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-15761

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which registered social landlords have consulted on an above-average rent increase, as referred to in the Scottish Government and Housing Associations' Statement of Intent on Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis 2023-24.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on what rent increase options individual social landlords consulted their tenants on. The Scottish Housing Regulator report on the rent increases social landlords will apply in 2023-24 Rent increases by Scottish social landlords 2023/24 - March 2023 | Scottish Housing Regulator includes details of actual rent increases applied by each landlord.

Question reference: S6W-15921

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in working with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to agree an increased noise budget for projects within the 50km safeguarding zone at Eskdalemuir, and when it expects that any announcement will be made on the agreed way forward.

Safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and any decision to amend the seismic noise budget for the array is a decision for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government and Ministry of Defence have been working constructively together and the Scottish Government has conducted a series of technical studies over the course of 2020 to 2022 in order to provide updated wind turbine data that can be used in the noise budget allocation calculation.

The results of these studies are publicly available and are hosted on the Scottish Renewables’ website. The Scottish Government shared these studies with the MoD and we understand the MoD is in the process of reviewing their noise budget management. The Scottish Government continues to engage with the MoD as they develop their approach.

Question reference: S6W-15936

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the responses to the 20% car km reduction route map consultation will be published.

Question reference: S6W-15786

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to address the situation whereby the available noise budget at Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is being allocated to Section 36 wind farm projects at scoping stage, while wind farm applications to Dumfries and Galloway Council have to wait until the application is submitted to be allocated a share of any available noise budget.

Safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and any decision to amend the seismic noise budget for the array is a decision for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the seismic noise budget for the Eskdalemuir consultation zone has been consumed and that currently the Ministry of Defence will object to all developments within the consultation zone, both Section 36 applications and local planning applications, in order to protect the operation of the array.

Question reference: S6W-15746

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) people and (b) businesses have used the Low Carbon Transport Loan scheme to purchase electric vehicles in the Highlands and Islands region in each year since the scheme was introduced.

The Scottish Government provide annual funding to Energy Saving Trust to administer the Low Carbon Transport Loan on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Details of the number of individuals and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region (Including Argyll and Bute, Highland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney and Shetland Islands) paid the loan can be found in the following table.

Financial Year	EV New Domestic Loan	EV Used Domestic Loan	EV New Business Loan	EV Used Business Loan	Switched on Taxi Loan	Total
2011-2012	0	0	1	0	0	1
2012-2013	0	0	2	0	0	2
2013-2014	0	0	1	0	0	1
2014-2015	0	0	1	0	0	1
2015-2016	2	0	5	0	0	7
2016-2017	5	0	1	0	0	6
2017-2018	27	0	5	0	0	32
2018-2019	48	0	13	0	0	61
2019-2020	76	0	19	0	0	95
2020-2021	90	4	18	2	0	114
2021-2022	96	13	24	2	1	136
2022-2023 (Feb 23)	18	30	14	5	0	67
Grand Total	362	47	104	9	1	523

Question reference: S6W-15723

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the information set out at paragraph 2.162 on page 59 of its document, A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Full Business Case Stage 1, how it calculated the value of the "Improved amenity resulting from the reduction in litter" at £994 million; whether it will publish its workings and assumptions for calculating this figure, and what its position is on whether the figure will still be accurate in August 2023.

Question reference: S6W-15556

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many Blue Badges have been issued in each of the last five years, also broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-15058

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government (a) what specific concerns were raised and (b) on what date any concerns were first raised with Transport Scotland by (i) consultants and (ii) contractors that the 2025 deadline for completing the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness was not achievable.

Transport Scotland’s primary engagement with consultants was via the appointments made to provide support on the delivery of the A9 Dualling programme. Under those various appointments the views of a number of consultants have informed the identification and assessment of factors that could affect delivery of the programme, undertaken as part of Transport Scotland’s normal risk management practices. That process of identification and assessment was also informed by discussions with consultants and contractors via regular meetings held with the Association of Consulting Engineers and The Civil Engineering Contractors Association respectively.

Question reference: S6W-15024

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings (a) CMAL and (b) Transport Scotland officials have had with representatives of Pentland Ferries, from 1 October 2022 to date, regarding vessel chartering on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract.

There have been no such meetings with Pentland Ferries on this matter. Any discussions regarding the chartering of vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service contract would be a matter for the operator CalMac Ferries Limited. However, the Minister for Transport met with Pentland Ferries 20 December 2022 for general discussion on the MV Pentalina Charter with Transport Scotland officials present in a supporting role.

Question reference: S6W-14969

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on administering the Electric Vehicle Loan scheme.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to Energy Saving Trust (EST), an independent organisation working to address the climate emergency, to administer the Low Carbon Transport Loan each year since 2011. The administrative costs including staffing costs in each year are set out in the following table alongside the value of funds that EST distributed, and the associated deliverables.

The administration and staffing costs cover loans for new and used vehicles to individuals and to businesses. Separate administration and staffing costs for different types of loans are not available.

Financial years	Administration cost	Funding delivered through EST	Output
2011 – 2023	£2,415,312.00	£187,808,619.00	Promotion and management if a set of interest free loans supporting the update of electric cars and vans, currently totalling 7033 loans to individuals and businesses.