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-24764

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 2 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines have been agreed for the carrying out of Single Building Assessments.

As set out in the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Ministers will specify the standards of the Single Building Assessment. Following a robust tendering process, we have appointed an independent contractor to develop an end-to-end Single Building Assessment. The specification will be informed by stakeholder engagement as well as drawing on experience from the pilot phase of the Cladding Remediation Programme.

Question reference: S6W-24762

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 2 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many Single Building Assessments have been carried out to date.

As of January 2024:

25 Single Building Assessments have commenced. This includes one development where the Fire Risk Assessment of the External Wall (FRAEW) has been completed and the development remediated.
3 where an SBA has not yet been commissioned but pre-assessment discussions have been held with factors and agreement secured that an SBA will be commenced through the direct procurement pathway.

Question reference: S6W-24761

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 2 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many social rented buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-24763

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 2 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what timescale has been provided to residents for the completion of the Single Building Assessment pilot programme.

Question reference: S6W-24687

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional funding will be made available to increase the number of Teachers of the Deaf to meet any increase in the number of referrals.

It is for Education Authorities to determine what teaching and support staff are required to meet the support needs of their pupils, including those affected by deafness. The level of support from a qualified Teacher of the Deaf depends upon the individual needs of each pupil.

Spending on additional support for learning by authorities has reached a record high of £830m in 2021/22. We have continued to invest an additional £15m per year since 2019-20 and provide over £11m of funding to directly support pupils with complex additional support needs and services to children and families.

Question reference: S6W-24688

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent British Sign Language tutors are currently employed by each local authority.

This information is not held centrally.

BSL Tutors are employed directly by Education Authorities where appropriate, to support children and young people affected by deafness.

Under the Additional Support for Learning Act, all teachers have a role in meeting the additional support needs of deaf pupils and those who are deafblind. The level of support from a qualified Teacher of the Deaf depends upon the individual needs of each pupil.

Question reference: S6W-24782

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many care home buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Duty holders are expected to deliver a safe environment for all users of non-domestic buildings including care homes. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that duty holders carry out a fire safety risk assessment of relevant premises to identify any risks to the safety of persons caused by fire, including the risk posed by combustible cladding.

The Scottish Government has produced guidance for those who have responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for ensuring fire safety in care homes in Scotland: Fire safety - existing care homes: practical guidance - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot )

Question reference: S6W-24760

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many GP surgeries have been assessed for any presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete to date.

Question reference: S6W-24781

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many hotel buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Duty holders are expected to deliver a safe environment for all users of non-domestic buildings including hotels. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that duty holders carry out a fire safety risk assessment of relevant premises to identify any risks to the safety of persons caused by fire, including the risk posed by combustible cladding.

The Scottish Government has produced guidance for those who have responsibility under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 for ensuring fire safety in hotels in Scotland: Fire safety - existing premises with sleeping accommodation: practical guidance - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot )

Question reference: S6W-24578

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on the Edinburgh festivals in 2024 of any reduction in home-sharing accommodation.