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-14589

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is allowing social landlords to increase rents by up to 11.1%.

Scotland leads the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK, and we have committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70% will be available for social rent. Enabling continued investment in the delivery of high-quality social housing is therefore crucial. Social sector representatives have set out that the current cost crisis poses an enormous threat to this progress, with inflation rates having a far greater impact on the poorest 10% of the population, and living standards and real incomes expected to fall across the UK. The volatility of the economic environment also has significant consequences for housing associations, and the services they provide to tenants.

The Scottish Government has therefore been clear from the introduction of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 that we want to work with the social rented sector to seek an agreed way forward as an alternative to the continuation of the Act’s rent cap beyond March 2023.

The outcome of discussions led by COSLA, in respect of local authorities, and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) and Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations for Registered Social Landlords, has reached an agreed position with their members that would see increases of 6.4% and 6.1% respectively, as an average across Scotland.

The agreement of an average figure, rather than a fixed cap, is only possible due to the nature of the social rented sector and the opportunity to reach agreement with sector representative bodies. This approach has the advantage of allowing a degree of flexibility to recognise social landlords' priorities for investment such as new supply, refurbishment and services to tenants. We anticipate that the majority of rents will be increased at a level below the agreed 6.4% (for local authority landlords) and 6.1% (for registered social landlords) but there may be some social sector landlords who will, for specific reasons, go beyond these levels. This approach recognises that in some cases tenant feedback to the statutory rent consultations may be in favour of an increase higher than the overall averages agreed, for example to allow planned improvements or maintenance to proceed.

The Scottish Housing Regulator is monitoring and collating social sector rental data presently, and will report in due course.

Question reference: S6T-01253

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Circularity Scotland expects to make £57 million a year by the public failing to return containers, and that this is part of the company's business model.

Question reference: S6T-01262

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people it estimates have not taken up the free bus pass.

Question reference: S6T-01247

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the EIS vote to accept the latest pay offer, what assessment is being undertaken to understand any impact of days lost as a result of industrial action on children’s education and the school environment.

Question reference: S6F-01928

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will provide police with access to all correspondence, transcripts, meeting notes and other communications with ministers, its officials and with the Scottish Prison Service, to assist with the investigation regarding the Allan Marshall case.

Question reference: S6F-01919

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government has made any assessment of the effect that long A&E waits have on patient mortality.

Question reference: S6F-01913

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the First Minister, ahead of the publication of the next report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change next week, what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that Scotland plays a leading role in tackling the global climate emergency.

Question reference: S6F-01912

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the UK Government's Spring Budget.

Question reference: S6F-01907

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-01908

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.