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-01878

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01103 by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021, who the attendees were at the meeting.

Question reference: S6W-01831

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of each local authority's rapid rehousing transition plan, and whether it has concerns regarding any of them.

Rapid rehousing transition plans (RRTPs) are developed and owned by each local authority in Scotland, working with their partners. The Scottish Government asks each local authority to complete an activities and spend template each year, requesting information about the implementation of RRTPs. The areas covered in the template include the development of Housing First, prevention activity, the use of temporary accommodation, the availability of settled accommodation and yearly spend.

The Scottish Government carries out a review of these templates, including any additional information provided from updated RRTPs, and feedback is provided to each local authority. The Scottish Government is currently reviewing local authority submissions for 2020/21 and feedback to the local authorities will be issued during August 2021. A report on the implementation of RRTPs will be submitted to the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group (HPSG) later this year.

This process provides assurance to the Scottish Government about the development and implementation of RRTPs across Scotland and supports our continued partnership in tackling homelessness. While local authorities and their partners are best placed to develop and implement plans based on local circumstances, the areas covered in the activities and spend template allow the Scottish Government to review how plans support national homelessness policy objectives.

Question reference: S6W-01695

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many property factors have been registered, as required by the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, in each year since 2011, broken down by (a) those remaining on the register, (b) those who have been newly admitted to the register, and (c) those who have been removed from the register.

The information requested is contained in the following table:

Year (See Note 1)	Number registered	Number remaining on register	Number newly admitted to register	Number removed from register (See Note 2)
2011	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2012	242	N/A	242	0
2013	326	242	84	0
2014	365	326	39	0
2015	381	365	36	20
2016	384	381	41	38
2017	403	384	38	19
2018	404	403	25	24
2019	387	404	27	44
2020	393	387	22	16

Note 1:

The register of property factors opened in October 2012 so no registration data is available for 2011.

Note 2:

The Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011, allows that a property factor can be removed from the register for the following reasons:

under section 4(7) (a) - where registrations are removed as no further application is received before expiry of the previous registration.
under section 8(1) - for no longer being a fit and proper person or failing to demonstrate compliance with:

o the property factor code of conduct, or

o any property factor enforcement order.

under section 8(1) - for no longer being a fit and proper person as they are no longer a legal entity (technical removal).

Property Factors are required to apply for renewal of their registration every 3 years and a register entry must be removed if the factor does not submit an application to renew.

Question reference: S6W-01638

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01292 by Shona Robison on 19 July 2021, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) homes and (ii) projects seeking grant funding in excess of the relevant benchmark have been subject to a more detailed value-for-money assessment in (A) total and (B) each of the last five years, also broken down by (I) local authority and (II) registered social landlord.

13,743 homes, which is 36% of homes assessed against benchmarks, have sought grant funding in excess of the relevant benchmark over the last five years. These homes were spread across 476 projects. All projects seeking grant funding in excess of the relevant grant subsidy benchmark will have been subject to more detailed value-for-money assessment. The tables showing the Affordable Housing Supply Programme Homes and Projects Approved Above Published Benchmarks have been placed in SPICe under BIB number 62586.

The tables contain data submitted by delivery partners through our digital programme management system called HARP (Housing and Regeneration Programme) and provide the breakdown as requested. The analysis is based on information provided at tender approval stage which is when projects are assessed against benchmark subsidy levels. Only projects which have a relevant benchmark have been included i.e. social rent homes provided by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), social rented homes provided by Local Authorities, and affordable homes for Mid Market rent provided by RSLs and their subsidiaries.

Question reference: S6W-01692

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the impact that nuclear energy generation has on (a) jobs, (b) skills and (c) the economy, and if it has not made such an assessment, whether it will do so.

Question reference: S6W-01645

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the delayed document, Housing Statistics for Scotland 2020: Key Trends Summary, will be published.

The publication of the Housing Statistics for Scotland 2020: Key Trends Summary and associated Excel web tables had been initially planned for September 2020, however was subsequently delayed due to the impacts of COVID-19 on data provision and staff resourcing.

The Housing Statistics team are in the process of collecting, processing and quality assuring data returns from local authorities, covering annual data for both the delayed 2020 Key Trends publication along with more recent annual data covering the 2021 publication period. We are intending to publish a Key Trends Summary and Excel web tables containing both the 2020 and 2021 figures. The statistics will be released as soon as they are considered ready, under the guidance of the Chief Statistician. At this stage we anticipate this will be between October and December 2021.

Once there is more certainty around a publication date this will be pre-announced no later than 4 weeks in advance, in line with the Statistics Code of Practice, on the Scottish Government website: Official statistics: forthcoming publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-01634

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00982 by Graeme Dey on 8 July 2021, for what reason the electrification of the routes referred to could not have been funded by existing funds.

Question reference: S6W-01653

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations were consulted during negotiations regarding the time charter agreement between CalMac Ferries and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for the MV Arrow.

Question reference: S6W-01360

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of (a) its and (b) each of its agencies' vehicle fleet is comprised of zero-emission vehicles, also broken down by what information it has for other public bodies.

The Scottish Government hold central records for its own and Crown Office Procurator Fiscals Service fleets. The proportion of zero-emission vehicles currently operated is provided in the following table.

Organisation	Zero-emission vehicles (%)
Scottish Government (including Transport Scotland)	13
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service	0

The Scottish Government has committed to decarbonising public sector fleet vehicles and has supported the uptake of ultra-low and zero emission vehicles, through initiatives such as the Switched on Fleets programme. No up-to-date information on the public sector fleet is held centrally, but, according to the most recent information available from 2020 over 10% of the cars in the Scottish public sector fleet were ultra-low or zero emission at that time.

Significant additional investment has continued to be made in decarbonising the public sector fleet since 2020 but will not be reflected in these figures.

To help the public sector lead from the front, since 2014 , we’ve invested over £47 million in 3,463 low and zero emission vehicles across the public sector fleet. We will continue to work with public bodies to achieve the decarbonisation of all public fleets in Scotland, beginning by phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel light vehicles by 2025 and the need for all types of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

In addition, we have supported trials of zero emission specialist Heavy Goods Vehicles, such as Dundee’s Council’s electric zero emission Refuse Collection Vehicles, alongside other pioneering work with Scottish Enterprise to enable the development and future procurement of a ground breaking prototype zero emission fire engine.

Question reference: S6W-01750

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being given to low-income families to assist with the installation of new interlinked fire alarms, in light of its recent legislation requiring this.