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: S6F-02142

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02141

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-17824

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to build the evidence base for peer support for perinatal mental health, and whether new services are measuring their effectiveness using validated measures, to reinforce a commitment to a robust evaluation.

Question reference: S6W-17888

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to tackle the reported increasing prevalence of (a) inflammatory bowel disease, (b) Crohn's disease and (c) colitis.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people in Scotland living with Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and colitis, are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

We have funded the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) which has a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in IBD care for patients across Scotland in partnership with third sector and people with lived experience. Scotland’s national IBD Steering Group has identified priority areas for work over the next two years. This includes consideration of referral pathways and models of IBD care to drive a more standardised and equitable service across Scotland to ensure that people receive appropriate help when they need it.

We also fund NHS Research Scotland which is a partnership between Health Boards and the Chief Scientists Office of Scottish Government to ensure that NHS Scotland provides the best environment to support clinical research. This includes a gastroenterology speciality group which leads on research into Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, with a focus on a range of areas including early diagnosis of these conditions and clinical trials for new treatments. More information is available on the NHS Research Scotland website: https://www.nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/research-areas/gastroenterology.

Question reference: S6W-17759

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17165 by Angus Robertson on 2 May 2023, for what reason it does not hold this information centrally; whether it retains emails relating to invitations to events, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

With widespread international interest in our work, the Scottish Government receives a great number of invitations, across all portfolios and both formally and informally, for Ministers to attend international events. As many of these requests are made personally at engagements, domestically or at different points across our international network, and are addressed in the moment, there is no way to provide an exact number of invitations received.

Question reference: S6W-17756

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01910 by Michael Matheson on 20 August 2021, how much it estimates it will cost (a) on average and (b) in total to bring such properties up to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least band C, in line with its net zero and just transition ambitions.

There is no fixed definition of what a hard to treat home is. As noted in the response to PQ S6W-01910, the average cost of upgrading an off-gas property with an initial EPC rating between bands E and G to an EPC band C could be in the region of £17,000.

As set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, the cost for an individual dwelling can differ from this average depending on the building type, materials, existing levels of energy efficiency and type of heating systems being replaced.

A broad range of delivery programmes are available to provide advice and financial support to householders, including Home Energy Scotland, Warmer Homes Scotland, and the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, which offers grant funding of up to £15,000 to assist homeowners with the installation of zero emission heating and energy efficiency measures, as well as additional funding available as an interest free loan. There is an uplift of £1,500 for both the zero emission heating and energy efficiency grants for rural and island homes, meaning rural households can claim up to £18,000 in grant funding.

Around 160,000 of off-gas grid dwellings have an EPC rating of bands E to G, suggesting a total capital cost of around £2.7 bn to upgrade these homes to EPC band C.

The Strategy sets the target of all homes reaching a level of energy efficiency equivalent to EPC C by 2033, but acknowledges that there may be some circumstances where this will not be possible, and that meeting this standard will be predicated on it being technically feasible and cost-effective.

Question reference: S6W-17751

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16682 by Patrick Harvie on 2 May 2023, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what the (a) average and (b) shortest time was in (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 between initial inquiries or applications being made and financial support being provided through each of the schemes, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Further to the description of each scheme provided in the response to S6W-16682, the requested figures for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme and Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) Scheme are set out below.

HES Grant and Loan Scheme

The following table shows the time from an application being received to a funding agreement being offered for zero direct emissions heating measures. Once a funding agreement has been put in place, applicants have 9 months to have the installation of measures completed and submit a claim to drawdown funding.

It is important to note the figures include time taken for processes outside the control of the Scottish Government and service provider, such as the time taken for applicants to submit the required documentation.

Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme
Average Time (Days)			Shortest Time (Days)
2020 - 21	2021 - 22	2022 - 23	2020 - 21	2021 - 22	2022 - 23
29	24	35	6	6	7

WHS Scheme

The following table shows figures for both the total time taken and time taken excluding periods where an application is paused due to external factors. The figures reflect the time taken from an application being received to the installation of zero direct emissions heating systems.

It is important to note that the total time taken to complete a zero direct emissions heating system installation includes factors outside the control of the Scottish Government and service provider, such as the time taken for District Network Operators (DNOs) to process applications for load checks and electricity connection.

Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme
	Average Time (Days)			Shortest Time (Days)
2020 - 21	2021 - 22	2022 - 23	2020 - 21	2021 - 22	2022 - 23
Total Time Taken	130	147	142	30	38	22
Time Taken Excluding Pause Periods	49	52	49	27	25	19

The response to S6W-16682 did not include the above information as the Scottish Government’s heat and energy efficiency schemes are not designed to act as an emergency response for households who have experienced a sudden failure in their heating system. Therefore, the information requested for an emergency response scheme could not be provided as no such scheme exists.

Question reference: S6W-17891

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce a national diagnostic pathway for people with lower gastrointestinal symptoms.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living with lower gastrointestinal symptoms in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

We have funded the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) which has a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) care for patients across Scotland in partnership with third sector and people with lived experience. Scotland’s national IBD Steering Group has identified priority areas for work over the next two years. This includes consideration of referral pathways and models of IBD care to drive a more standardised and equitable service across Scotland. Work on the pathways started last month and should be completed next year.

Question reference: S6W-17835

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to support specific perinatal mental health peer support services for men.

Through the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund And Small Grants Fund, we provide funding for both father specific and whole family work. From 2021 to March 2023, we have provided over £1 million to groups including Home-Start Glasgow North and North Lanarkshire, Quarriers, CrossReach, Sure Start Midlothian, Dads Rock and Fathers Network Scotland. This includes funding for peer support groups for new fathers, which can provide a valuable source of support.

We have also committed to working with Fathers Network Scotland to better understand the evidence around mental health within the perinatal period for fathers and partners.

Question reference: S6W-17831

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation in its Peer Support in Perinatal Mental Health action plan, what it has done to ensure that evidence-based, and quality-assured resources are utilised when creating peer support services for perinatal mental health to ensure high-quality practice from the start.

The Scottish Government has worked alongside Inspiring Scotland, Evaluation Support Scotland and third sector partners to co-produce an Evaluation Toolkit for perinatal peer support, which was published on 1 March 2023.

The Scottish Government also worked with Scottish Recovery Network to develop a Perinatal Peer Support Resource, which launched on 20 April 2023 and can be found at the following link - Let's do Peer Support: Bump, Birth & Beyond - Scottish Recovery Network . The resource includes guidance plus links to good practice and specialised training from more established organisations, should peer support workers or volunteers feel they need further information and guidance.