introduction to ensure it is fit for purpose in Scotland and continue to work with MOD as they develop the statutory guidance. However, we are satisfied that the Covenant provisions in the Armed Forces Act do not fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-07290

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people registered as homeless have undergone cancer screening in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S6W-07275

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many children have undertaken cycling proficiency training in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Bikeability is Scotland’s national cycle training programme for School children – designed to give pupils the skills and confidence they need to cycle safely on the road and to encourage them to carry on cycling into adulthood. The Scottish Government hold data on the level of training provision from 2010, this is published each year by Cycling Scotland. Since 2010 more than 350,000 pupils have received cycle training in Scotland.

The following table shows the percentage of primary schools delivering Level 2 Bikeability training for each year broken down by local authority. The entries showing "no return" reflect that Argyll & Bute, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire delivered alternative training. Argyll and Bute and East Ayrshire started delivering Bikeability training in 2020-21.

LOCAL AUTHORITY	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
Aberdeen City	21%	25%	31%	57%	68%	62%	68%	42%	47%	9%	27%
Aberdeenshire	93%	93%	76%	91%	91%	63%	80%	79%	85%	27%	51%
Angus	74%	72%	74%	57%	43%	45%	50%	67%	78%	41%	71%
Argyll & Bute	45%	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	pilot started
Clackmannanshire	11%	11%	37%	37%	39%	44%	17%	33%	100%	33%	100%
Dumfries & Galloway	70%	73%	47%	30%	29%	41%	43%	38%	36%	4%	5%
Dundee	0%	0%	3%	23%	29%	17%	11%	53%	91%	67%	82%
East Ayrshire	7%	9%	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	pilot started
East Dunbartonshire	5%	3%	5%	24%	14%	8%	22%	15%	67%	76%	94%
East Lothian	0%	0%	11%	26%	29%	23%	29%	41%	49%	24%	47%
East Renfrewshire	33%	40%	70%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	0%	100%
Edinburgh	29%	40%	52%	72%	70%	48%	68%	60%	53%	7%	26%
Falkirk	4%	6%	10%	8%	22%	12%	4%	6%	8%	19%	6%
Fife	31%	21%	16%	16%	18%	21%	36%	22%	29%	23%	24%
Glasgow	4%	4%	15%	28%	25%	34%	29%	35%	34%	22%	33%
Highland	34%	28%	16%	29%	28%	29%	36%	21%	30%	12%	15%
Inverclyde	4%	21%	35%	10%	30%	30%	20%	15%	26%	0%	5%
Midlothian	10%	40%	63%	87%	63%	63%	81%	75%	69%	22%	41%
Moray	96%	65%	58%	47%	62%	49%	37%	40%	56%	27%	62%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%	96%	100%	0%	100%
North Ayrshire	0%	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return	No return
North Lanarkshire	0%	7%	5%	0%	4%	No return	9%	10%	11%	15%	29%
Orkney	40%	40%	65%	95%	90%	65%	68%	63%	58%	37%	90%
Perth & Kinross	91%	61%	40%	37%	34%	62%	52%	51%	61%	26%	67%
Renfrewshire	6%	8%	22%	29%	20%	22%	20%	22%	29%	10%	59%
Scottish Borders	54%	54%	43%	8%	27%	29%	31%	31%	8%	2%	25%
Shetland	100%	53%	45%	90%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	25%	100%
South Ayrshire	79%	55%	73%	76%	83%	76%	81%	83%	88%	44%	34%
South Lanarkshire	0%	10%	17%	28%	39%	34%	39%	39%	43%	15%	10%
Stirling	17%	18%	5%	43%	65%	68%	50%	72%	66%	26%	58%
West Dunbartonshire	9%	12%	9%	21%	44%	41%	49%	56%	59%	13%	38%
West Lothian	21%	0%	15%	15%	15%	15%	17%	11%	26%	9%	9%
TOTALS	32%	32%	35%	37%	40%	38%	42%	42%	47%	20%	37%

Question reference: S6W-07265

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the definition of domestic abuse in England and Wales in relation to how it differs from the definition in Scotland and how this could be reviewed and changed.

Since the late 1990s, an agreed definition of domestic abuse has been used to collate information on domestic abuse incidents within Scotland. This definition was progressed by the then Scottish Office and agreed through consultation with key justice agencies and stakeholders. It is as follows:

‘Domestic abuse is any form of physical, non-physical, or sexual abuse which takes place within the context of a close relationship, committed either in the home or elsewhere. This relationship will be between partners (married, co-habiting or otherwise) or ex-partners.’

The Scottish Government has considered the statutory definition of domestic abuse contained at Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 which relates to England and Wales. The principal practical difference between the definition contained in that Act and the Scottish definition above is that domestic abuse does not extend in Scotland so as to include abuse between certain relatives who are not partners or ex-partners.

The Scottish Government recognises that abuse can be committed by people who are not a person's partner or ex-partner, including by other family members. However, in line with the views of the majority of stakeholders who responded to Scottish Government consultations that led to the development of recent legislation concerning domestic abuse, the Scottish Government considers that it is appropriate that this legislation applies specifically to partners and ex-partners. This is because abuse committed by a person's partner or ex-partner typically has a dynamic that differs from violence or abuse more generally, including where this abuse occurs within a family between, for example, siblings or parents and their adult children. There is a range of existing legislation that can be used to address familial abuse.

While the Scottish Government keeps the law under continual review to ensure that it is effective, there are no current plans to amend the definition of domestic abuse in Scotland to cover abuse perpetrated by family members who are not partners or ex-partners.

Question reference: S6W-07279

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had as part of its review of the continued role of the BS 8414 standard in Scotland, and what was discussed at each meeting.

The Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel 2020-22, with remit to review the use of BS 8414, has met on four separate occasions and the meeting minutes for the first three meetings which include the BS 8414 discussions can be accessed at:

Building Standards (Fire Safety) Review Panel 2021-2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The fourth and final meeting minutes are due to be published by the end of March 2022.