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-12690

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the scope is of the Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme review; who is delivering the review; which organisations (a) have been and (b) will be consulted; on what date the review was first commissioned; whether it has commissioned new research or modelling to support the review; what the stages of the review are; how many (i) staff and (ii) full-time equivalents are working on the review, and when it expects to implement its findings.

A review of the Home Owners Support Fund (HOSF), of which Mortgage to Shared Equity is part, was commissioned in February 2022.

The review is wide ranging and will consider all aspects of the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) and Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) eligibility criteria including local authority property valuation thresholds and capital and equity limits.The work is being led by two full-time equivalent Scottish Government officials with support from other officials, including analysts, as required.

The main stages of the review include: identification of issues; information gathering and modelling; developing recommendations and implementation. Independent user research has been conducted with a number of key stakeholders, to identify areas of concern and gather information in relation to aspects of the process that are working well. This involved recent applicants to HOSF, registered social landlords and accredited Money Advisers from organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureaux, local authority Debt Advice services and law centres. Further consultation with stakeholders is ongoing and user testing is planned for later stages of the work.

The review will conclude in the spring of next year with implementation of any policy changes to take place thereafter.

Question reference: S6W-12773

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the consultation on the recommendations of the 2016 Sludge Review, into the spreading of sewage sludge on land, will take place.

The legislative changes recommended by the completed Review of the Storage and Spreading of Sewage Sludge on Land in Scotland are being implemented via the forthcoming Integrated Authorisation Framework (IAF) regulations.

The proposed changes are designed to strengthen SEPA powers to ensure effective management practices are implemented and followed by operators within the industry.

A consultation on the proposed IAF regulations is due to be published early next year and stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals relating to sewage sludge.

Question reference: S6W-12543

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve reporting of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) escape incidents.

We are currently reviewing the F-gas Regulation jointly with the UK and Welsh Governments. We will publish an assessment report on the efficacy of the Regulation in the coming weeks.

Following the report, we will jointly consider policy options to ensure our regulations continue to support our ambitious Net Zero targets. As part of this, we will also consider other important issues including leakage incidents. We expect to publish a joint consultation on these future policy proposals in due course.

Question reference: S6W-12799

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Hill, Upland and Crofting Group publication, A Blueprint for Sustainable and Integrated Farming and Crofting Activity in the Hills and Uplands of Scotland, in March 2021, what further work the group will undertake.

Question reference: S6W-12708

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Crown Estate Scotland has powers to issue a Compulsory Purchase Order, and, if this is the case, how these powers can be exercised.

Question reference: S6W-12694

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the proposed Clyde Metro transport system, whether there could be scope for including areas in the Glasgow City region more than 15 kilometres from the city centre, in particular if that location has poor public transport links.

Question reference: S6W-12673

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05146 by Mairi McAllan on 12 January 2022, which of the 42 formal flood protection schemes or engineering works have been removed from the list of proposed works since January 2022, broken down by the (a) number of properties that were expected to be protected, (b) reason for removal and (c) (i) initial forecast cost of and (ii) amount that was spent on each.

Question reference: S6W-12846

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11259 by Angus Robertson on 27 October 2022, whether it will provide an update on when the National Records of Scotland will publish the findings of Scotland’s Census 2022.

Question reference: S6W-12845

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct the National Records of Scotland to include the Auditor General’s recommendations relating to Scotland's Census 2022 from the 2021/22 audit of National Records of Scotland into its lessons learned exercise on the census.

Question reference: S6W-12774

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the consultation on the recommendations of the 2016 Sludge Review, into the spreading of sewage sludge on land, is not delayed again.

The legislative changes recommended by the completed Review of the Storage and Spreading of Sewage Sludge on Land in Scotland (‘The Sludge Review’), are being implemented via the forthcoming Integrated Authorisation Framework (IAF) regulations.

Progress on developing the planned IAF regulations was delayed due to Covid-19 and other priority work such as Brexit. This work has now been reprioritised and has recommenced. A consultation on proposed IAF regulations is due to be published early next year and stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals relating to sewage sludge.

Other recommended actions from the Review of the Storage and Spreading of Sewage Sludge on Land in Scotland which have already been completed include publication last year of the James Hutton Institute report on the impacts on human health and the environment arising from the spreading of sewage sludge to land, and implementation of the remedial actions that were recommended to be taken by Scottish Water.