- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is a statutory requirement for local authorities to collaborate with (a) healthcare professionals and (b) independent mobility assessors in the administration of the Blue Badge scheme.
Answer
While there is no statutory requirement, the decision on whether an applicant should have further assessment is a decision for the local authority to make. Blue badge administrators may use desk-based screening tools to inform decisions and identify which applicants should be referred to regulated health care professionals.
Transport Scotland considers it good practice for local authorities to refer applicants for an independent mobility assessment, if that is required to make a clear and robust decision on eligibility.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct all public sector bodies in Scotland to conduct an urgent review of their equality, diversity and inclusion policies, in light of the Supreme Court ruling regarding For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers.
Answer
It is the statutory role of the EHRC to monitor and enforce compliance with the Equality Act 2010. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) have launched a consultation for updates to their statutory Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, which will run to 30 June 2025.
In preparation for the updated Code of Practice, the Scottish Government is reviewing policies, guidance and legislation impacted by the judgment. We are encouraging public bodies to engage directly with the EHRC as part of the consultation process and to undertake their own reviews in order to help inform any necessary practical steps required when the EHRC publish their updated Code of Practice
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it will take to ensure that all public bodies comply fully and without qualification with the Supreme Court’s ruling that the term “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex and not gender identity.
Answer
The Scottish Government has issued a note to public bodies regarding the UK Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of sex in the Equality Act 2010.
It informs stakeholders of the work we are doing within government and encourages them to engage with the EHRC's consultation on proposed changes to its Code of Practice.
The Scottish Government has already begun work on implementation. We have established a Short Life Working Group to ensure support and consistency across Government. This work will position us towards a state of readiness to take all necessary steps when the EHRC’s Code of Practice and updated guidance are published.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding reported delays in Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority pay-outs for Police Scotland officers injured in the line of duty.
Answer
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme outlines the basis on which victims of violent crime will be compensated. For those who are direct victims of violent crime the scheme is open to police officers as it is to everyone. The scheme also compensates those injured indirectly through for example apprehending an offender where the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority are satisfied that the person was taking an exceptional and justified risk. The CICA considers each case on its own facts and will assess the case based on the information available. Some applications will by necessity take longer to decide.
The Scottish Government regularly meet with the CICA and performance is discussed. The majority of applications are decided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority within 12 months.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what options are available to private landlords who are considering issuing a tenant with a notice to leave on the grounds of abandonment because they are no longer believed to be living at a property, but mail is occasionally collected from the building.
Answer
In Scotland, if a private residential tenant abandons a property, the landlord must follow a specific legal procedure to regain possession. They must serve a formal notice to leave, which sets out the ground for eviction (the reason why they are asking the tenant to leave), and provide them with the correct legal notice period.
The ground “Not occupying let property” is intended to cover cases where the tenant has abandoned the property.
When issuing the notice to end a tenancy, the landlord should use the communication method agreed set out in the Tenancy Agreement. They should keep records of all attempts to contact the tenant. Where post is being collected and rent continues to be paid, this may indicate a tenant continues to occupy the let property.
Once the notice period has ended, the landlord can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland an Order granting permission to repossess the property.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) regarding political neutrality among publicly funded charities, and whether it is aware of any concerns that have been raised regarding so-called boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) advocacy.
Answer
We have not held specific discussions with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator on the political neutrality of charities that receive public funding.
We are not aware of concerns about any charities in relation to ‘boycott, divestment and sanctions advocacy’. As the Regulator is a non-ministerial office and independent of government, concerns about a charity’s conduct should be raised with them to determine their validity.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the emergency procurement of private sector dental capacity to ease any paediatric dental waiting lists.
Answer
While we work with NHS Health Boards through planning to make best use of existing NHS resources and capacity, we will continue to consider use of the private sector in a structured and prioritised manner. However, it is for local NHS health boards to determine how they use the private sector and to agree any contractual arrangements.
- Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-37338 by Neil Gray on 20 May 2025, since the amendment of the GP contractor regulations in 2022, what analysis it has undertaken to understand the extent to which GP surgeries are offering an online appointment booking system for patients.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not undertaken analysis of the extent to which GP surgeries are offering an online appointment booking system for patients since the regulations were changed in 2022.
The Scottish Government does not have a role in assessing the performance of GP contractors as those contracts are between GP practices and NHS boards. GP practices are expected to regularly consider whether it is desirable, in order to meet the reasonable needs of their registered patients, to increase the proportion of appointments which are made available online to their registered patients and if it is desirable, to increase the proportion of those appointments. The needs of every practice population differ and the Scottish Government is not in a position to determine, at a national level, what the arrangements in any individual practice should be.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish updated statutory guidance on single-sex facilities.
Answer
It is the statutory role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to monitor and enforce compliance with the Equality Act 2010. The EHRC have launched a public consultation seeking views on updates to their statutory Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, which will run to 30 June 2025.
It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to issue specific guidance in advance of the EHRC’s publication given that they are the regulator and enforcer of the Equality Act 2010. Doing so increases the risk of inconsistency with the updated Code of Practice that is being prepared by the EHRC. The Scottish Government has informed the EHRC of our approach.
Public bodies should satisfy themselves that they are compliant with the law and that they are reviewing all necessary guidance and policies to prepare themselves for the EHRC’s updated Code of Practice.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of non-UK
nationals in receipt of payments from Social Security Scotland in each of the
last three years.
Answer
Social Security Scotland does not publish statistics on the number of non-UK nationals in receipt of payments.
Social Security Scotland only captures the nationality of clients where we require that information to progress an application. It will not capture this information when clients are eligible for a benefit because they are in receipt of a qualifying benefit.
Social Security Scotland will continue to review and prioritise any new statistics produced and will take account of users’ needs when developing future publications, in line with Code of Practice for Statistics.
