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-08148

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 3 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has given any consideration to offering funding for maintenance and aftercare of heat pumps through the Warmworks programme to offset the potential for higher costs due to the reported scarcity of qualified engineers.

All boiler and heating systems, including Air Source Heat Pumps installed under Warmer Homes Scotland are guaranteed for a 2 year period. Warmworks, the Managing Agent for the scheme provide a one year maintenance warranty with the installer and this runs from the date of the installation for 12 months. Once this 12 month period is up, there is a further 12 month warranty with the boiler/heating system manufacturer. This means the boiler/heating system is covered for a full 2 years from the date of installation.

At the end of this 2 year warranty period all Warmer Homes Scotland customers become responsible for the maintenance of their boilers and heating systems together with any associated costs.

Question reference: S6F-01063

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2022

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support the return of disability sport in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6O-01025

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people who are experiencing poor mental health as a result of long COVID.

Question reference: S6W-07878

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its seafood strategy.

Question reference: S6O-01008

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to support the food and drink supply chain in order to increase the percentage of Scottish products in the food and drink that it is responsible for supplying to local authorities, NHS boards and other public bodies.

Question reference: S6W-07197

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment of the potential for solar energy capacity in Scotland has been carried out since the publication of the Climate Change Committee 5th and 6th carbon budget reports, and whether any such assessment will be made publicly available.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that energy generated from solar PV can play in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and in securing a just transition to a net zero by 2045.

In developing the vision for the future of solar as part of the forthcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan we will draw on internal analysis and work closely with the sector to explore the potential for solar energy capacity in Scotland .

Question reference: S6W-07204

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether biodiversity enhancement from solar farms will be included in its review of agriculture support schemes.

Question reference: S6O-00941

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that building standards on construction of new housing developments maximise energy efficiency and opportunities for renewable energy generation.

Question reference: S6W-07202

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether permitted development rights for solar installation will be extended to at least 1MW, from the current 50kW, to match the approach in England and Wales.

The Scottish Government is currently, as part of its programme of planning reform, undertaking a review of permitted development rights (PDR) including those associated with energy generation.

As part of the phased programme for review of PDR we will review the current provisions relating to various types of energy generation, including solar panels and other approaches such as ground and air source heat pumps, to consider whether these remain fit for purpose and whether amending them could help to achieve Scottish Government’s ambitions for renewable energy and achieving net-zero emissions by 2045.

Question reference: S6W-07201

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported decision of the UK Government to reduce business rates for renewable technologies, whether it has conducted any assessment of the potential impact of a similar policy intervention in Scotland.

Under the Valuation for Rating (Plant and Machinery) (Scotland) Regulations 2000, solar panels, wind turbines and storage batteries are already exempt from rating where they are used for the generation, storage, transformation or transmission of power, where the power is mainly or exclusively ‘for distribution for sale to consumers’.

The Scottish Government delivers the most generous non-domestic rates relief for renewable generators that offer community benefit, as well as to all small scale hydro generators. Responding to the climate crisis, we are also expanding eligibility for the Business Growth Accelerator to include the installation of solar panels as a qualifying property improvement. The Business Growth Accelerator provides relief for 12 months on the rateable value increase associated with a qualifying improvement that has been made to a property.

We await the outcome of the UK Government’s Business Rates Review: Technical Consultation with interest.