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: S5W-19567

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it ensures that all registered letting agents correctly display their registration number.

The Scottish Government writes to notify those admitted to the Scottish Letting Agent Register and in this, agents are reminded of the requirements of section 36(2) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 to include their letting agent registration number in documents, property advertisements or communications in relation to their letting agency work.

The Scottish Government will monitor the compliance of registered letting agents in line with our published Monitoring Compliance and Enforcement Framework. Details of this framework can be found at:

https://beta.gov.scot/publications/regulation-letting-agents-monitoring-compliance-enforcement-framework/

Question reference: S5W-19554

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to assist clients that have lost money where a letting agent with no dedicated client account and/or client money protection policy has (a) used misappropriate accounting procedures or (b) gone out of business.

The Letting Agent Code of Practice came into force on 31 January 2018. Section 8 of the Code of Practice sets out specific requirements on how client money must be handled and the insurance arrangements that must be in place. The Code of practice applies to unregistered letting agents as well as those who are registered.

Where a landlord or tenant loses money because of the actions of a letting agent, the tenant or landlord may take a case to the First-tier Tribunal. There is no fee for anyone taking a case to the Housing and Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal.

A tenant or landlord may apply to the Tribunal for enforcement of the Letting Agent Code of Practice where a letting agent has failed to comply with any aspect of it. An enforcement order issued by the Tribunal may require a letting agent to pay compensation for any loss suffered as a result of an agent's failure to comply.

A landlord or tenant may also apply to the Tribunal for civil proceedings in relation to various private rented sector tenancies.

Advice on the options open to letting agent clients is available from Shelter Scotland, Citizens Advice Bureau, other membership or advice organisations and solicitors.

Question reference: S5O-02526

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on permanently linking the non-domestic rates poundage to the consumer price index.

Question reference: S5W-19328

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Register of Letting Agents were received by the 1 October 2018 deadline, and whether all those received have been processed and approved.

Question reference: S5W-19301

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 25 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is planning to review the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981 and, if so, what the timetable is for this.

Question reference: S5W-18890

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it set the time limit for landlords to make mandatory electrical inspection of rental properties at five years; who it consulted on this, and what other options it considered before reaching this decision.

Section 23 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2014 inserted section 19A of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, which requires private landlords to ensure that electrical safety inspections are carried out in houses that they let at intervals of no more than five years. This was a non-Government amendment included in the Act at Stage 2, and therefore was not the subject of consultation by the Scottish Government. The amendment was supported by the Scottish Government because there was a wide range of support for the measure from stakeholders in the evidence considered by the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee during Stage 1, and a five year period is recommended for electrical inspections in rented housing in the BS 7671 Requirements for Electrical Installations.

Question reference: S5O-02415

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many STEM apprentices there are, and how many of these are in North and South Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S5O-02335

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 12 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards its 90% carbon reduction target, and how it will ensure that households change their energy usage behaviour to reduce domestic carbon emissions in order to meet this target.

Scotland is making excellent progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The most recent statistics show that emissions have fallen by 49% since 1990 against a current target in law of 80%.

The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan contains a package of transformative measures to continue reducing emissions. These include Energy Efficient Scotland, which by 2040 will have transformed our buildings so that they are warmer, greener and more efficient. Behaviour change will continue to be an important part of Energy Efficient Scotland and we continue to fund Home Energy Scotland and Resource Efficient Scotland who provide free and impartial advice to property owners on energy saving behaviours. Our Climate Challenge Fund also supports community activity on energy efficiency.

Question reference: S5W-18312

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling work it has carried out to analyse the costs of reaching energy performance certificate (EPC) (a) B and (b) C ratings for (i) domestic and (ii) residential buildings.

Question reference: S5W-18130

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 September 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the minimum compliance for a landlord to operate a single property, and what the average cost for each compliance is.

Updated answer on 04/09/18:

The minimum compliance for a private landlord to let a single property, is to meet the requirements of landlord registration, subject to any exemptions that may apply. The cost of registration is the principal application fee of £55 and £11 for the property. Internet based applications are subject to a discount of 10%. An additional fee of £110 is chargeable where an application has only been submitted after the local authority has made two separate requests for an application to be made.

Answer Given on 17/08/18 by Ash Denham:

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.