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-20323

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 25 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the Home Energy Scotland grants scheme, which was announced on 2 December 2022, in the Glasgow region.

In March this year the Scottish Government ran a marketing campaign using TV, radio and digital media platforms to promote our newly launched Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grants & Loans scheme. There has been strong demand for the updated scheme – during the campaign we saw a 23% increase in applications compared to the previous month, with over 3000 grant and loans offered through the scheme across Scotland since launch.

We will continue to deliver an awareness raising campaign that builds on this early activity. Plans are in place for further national marketing activity to commence in January 2024 until mid-March 2024. This nationwide campaign intends to target those who currently have the highest propensity to take out a heat pump. Promotion will be bolstered by further activity under our Let’s Do Net Zero marketing campaign, which will highlight carbon emitting heating systems as being a major contributor to climate change.

The Energy Savings Trust, who manage the HES service on behalf of the Scottish Government, also regularly promote the Loans and Grants scheme through their own channels including digital promotion and work through the HES advice centre network.

Later this year we will publish our Heat in Buildings Public Engagement Strategy setting out how we will work with stakeholders to increase public awareness and understanding of zero emission heating systems, the different technological options available and how to access advice and support.

Question reference: S6W-19795

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding will be extended for the hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic cancer pathway beyond March 2024.

Question reference: S6W-19796

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the merits of introducing national guidance on liver disease to address the specific epidemiology of liver disease in Scotland.

Scottish Government has made no recent assessment of the merits of introducing national guidance on liver disease to address the specific epidemiology of liver disease in Scotland.

However, there are policy initiatives to address the main risk factors associated with chronic liver disease, such as alcohol use, obesity and hepatitis C.

These policy initiatives include Minimum Unit Price for alcohol, Scotland’s diet and healthy weight delivery plan to address obesity and effective elimination of hepatitis C by 2024.

Question reference: S6W-19282

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many link workers are employed in GP practices in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde board area.

The Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) funds Community Link Workers (CLWs) as part of primary care multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs).

As at March 2023, there were 97.7 WTE Community Links Workers working in NHS board provided services within Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board. Within this, 94.9 FTE were funded through the Primary Care Improvement Fund and 2.8 FTE were funded through other sources.

Question reference: S6W-19281

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its new mental health strategy.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy has now been published and is available here:

Strategy - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805259275

Executive Summary - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805259282

Easy Read - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805259299

Having reviewed our progress on the accompanying Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan, we now intend to carry out further engagement over the summer period to develop these further. We now intend to publish these supporting documents in the Autumn.

Question reference: S6O-02366

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any modelling on the potential behavioural impact of the Scottish Green Party's proposal to introduce a new increased tax rate for those earning between £75,000 and £125,000.

Question reference: S6O-02214

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any analysis of the potential cost to the public purse of introducing a minimum income guarantee.

Question reference: S6O-02172

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated from its Budget to cover the costs of its challenge of the decision of the UK Secretary of State for Scotland to issue an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 in respect of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-16385

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the provisions of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 relating to tenancies should be extended.

The Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 introduced a range of changes to specific legislative areas, many of which originated in temporary Scottish and UK Covid legislation.

These reforms include permanent public health protection powers, similar to those which already exist in England and Wales, increased protection for private rented tenants facing evictions, and a temporary extension of some changes in the justice system to help manage the backlog of court cases arising from the pandemic.

The Act is now permanent legislation including those provisions relating to the private rented sector which means extension to these powers are no longer required.

The provisions in the Act relating to the private rented sector, saw pre eviction protocols relating to rent arrears made permanent, ensuring that tenants who reside in the sector have all the information they need about their rights and also ensuring that Tribunals are able to continue taking circumstances of both parties into account when deciding whether to grant an eviction order or not.

Question reference: S6O-02131

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support the Proposed Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill in order to aim to save lives and tackle Scotland’s drug deaths crisis.

We will consider the proposed Right to Addiction Recovery Bill when it is introduced by Mr Ross to Parliament.

Meanwhile, we have committed £250 million pounds now, through the National Mission, to tackle the drug deaths crisis.

We are also looking to the National Collaborative – which includes people affected by substance use and their families – to bring forward a Charter of Rights.

This will aim to set out how rights in the forthcoming Human Rights Bill can be implemented to improve the lives of people affected by substance use.