Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-30301

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government with whom it has met to discuss a potential power of general competence for local government, and on how many occasions.

As part of discussions around the development of a fiscal framework, and in direct response to specific requests to explore a general power of competence, both officials and Ministers have held numerous meetings with COSLA, SOLACE and Local Government representatives to clarify what additional powers Local Government would wish to use and to better understand the restrictions of the wide latitude of existing legislative provisions, which include a power for local authorities ‘to do anything to advance well-being’ in their local area. Regular discussions are ongoing, with the most recent meeting held on 14 October, and further meetings planned to develop robust proposals for such a power to ensure that any legislative amendments will be effective in delivering the greater freedoms local authorities wish to have while providing assurance over potential increased financial risk.

Question reference: S6W-30355

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29171 by Kaukab Stewart on 3 September 2024, how it plans to monitor the use of inclusive communication guidance, tools and resources and the impact of powers under Regulation 11 of the Scottish Specific Duties on listed public authorities.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of accountability and seeks to ensure that it is built into everything that we do. Regarding monitoring arrangements, the responsibility for oversight of compliance with the Equality Act 2010, including compliance with the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 including Regulation 11, rests with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which has issued guidance on how the Regulations should be applied in practice.

Question reference: S6W-30620

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of ways in which land can be used to make a community more sustainable.

If passed by the Scottish Parliament, the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will prohibit certain sales of over 1,000 hectares, until Ministers can consider the impact on the local community. Ministerial consideration of a lotting decision and what factors may be expected to make a community more sustainable will be based on the individual circumstances of the landholding and the particular communities in question.

While this assessment will depend on these individual factors, it is anticipated that the assessment of potential contributions to the sustainability of communities would include having regard to high level objectives such as economic development, repopulation, maintenance of populations, regeneration, public health, social wellbeing and environmental wellbeing.

Further information can also be found in my letter to the Convener of Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee: cabsecralriproviding-further-information-following-informal-briefing-on-the-land-reform-bill-14-may.pdf (parliament.scot)

Question reference: S6W-30678

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what transparency arrangements it proposes in relation to the sources of private finance into natural capital investments that is supported by public spending, to ensure that any such investment can be fully visible and scrutinised against high-integrity principles, and whether it will provide any financial support to private investment that comes from offshore financial arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-30661

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 October 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Public Health Scotland collects A&E data by more detailed categories than are published, such as by patient triage category, whether it will consider asking Public Health Scotland to expand the details in its regular A&E publications.

There are no immediate plans to ask Public Health Scotland (PHS) to expand the content within their Accident and Emergency publications.

Due to data quality and completeness issues, PHS do not publish information on the full list of data items in the A&E dataset, including patient triage category as it would not provide an accurate national picture or meaningful comparisons between NHS Boards.

We continue to work with PHS to ensure that A&E reporting guidance can be applied as consistently as possible across NHS Scotland and publication of data is subject to the necessary data quality and completeness standards being met.

Question reference: S6W-30677

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what target ratio of public to private sector investment it has set when seeking to incentivise private investment in nature recovery, and whether it has established a maximum limit to the proportion that the public purse should pay of any investment.

Scottish Government is currently assessing alternative spending models for nature restoration that will seek to encourage greater responsible private investment.

The Scottish Government has not set a target ratio of public to private investment or established a maximum limit that the public purse should pay of any investment with regards to incentivising nature recovery.

Scottish Government’s approach will focus on maximising the value of public spending to achieve the greatest amount of nature restoration and positive environmental outcomes while ensuring communities benefit from this investment.

Question reference: S6W-30679

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what rate of direct cash return it is expecting from any public investment made in support of attracting private investment into nature recovery.

Scottish Government is currently assessing alternative spending models for natural restoration that will seek to encourage greater responsible private investment.

Scottish Government has not set an expected rate of direct cash return that may be derived from these models.

Scottish Government’s approach will focus on maximising the value of public spending to achieve the greatest amount of nature restoration and positive environmental outcomes while ensuring communities benefit from this investment.

Question reference: S6W-30660

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 October 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that public data availability in relation to primary care services is limited because these services are mostly delivered by sub-contractors, what steps it would consider taking to facilitate greater data (a) collection and (b) publication in relation to primary care service (i) delivery and (ii) outcomes, in order to enable improved accountability and identification of any potential issues.

Question reference: S6W-30636

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on government advisory groups in each year since 1999.

The following public bodies are currently considered to be government advisory groups, in line with the National Public Bodies Directory:

Boundaries Scotland
Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland
Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland
National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board (NSTAB)
Poverty and Inequality Commission for Scotland
Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards
Scottish Commission on Social Security
Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel
Scottish Law Commission
Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee

Information regarding advisory groups that previously existed is not held centrally, and this response is restricted to those advisory bodies currently in place.

Information regarding expenditure for several of these bodies can be found on their own websites:

Boundaries Scotland

https://boundaries.scot/corporate-documents

Judicial Appointments Board

https://www.judicialappointments.scot/publications

Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland

https://www.transport.gov.scot/our-approach/accessible-transport/mobility-and-access-committee-for-scotland-macs/#42413

Poverty and Inequality Commission for Scotland

The Poverty and Inequality Commission for Scotland was established from 1 July 2019. Links to their accounts since this date are as follows:

2019-20 https://povertyinequality.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Annual-Report-Poverty-and-Inequality-Commission-2019-20.pdf

2020-21 https://povertyinequality.scot/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Poverty-and-Inequality-Commission-Annual-Report-2020-21.pdf

2021-22 https://povertyinequality.scot/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Annual-Report-Poverty-and-Inequality-Commission-2021-2022.pdf

2022-23 https://povertyinequality.scot/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Poverty-and-Inequality-Commission-Annual-Report-2022-23-.pdf

2023-24 https://povertyinequality.scot/publication/the-poverty-and-inequality-commission-annual-report-2023-2024/

Scottish Commission on Social Security (SCoSS)

https://socialsecuritycommission.scot/publications/corporate-documents/

Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel

https://fuelpovertypanel.scot/our-publications/the-scottish-fuel-poverty-advisory-panel-annual-report/

Scottish Law Commission

https://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk/publications/annual-report/

The National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board was established in November 2023 and had incurred no expenditure up to 31 March 2024.

The Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards was provided Secretariat provision by the Common Services Agency, which is now known as NHS National Services Scotland (NSS). Information on expenditure for this public body is not held centrally.

The Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee was reconvened in April 2013 after it had previously been stepped down in 2013. Spend on this committee for the financial year 2023-24 was £90,985. Financial information on spend prior to 2013 is not available due to the age of this data and the changes in the finance system since this date.

Question reference: S6T-02160

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Young Enterprise Scotland faces closure due to it withdrawing its support.

Chamber and committees