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-07217

Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome is of its latest review into border health measures, and whether there will be any changes to the regulations.

We have reviewed the border health measures closely over the last 28 days and have assessed that there continues to be a requirement for the regulations to remain in place to reduce the risk of imported transmission and safeguard public health in Scotland. The regulations continue to be an important and proportionate part of the Scottish Government response to managing the pandemic. As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue discussions with UK Government and the other devolved administrations and continue to seek to take a four-nations approach to future changes to regulations and the travel regime where possible.

Question reference: S6W-06900

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what exemptions it anticipates will be included in the regulations requiring the private rented sector to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above by (a) 2025 for new tenancies and (b) 2028 for all.

Question reference: S6W-06785

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is in place regarding prioritising the reopening of youth and community facilities as a crucial part of the COVID-19 recovery.

We are working collaboratively with Community Learning and Development providers to support safe practices and behaviours through the Advanced Learning COVID-19 Recovery Group and to deliver guidance that will support the Strategic Framework. This will include encouraging local/community facilities to permit access to organisations and groups working within this sector, operating in line with their own requirements under the terms of the Strategic Framework.

We have also prepared safer workplaces guidance and the organised activities for children guidance to support and accelerate these organisations ability to safely reopen these buildings. However, the responsibility for reopening youth and community facilities ultimately rests with the owners.

Question reference: S6W-06886

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided toward research on whether microemboli are the cause of long Covid, including researching the (a) detection methods of these particles and (b) associated treatments and, if no such funding has been provided, whether it will consider doing so.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) launched a call for Rapid Research in COVID-19 on 25 March 2020 and a second call specifically addressing longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection on 5 October 2020. Following independent expert review, 65 projects were funded in total, 56 through the Rapid Research programme and 9 through the long COVID call.

None of the projects specifically address microemboli and long COVID. Many of the projects are still active and include research on vascular aspects of COVID-19.

The full list of funded projects is available from the CSO website

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/covid-19-research/

The CSO's Translational Clinical Studies Committee and the Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committees each meet twice per year to consider funding applications. Details of the application process are published on the CSO website.

Grant Funding – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

Applications looking at links between microemboli and long COVID may be submitted to the CSO funding committees. In common with all other applications, these would go through the CSO's standard independent peer review process.

Question reference: S6W-06902

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 7 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the total cost of bringing the private rented sector up to an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above by 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for all, and how much funding it will be providing to assist the private rented sector to comply with this new requirement.

Modelling undertaken using the National Household Model (NHM), and by applying a minimum cost approach to achieving EPC C, indicates that it could cost up to £1.7bn to retrofit the private rented sector housing (PRS) stock to an EPC C, or as near to this standard as is technically feasible. The modelling methodology is available here .

It should be noted that the Scottish Government is proposing that private-rented and owner-occupied homes will be required to reach a minimum energy standard equivalent to EPC C. Accurate estimated costs to the PRS sector will therefore depend on our final approach to regulation – including any cost-effectiveness and technical-feasibility, or exemptions that may apply. We will undertake a full range of impact assessments ahead of introducing any legislation.

We have committed to supporting property owners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and are encouraging property owners to contact Home Energy Scotland who offer free impartial energy efficiency advice, and may be able to offer tailored advice for stone built properties. They are also the route to Scottish Government funded loans, in Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan: overview - Home Energy Scotland . Home Energy Scotland can be contacted on Freephone 0808 808 2282 or through their website https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/home-energy-Scotland

Question reference: S6W-07042

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-06786

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 4 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which funding streams in the creative sector specifically encourage youth workers and community-based projects to deliver courses and projects that seek to build skills in the positive use of social media.

The Scottish Government believes it is important to ensure young people build skills in the positive use of social media. In December 2021, UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom published its approach to online media literacy, setting out the need to build media literacy skills, including identifying misinformation on social media platforms.

There are no specific creative sector projects on social media being funded by the Scottish Government at this time but there are a number of projects and initiatives funded from other areas of the Scottish Government that seek to develop skills in the positive use of social media. Those relevant to youth workers and community groups are set out below.

In 2021-22, the Scottish Government’s Cyber Resilience Unit provided funding to Civic Digits CIC of £35,550, complementing funding from Creative Scotland, to deliver The Big Data Show to 2,400 children in schools and to a community organisation working with young people from black and minority ethnic communities.

In 2020, the Scottish Youth Parliament, with Scottish Government funding, also developed a digital resource called Mind Yer Time, to help children and young people use screens and social media in a healthy way.

Question reference: S6W-06818

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 4 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports have been made to Police Scotland of individual households experiencing a cyber-attack in each year since 1999.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of reports made to Police Scotland of households experiencing a cyber-attack. Information is held on crimes recorded under Sections 1 to 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Sections 1 and 2 relate to unauthorised access to computers, with the intent to commit or facilitate the commissioning of further offences. Section 3 relates to unauthorised acts which impair the operation of computers, including preventing or hindering access to programs, data etc. This is shown in the table below, from 1999-00 to 2020-21. No specific information is held regarding the characteristics of victims, including whether they are private households, businesses, charity organisations etc.

As highlighted in the 2020-21 recorded crime National Statistics, a procedural change was made to the recording of international crime in 2020-21, whereby cases carried out by a perpetrator who was likely to be outside the UK are now included. This may have led to some additional crimes being recorded in the latest year, though more broadly the increase may in part be due to the significant impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including behavioural changes with more people undertaking activities online.

Table: Number of crimes recorded by police in Scotland under Sections 1 to 3 of Computer Misuse Act 1990, 1999-00 to 2020-21

Year	Sections 1 and 2	Section 3
1999-00	1	0
2000-01	4	2
2001-02	9	1
2002-03	7	5
2003-04	4	2
2004-05	4	12
2005-06	3	13
2006-07	3	10
2007-08	14	5
2008-09	8	6
2009-10	10	18
2010-11	17	8
2011-12	22	9
2012-13	17	9
2013-14	6	9
2014-15	17	18
2015-16	14	31
2016-17	17	30
2017-18	33	22
2018-19	35	18
2019-20	36	21
2020-21	331	72

Source: Recorded Crime in Scotland

Question reference: S6W-06750

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it conducts of how many (a) public toilets, (b) accessible public toilets and (c) Changing Places toilets there are across Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not currently monitor the number of public toilets, accessible public toilets or Changing Places toilets.

Some local authorities advertise their toilet provision on their website. There are a number of companies and charities that provide tools for members of the public such as https://www.toiletmap.org.uk/ . The UK-wide website https://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/ details the location of all Scottish Changing Places Toilets.

Question reference: S6W-06779

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 4 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what ministerial visits have been carried out in (a) Ayr, (b) Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, (c) Clydesdale, (d) Dumfriesshire, (e) East Lothian, (f) Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, (g) Galloway and West Dumfries, (h) Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley and (i) Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, since May 2017.