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-26428

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 17 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that its new Renters' Rights Campaign reaches older private renters, in light of the recently published report, Homing in: How to improve the lives of older renters in Scotland, by Independent Age, which found that only 30% of older renters feel fully informed of their housing rights.

The Scottish Government's Renters' Rights campaign ran from 27 February to 26 March 2024, aiming to increase awareness of both new and existing rights for all private tenants in Scotland.

We worked collaboratively with public and third sector partners to disseminate the campaign information, enabling them to reach minority audiences, specialist groups and those who are less likely to be online. This included the Older People’s Strategic Advisory Forum (OPSAF), who represent the following organisations: Age Scotland, Generations Working Together, LGBT Age Project, Outside the Box, We are Hourglass, Independent Age, Scottish Trades Union Congress, The Scottish Older People’s Assembly, Faith in Older People, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Glasgow Disability Alliance and Minority Ethnic Carers of People Programme.

Renters’ Rights information was also directly provided to Citizens Advice Bureaux, Crisis, Living Rent, Property Mark, Scottish Landlords, Scottish Land and Estates, UK Finance, Poverty Alliance, Generation Rent, the Scottish Property Federation, the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, Local Authorities, NHS Health Boards, Social Security Scotland and third sector equality partners such as BEMIS and CEMVO.

It is vitally important that all tenants, including older renters, are aware of the strong rights and protections available to them and we will continue to identify opportunities and work with a range of key partners in order to continue to raise awareness.

Question reference: S6W-26018

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 20 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the policy proposal to remove the Disclosure Scotland fee waiver for volunteers in qualifying voluntary organisations and replace this with a fee discount, what its position is on whether such a proposal reflects its commitment to volunteering through the Volunteering Action Plan.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Disclosure Scotland is consulting on how disclosure fees could be discounted in future. No decisions have been made on this. The consultation response from stakeholders and the public will help to shape decisions by Scottish Ministers. Since 2011, Disclosure Scotland has fully subsidised qualifying voluntary organisations to get free PVG disclosures for volunteers. Reviewing the policy on fee waivers and discounts helps to ensure the effective use of public finances and the potential impact of any changes, whilst providing an effective public service.

Wider Scottish Government initiatives and guidance, including the Volunteering Action Plan and the Scottish Public Finance Manual, form part of the consideration given to any changes to fees policy at Disclosure Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-24899

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is promoting traditional building practices training in Edinburgh, in light of reports that the City of Edinburgh Council considers that the Archorfield tenement on Lindsay Road "carries a high risk of structural failure that could pose significant health and safety risk to residents and public both inside and outside the property", and of Edinburgh College's reported decision to cease delivering stonemasonry apprenticeship training.

Historic Environment Scotland continues to champion traditional skills and is working with stakeholders across the country to address traditional skills gaps to help ensure Scotland’s historic buildings can thrive as part of the country’s sustainable future.

Skills Development Scotland delivers careers information, advice and guidance in all state secondary schools, dedicated centres and community locations nationwide. Its all-age service empowers people from all communities to make their own learning and career decisions, based on the best available career intelligence.

Regarding the cessation of stonemasonry apprenticeship training at Edinburgh College, the then Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and I met Historic Environment Scotland in recent months to discuss stonemasonry and we await their proposals to address the skills issues in the sector.

Question reference: S6O-03134

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to provide access to life skills programmes for disabled young people.

Question reference: S6W-24567

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it received in Barnett consequential funding as a result of the £100 million support package for the voluntary sector, which was announced by the UK Government in the Spring Statement 2023, and how much of this funding was passed on to voluntary organisations in Scotland.

The Scottish Government received approximately £8.5 million in consequentials from this Spring Statement announcement. Consequential funding is not ring-fenced and Scottish Ministers decide how to allocate this funding. These consequentials were used to support Scotland’s overall 2023-24 budget position.

Scotland is delivering against a backdrop of continued austerity at Westminster, catastrophic cuts to Scotland’s block grant and a UK Government Autumn Statement that was the worst-case scenario for Scotland. Our Barnett funding – which is driven by UK spending choices – has fallen by 1.2% in real terms since the 2022-23 budget was presented. Nor did the UK Government inflation-proof their Capital Budget, which has resulted in nearly a 10% real terms fall in our UK capital funding over the medium term.

Question reference: S6W-24568

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 29 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress on distributing any funds that it receives as result of the UK Government's Dormant Assets Scheme.

Since its launch in 2008, the Dormant Assets Scheme has released £892 million, around £75 million of which has been received in Scotland.

This money is distributed by the National Lottery Community Fund through their Young Start programme which provides funding to create opportunities for children and young people aged between 8 and 24, aimed at helping to realise their potential.

Following review and consultation by the UK Government, the Dormant Assets Act 2022 provides for the expansion of the scheme from bank and building society accounts to include additional assets across the insurance, pensions, investment, wealth management and securities sectors.

It is expected that this will lead to an increase in the funding that Scotland receives from the scheme although the extent and timing of this are still unknown.

Scottish Government officials are engaging regularly with counterparts in the UK Government and the National Lottery Community Fund on and the implications of the scheme’s expansion on the distribution of associated assets in Scotland. Further update will be provided when available.

Question reference: S6O-02862

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how the work of the City Centre Recovery Task Force is helping to increase footfall in shops.

Question reference: S6W-22839

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19380 by Jenni Minto on 11 July 2023, what steps it is taking to review the conclusion of the National Services Division's National Specialist Services Committee assessment in 2018, which concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a formal national service at that time, in light of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) having approved magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor (ET) with special arrangements, and NHS England subsequently commissioning MRgFUS as a national service from the same evidence base.

Decisions on the national designation of services are considered by NHS National Services Division (NHS NSD) as part of NHS National Services Scotland.

NHS NSD have encouraged the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside to submit a formal application for national designation of the MRgFUS service in Dundee, supported by the health board’s Executive Leadership Team, for consideration and scrutiny. NHS NSD hopes to receive such an application from NHS Tayside for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-22344

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it was decided who would be represented on task group that is considering the issue of a right to breaks for carers.

Group membership has been identified through dialogue between Scottish Government officials and organisations representing carers, local carer centres and statutory organisations expected to be involved in implementing the proposed right to breaks from caring. Further members were invited following a discussion at the group’s first meeting, to help ensure a good spread of expertise to enable the group to fulfil its remit.

Question reference: S6W-22342

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government who is on the task group that is considering the issue of a right to breaks for carers, and what organisations they represent.

The Right to Breaks Regulations and Guidance Working Group is made up of representatives from:

unpaid carers
Shared Care Scotland
Coalition of Carers in Scotland
MECOPP
Carers Trust Scotland (representing young carers)
Carer Centre Managers Network
Health and Social Care Partnerships – Borders, Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Ayrshire
COSLA
Social Work Scotland
Scottish Government

As the names of group members is personal data of a third party, disclosing that would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018.