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: S6O-00333

Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for active ventilation in classrooms now that its inspection programme has been completed.

Question reference: S6O-00328

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the ecological status of Scotland’s lochs and rivers.

Question reference: S6O-00329

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the climate tech industry.

Question reference: S6W-03372

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01907 by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2021, whether there was a public consultation on its decision to phase out the installation of new or replacement fossil fuel heating systems in off-gas-grid homes five years earlier than homes connected to the gas grid.

The Scottish Government’s draft Heat in Buildings Strategy proposed that any regulations requiring the installation of zero emissions heating systems would be phased in, with all building owners being required to comply by 2045.

The draft Strategy specified that it may be appropriate to require earlier compliance from, for example, those using high emissions fuels like heating oil or coal (which are more prevalent in off-gas grid areas).

The draft Strategy was subject to consultation from 5 February to 30 April 2021, and questions 48 and 49 specifically asked for views on the regulatory actions and timescales proposed.

An analysis of the consultation responses can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802014464 .

As set out in our final Heat in Buildings Strategy, published on 7 October 2021, the Scottish Government will consult in further detail on our commitment to phase out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems during 2022.

Question reference: S6W-03369

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights has had with the Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work regarding its decision to phase out the installation of new or replacement fossil fuel heating systems in off-gas-grid homes five years earlier than homes connected to the gas grid.

Question reference: S6W-03385

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what role the proposed public energy agency will have in supporting local authorities to create local public energy companies and/or cooperatives that develop, own and deliver zero-carbon heat and energy.

Question reference: S6W-03370

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01907 by Michael Matheson on 16 August 2021, by what date it plans to phase out the installation of new or replacement fossil fuel heating systems in (a) off-gas-grid homes and (b) homes connected to the gas grid.

Question reference: S6W-03437

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to ATM providers reportedly being charged a higher level of business rates by local authorities for operating so-called through-the-wall machines, and, in light of the 2020 Supreme Court ruling for England and Wales, which said that no additional business rates could be charged on ATMs for having them onsite, what measures it is taking to support ATM providers in Scotland facing such business rates.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the independent assessors, who follow applicable statute and case law in making their decisions on non-domestic property valuations. The 2020 Supreme Court ruling for England and Wales is not binding in Scots law, although I am aware that dialogue is ongoing between assessors and agents regarding the rating of ATM sites following that decision.

The Scottish Government provides the most generous non-domestic rates regime in the UK, and in 2021-22 delivered an unprecedented reduction in the poundage mid-revaluation; returning it to pre-COVID levels, which saves Scottish Businesses over £120 million compared with a standard inflationary increase.

The Scottish Government have continued to ensure that the sites of standalone ATMs in rural areas are exempt from rating. Other ATMs may benefit from as much as a 100% rates relief through the Small Business Bonus Scheme.

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, each local Council has wide-raging powers to create rates reliefs to reflect local needs. This may apply to a sole business, sector or area. The relief may be an adaptation of an existing national relief scheme or a unique standalone scheme.

Question reference: S6W-03396

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government which trade unions it has met to discuss the Abellio ScotRail document, Fit for the Future, and its reported proposals to reduce the number of train services by approximately 100,000 per year.

Question reference: S6W-03384

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed public energy agency will have a stated objective to coordinate, support and create more local public energy companies and/or cooperatives to develop, own and deliver zero-carbon heat and energy efficiency infrastructure.

The priority for the new National Public Energy Agency will be to accelerate the transformational change in how we heat and use energy in homes and buildings in Scotland. We need to see the decarbonisation of heating systems of 1 million homes and 50,000 non-domestic premises between now and 2030.

We remain supportive of the future potential for a public energy company in Scotland - and, through the Agency, will support others with an interest in exploring options to take this forward, including those with a local focus.

Development of the agency will be a collective effort, requiring input from a range of stakeholders across the public, private and third sectors. We will continue working collaboratively with local authorities as part of this process, given their key role in supporting local heat and energy efficiency measures. This will facilitate existing shared ambitions to further empower local communities and to develop new zero carbon heating solutions to be rolled out through both national support, and regional and local approaches.